Beagle Hotel

Reception welcomed us and sorted out our key when we arrived. The rooms are basic, but the central spot made it easy to walk around Katherine and find dinner. It’s quiet, there’s a small pool to cool off in, and the on-site restaurant is closed. A little bedside table on both sides of the bed would be handy for glasses and other things overnight.

The Beagle ought to be the motel people choose after visiting Nitmiluk, given how professionally and safely the Jawoyn Assoc runs the Nitmiluk Gorge Cruises and related activities. I’m writing in the hope this is useful to the Jawoyn Assoc, because our stay didn’t come close to that standard. We paid over $200 for a “Superior Queen” room described as comfortable for two, but it didn’t feel superior. There was only one glass, one bedside table and one chair, with no bedside lamps. The bathroom had no towel rails or hooks, and the little electric jug leaked over the bench. The room was also hard to sleep in. The lino had holes, the venetian blind wouldn’t close properly, and the curtains let light through. A light outside stayed on all night, and with the gap under the door bugs could get in. I didn’t feel comfortable changing in the room because people walking past could see inside. The area behind the front door, hidden when the door is open, was filthy. The whole experience was very unpleasant. I’ve seen other reviews mention problems too. Management replies with things like “We will keep this in mind for future improvements”, “Genuinely sorry your stay did not meet your expectations” and “Not a standard we aim to uphold”. A few hundred dollars could address a lot of this: add bathroom hooks, another bedside table and chair, drinking glasses and lamps, put up blackout curtains, and clean behind the doors.

Check the details carefully before booking. The location is close to everything, but we chose it because a restaurant was advertised, and apparently it’s been closed since January. The sign was still up when we arrived. A young couple were looking at it too, and when I spoke with the woman, she said the smell was the problem. So why hasn’t the sign come down? The gate also wasn’t locked as advertised, which bothered us. The listing said queen bed, but that wasn’t what we got. The place is very tired, though at least it was clean to a degree. You get what you pay for. Just a warning.

I appreciated that a friendly staff member arranged my check-in after hours. Sadly, my room wasn’t clean, especially the toilet, which was unpleasant. I was in Room 111, near a very noisy machine that ran all night, maybe a generator, and made it hard to sleep.