North Pier Hotel

Reception made check-in easy and were very helpful, and parking was simple, off the street. We had a clean, tidy ground floor room with an ocean view, though the wash basin being outside the bathroom felt a bit odd. The main pub is connected and just a short walk from the room, with good food and a wide range of drinks. There’s also an upstairs area where kids can keep busy away from the adults.

The staff were lovely, and the kookaburras singing were beautiful, but we won’t stay again. The carpet was filthy and there was old mould in the bathroom grout. Our room was noisy because it was right beside the bistro and bar smokers’ corner. We had to keep the sliding door locked to stop neighbours coming in, since the balconies were connected, and keep the curtains shut, so there was no fresh air. Fine if all you need is somewhere to sleep after going to the pub. Late check-out wasn’t available. Reception staff were very nice.

The ocean view was good and the restaurants were close, but the stay wasn’t good overall. At nearly $350 a night over Easter for a room that usually costs $100, I expected basics like on-site parking, reception I could reach, and bottled water. We got none of that. Parking was the biggest hassle, with no spots at the hotel or in the nearby streets. Reception told us to keep checking and park when a space opened up. They didn’t answer calls after 6pm, and the room had no water or microwave.

We had a lovely dinner and drinks with a group of five girls and one guy, and did a bit of dancing, nothing inappropriate. Some of us left and came back later, but weren’t let in. It was getting late, so that was completely fine, and we left on our own terms. The next night we were refused entry outright. Security couldn’t give us a reason beyond, “my boss doesn’t want you guys back in”. We were shocked, since we’d been respectful and hadn’t done anything different from other patrons. Other reviews mention similar experiences with security on different occasions.