Sandpiper Motel Apollo Bay

The room had plenty of useful furnishings, including a fridge, toaster, kettle, cups, and microwave. It’s very close to the beach, just down the street, though the central part of town is more like a 10 minute walk. It’s a lovely little place, with cute rooms and even balconies. Calling it a motel is mostly about the outdoor entrances. Otherwise, it feels more like a small, cute hotel.

We’re having a very pleasant stay. The service is contactless, but everything has been handled so well. Our room has a little private outdoor area and came fully equipped with a microwave, toaster, fridge, kettle, and tea, coffee, and milk. Thank you!

There were a bunch of small problems that built up, so I wouldn’t stay again. The beds were comfortable, the location was pretty good, and the rooms were a good size, but the poor wifi, odd bathroom smell, noise from neighbours, and rushed, cheap-looking renovations made the stay less than ideal. The coat hooks were blocked by a table and shelf, the tv was crooked, and paint was already blistering off the bathroom door from moisture. The worst part was the staff attitude when I asked for clean towels. A couple of hours after check-in, I went to shower and found a dirty towel and bathmat. I called the number provided, politely explained it wasn’t an emergency but that we needed clean towels that day, and said the towels were stacked together so I wasn’t sure it was okay to use the others. The guy sounded stressed and said he’d see if anyone could come, since staff go home at 2. So no one is EVER around after guests check in when issues come up? Luckily someone did come, but instead of just replacing the stack, she repeatedly explained that the bathmat goes on the floor and people step on it. I know how it got dirty. The issue was that it should have been washed before being put in the room. Imagine seeing that bathmat and pushing back on replacing it. She also inspected every towel and only replaced the ones she personally thought weren’t good enough. The whole thing could have taken 3 minutes if I’d been able to swap them at a desk and someone had simply said, “of course, here are some new towels.” The next day we considered leaving the do not disturb sign up to avoid more of that. But our beach sneakers had tracked sand inside, and there were no cleaning supplies, so we left it to be cleaned. They made the bed but didn’t clean the floor at all. We didn’t bother calling, since we didn’t want a dumb conversation about whether it’s normal to leave visible dirt without even spot vacuuming. Maybe there’ll be a reply saying vacuuming only happens at checkout or something equally dumb. The sand was still there after the room was serviced. Yes, we tracked it in, but imagine not spot cleaning it when you’re already in making the bed.

The location is handy for the waterfront, and the shops are a short walk away, while the area itself is very quiet. Our room was comfortable, clean, and well supplied. The only small complaint is that the hot water took a while, though a text message several hours before check-in had warned us about that. The message also included useful details, including how to check in. There’s no check-in desk and we didn’t deal with anyone, so it’s hard to comment on service beyond saying the system worked well. We were happy with the experience.