Darwin Esplanade Central

The large one-bedroom apartment had a lovely harbour view, and the kitchenette, washer and dryer made the stay especially practical. It’s right in the CBD near shops, restaurants and Coles. We’ve stayed at Mantra on the Esplanade several times and plan to keep coming back. For the location, view and spacious room, the price is reasonable. Our flight wasn’t until 6pm, and they kindly let us check out a little later when we asked, which helped a lot.

We didn’t know the Glenti festival was on across the road when we booked for one night. At check-in, the woman was grumpy and curt when we asked about parking. She just said there was none. We explained that we had expensive gear in the car and didn’t want to leave it on the street overnight, and asked if there was anywhere else we could park. Again, she said they were full, without suggesting an alternative. I understand if there’s no space, but some help would have been appreciated. There was no need for that attitude.

My room was comfortable enough, but not having guest laundry on site was frustrating. The lighting was quite dim: a lamp on either side of the bed, another on the desk and one low-powered downlight above the bedhead. There wasn’t a main ceiling light.

Very central, and the room was just big enough for two. Mine looked out onto the back alley. The kitchen has no oven, and there’s no microwave-safe cookware.