Nautilus Mooloolaba

The broken gate, garage door and in-room spa were bad enough, but the whole place felt old, dated and smelly. The smell made us feel sick whenever we came in. There wasn't enough furniture or kitchenware for the number of beds: three chairs and two bowls for a room that sleeps four. The shower curtain was disgusting, with black mould and a cigarette burn. The main room fan barely worked, and it was unbearably hot for sleeping. We were so disappointed and fed up that we left early. We will never go back. Stay at The Carribean across the road, it's so much better. The staff need to do better too. Cleaners were always on their phones, and reception seemed indifferent and sometimes quite rude. The whole atmosphere felt wrong. Watch out for slippery tiles around the pool as well.

Our check-in was quick and easy, and we booked a two-bedroom unit with a rooftop hot tub and BBQ area for my birthday. We were really looking forward to using the tub, but the key wouldn't open the rooftop gate. Reception said someone would come up in 20 minutes. I tried the neighbouring gate and the key worked, which made me realise we'd probably been given the wrong one. I took it down to reception to save time, but the staff member insisted sternly that he'd come to the room to show us how to use it. I said we clearly had the wrong key and were just trying to save time. After checking, he admitted that was the case and swapped it. The replacement key worked, but the hot tub was filthy. Long black hairs kept floating around and getting caught on my fingers, with a film and debris on the surface and gritty, sand-like residue at the bottom. The next morning, while we were at breakfast, I got a message saying “it appears there may have been an additive put into the pool” and reminding us to wash off sand, salt water and sunscreen. It felt very disappointing and accusatory. We'd both showered before using the spa, hadn't been to the beach, and hadn't put anything on our skin. When we switched the tub on again later, loads of bubbles formed, filled with black hair and grey film. We had to keep scooping the foam away until it settled. The unit itself wasn't clean either. There were pubic hairs in the shower and long black hairs around the room, food smears on the fridge handle, and the rangehood filter above the stove was caked in oil. We didn't cook because we doubted the exhaust would clear the smoke properly. A bathroom sign warned us to keep the door shut so steam wouldn't set off the smoke alarms and lead to a fine, but the exhaust fan was clogged with dust and barely worked. The bathroom door lock didn't work properly either. There was a sharp step into the laundry that cut my toe. Broken glass from a light fitting was scattered across the rooftop for our whole stay, which was extremely dangerous. We might have enjoyed the stay despite some maintenance issues if we hadn't been spoken to so rudely. We didn't feel welcome at all. I travel often and have never experienced this level of rudeness in tourism. Maybe management should renovate its customer service along with the décor.

The check-in was seamless, and the one-bedroom apartment was very clean and in a great location. It had everything we could want and more. Couldn't fault it.

The rooms are a little older, but ours was clean and comfortable. We had a great stay, with excellent facilities and a semi-indoor pool that gave us a shaded spot during the day. The location is amazing too, with cafés and the surf club just outside and the beach a short walk away. Our room's rooftop spa was a lovely extra.