Waratah Stay - A Mansion Experience

The shared kitchen was welcoming, and the en suite was clean. This lovely old mansion has been modernised nicely into roomy apartments. There are very few electrical sockets, but otherwise everything was excellent. It’s close to the main trams for getting around Melbourne, and I’ll definitely return.

A lovely place to stay, with a homey feel and a nice shared kitchen. It’s near St Kilda Beach and all the activity on Acland Street. We’d come back.

The house itself was beautiful, but I wasn’t told that the owner also ran a business from the property. Staff shared the kitchen while we were meant to be having a memorable stay. Office hours were listed as 10am to 6:30pm, yet staff started at 9am and some stayed past 9pm. On ANZAC DAY, a public holiday, the manager arrived at 9:10pm without knocking, saying she needed to clean a room for Saturday’s guests. She was there 15 minutes, put washing in a laundry basket and something in the dryer, and did nothing else. The heating didn’t work, so we had to get extra bedding to stay warm. There’s supposedly a no-dog policy, but the owner could bring her dog and let it roam around the house. The whole experience left a lot to be desired. I won’t be back.

This isn’t a traditional hotel, since the kitchen is shared, but that’s no big deal if you plan to eat out. There are plenty of nearby places to eat, and the room was lovely. It’s also super close to St Kilda.