Ramada Encore By Wyndham Whale Cove Hervey Bay

The welcoming staff made this feel like a comforting, homely stay, and the poolside service was amazing. The pool atmosphere was lovely, especially with the bartender walking around, and the vibe in the Miss Smoky bar was great too. Our spacious rooms were lovely. Pauline at the front desk was fantastic at check in and gave me a corporate voucher for the bar and breakfast. On our first night, Lydia and Darcy, I think those were their names, made us feel so welcome. Montana and Tracy at the front desk, and managers Kate and Adam, were amazing throughout the week. Manager gayel also had a great chat with me about things to do while we enjoyed the resort.

The Boat Harbour cafe and restaurant were so close by, and the location was fabulous. We loved the big outdoor patio, the large comfortable room and the fantastic pool. Our only gripe over two nights was getting just three coffee sachets. The resort bar was ridiculously expensive too, $30 for two spirit drinks, so we didn’t drink there again. We’ll definitely be back.

The pool is good, but there wasn’t much else to enjoy. Our room was dated and badly in need of renovation, with dirty carpets, stained curtains and mold in the bathroom. There were hardly any shared facilities, and the ones there were either closed, like the gym and restaurant, or poorly maintained. Staff were professional enough, but felt basic and had no warmth or customer focus. The place needs a lot of care and a more professional hospitality touch. We wouldn’t recommend it to family or friends.

I was disappointed to find out during our Christmas week stay that our room wasn’t entitled to room service. This was never made clear in the reservation. After a Fraser Island tour, I came back to an uncleaned room and needed the bathrooms tidied, bins emptied and towels replaced, especially with two children. When I complained at reception, the lady there told me our room didn’t include room service. The hotel itself is very good: the room felt like a small apartment with a kitchen and laundry, the staff were friendly, it was clean, and the pool was very good, with part of it heated. But not knowing about the room service arrangement was very disappointing.