Bannisters Pavilion Mollymook

The room had a lovely smell when we arrived, the bed was comfortable, and the two armchairs and bath products were nice. Tea and coffee were free in the room, the staff were friendly, and parking was easy. We had a decent stop on the way through, though the balcony looked over a carpark and the WiFi was slow. The bathroom door only closes with a sort of magnet, so it didn’t feel very private. Soundproofing was poor too: my partner was woken during the night by noise, including from outside the hotel. The breakfast included in the room rate was the smallest spread I’ve seen at a hotel, and most things, including barista coffee, cost extra. Next time I’d eat breakfast elsewhere. Light sleepers might want earplugs. Restaurant reviewed separately.

We expected better food and a better room for nearly $1000 for two nights, room only, at Banisters Pavilion over Valentine’s weekend. The carpet was worn and had noticeable stains, which took away from the stay at that premium price. We planned a cozy night in with room service and Netflix, but the food was disappointing. The vegetable curry had no spice or fragrance and tasted like bland canned coconut cream. The seafood pasta was dry and short on salt and flavour. We tried to rescue it with the few salt packets in the room. Only the salad and cauliflower entree were decent. The stay didn’t meet the cost or our expectations.

For a first visit, this was a nice stopover. The place was clean and tidy, the bed and pillows were comfortable, and the ladies were friendly and very helpful.

On our third stay at the Pavilion, in August 2025, we were put off returning by the barking from the dog rooms, 101 and 120. We were in room 109, directly across the corridor from 120, and nobody told us we’d be near a dog room or offered us another room. We heard barking from the reception area and inside our room, again in the afternoon, and at 7 am on our final morning. Both rooftop breakfasts were interrupted by barking too. I mentioned it to staff a couple of times and got a polite smile; it seemed to be accepted by staff or management. At checkout they offered a night’s accommodation credit because we’d supposedly been kept awake all night. I explained that wasn’t us, we’d been woken early and another guest must have been affected overnight. I thanked them but declined, as we won’t be coming back. That’s a shame, because we do like the Classic rooms. They’re large, nicely appointed, and have big wall-to-wall windows. The king bed is very comfortable, the bathroom has plenty of bench space either side of the basin, hot water is great and the shower pressure excellent. The air con works well, and there’s a bar fridge with water and milk plus the usual tea and coffee. Breakfast at the rooftop bar and grill is well done, with help-yourself continental items and an à la carte selection. We also ate at the rooftop restaurant. It was a bit pricey, but similar in price to lovely Cupitts Estate, where we’d spent the previous two nights.