Bourbong Street Motel

We were booked for four work nights but only stayed two before work moved us somewhere else. It felt like one of those pay-by-the-hour motels you see on TV. The TV remote was dead, the volume was stuck at 100%, and the buttons on the TV didn’t work either. Everything looked outdated, especially the power points. The aircon was dirty, and after using it I woke with a really sore, dry throat both mornings. There seemed to be permanent residents, with people on pushbikes stopping by for five minutes, and random people who seemed completely out of it wandering in at 4:30am, yelling, screaming, and banging on doors. The shower door was so small I had to go in sideways. The floor hadn’t been vacuumed properly, with food bits and rubbish left on it, and the rooms weren’t serviced daily. Parking was extremely tight.

Staff were very accommodating with our late arrival and communicated well. The location is handy, near food, a service station, the hospital within walking distance, and not far from a park or zoo. There’s also a great fish and chip shop next door. The pool is out front, and there’s a shared area for food prep and washing up, but people smoke there and the smell gets into the rooms. Our room looked nice and recently updated, with a closet, beds, mini fridge, and microwave. The bathroom hasn’t been renovated, and the toilet and shower doors are only half height, so it’s sadly not disability friendly. The room stank of cigarette smoke that wouldn’t air out. The linen, curtains, bedcovers, mattress, and air conditioning unit could all use a clean. The mattress was rock hard.

The manager was a star, with a lovely smile and amazing customer service. After a long week at work, the warm, soft beds and blankets were just right. Definitely good value for the money.

We’ve been staying here a lot lately, and it’s basically our home away from home, right across from the hospital. It’s a bit old and daggy, but so are we. Staff and regulars are friendly and accommodating, the amenities are good, it’s clean enough, and the beds are comfy. I don’t know why there are so many bad reviews; some people are just whingers. If you want somewhere sterile and uppity, go elsewhere. For a comfortable, handy motel with a good vibe, I recommend it.