Itara Apartments

The key fob access to the underground car park and elevator felt secure. We had a nice one bedroom apartment, but it could use a proper spring clean: there were marks on the walls and cockroach poo on the kitchen counter behind the jug. Our “large size” bed turned out to be two singles pushed together, which wasn’t comfortable for a couple.

Those two cleaners who looked like twins were lovely, always smiling, friendly, and really helpful. The rest of the staff mostly came across as unfriendly. We weren’t greeted when we arrived, and the welcome felt so cold that we didn’t feel wanted there. The room also didn’t seem clean: there were stains all over the carpets, and even after cleaning, hair and gunk remained in the shower corners and the sinks were still dirty. The location and views were great, but I won’t return or recommend it to friends or family. This definitely isn’t a 4 star hotel.

Secure parking was a huge plus, and we’d definitely stay again and recommend the units to friends. We spent two weeks there while our children were receiving medical care in Townsville. The location is fantastic for families with young kids, with river walkways, a playground, pools, and a cafe that make getting around with them easy. The room was basic but covered most of what we needed. The main problem was that our mostly carpeted unit had no vacuum, and it was serviced only once during our stay, after I requested it. With small children and carpet, a vacuum really should be provided. The kitchen was also less equipped than we’d hoped, with no oven trays.

My second stay at Itara had a better located, much nicer room, but it still wasn’t clean. There was about an inch thick layer of dust behind the bedroom TV, the bedroom air-conditioning didn’t work, all the blinds were broken, the dishwasher was dirty again, and there was lint in both the dryer and washing machine. The secure parking wasn’t working, and neither the front door nor lift access worked, so anyone could get in. I had a camera in the room because it’s a bad neighbourhood. When cleaners came to service the room, they covered it. I don’t know why, since they were there to service the room. When I complained, Shaun the manager accused me of being in the wrong for having a camera watching my stuff while I was at work, then tried to kick me out and refund the rest of my stay. That didn’t happen. My first stay at Itara had been awful too: the room was absolutely disgusting, and I spent the first night cleaning it. There was hair all over the bathroom and about an inch of mould and scum in the shower door track. The dishwasher was dirty, and the dishes in the cupboard had mould on them. That was only a small part of what was wrong. I complained and was offered another room, but I refused because I didn’t want to clean another unit. This is nowhere near a 4.5⭐️ stay, and the management, cleaning staff, and standards are very poor.