Peninsula Motor Inn Apartments

The location is spectacular. Nelson Bay is beautiful, everything is about five minutes away, and there’s a lovely walk to the beach. Bring your own beach towel, though, as they don’t provide them. The rooms are dated but clean and tidy, with plenty of space. There’s no dishwasher, and you’re expected to wash all the dishes and empty the bins before leaving or pay a $100 fine. I didn’t get room service at all during the five days I was there, which was unfortunate. The main issue was how they handled an extra night on my work booking. I’d been working in the community from Thursday to Saturday, arranged through my employer, which usually pays well under $200 per night. A corporate rate isn’t supposed to depend on whether the guest is working that day, and repeat bookings are part of the arrangement. I wasn’t working Sunday and asked to check out Monday. They knew this from emails saying I wasn’t working Monday; my wife hadn’t confirmed otherwise, and they confirmed they had those emails. I agreed to pay for the extra day through work, but they didn’t book it as requested. At first they said they’d extended the booking and there was no problem. At checkout, they charged nearly four or five times the rate for the previous days, close to $650. They hadn’t told me the price for the extra night, so I assumed it would be the usual corporate rate. The price wasn’t listed at $650 on booking.com either, so it felt inflated. My wife pointed out the difference between the online price and what they wanted that day. The woman accused her of being slow and not understanding because it was a last-minute booking, and was condescending and bullying. I found her rude too. I didn’t agree to pay $650, or any specific amount, because the price was never disclosed. The woman I spoke to on Sunday and at checkout was the same person, and I think she owned the place. I felt scammed and cheated, especially as a repeat customer who stays a few days each month for work. They later claimed here that we’d agreed to a rate we never agreed to. That’s a dreadful way to treat returning customers, and it leaves me wondering how they treat one-time guests. They were rude and demeaning, didn’t clean the room, and then charged guests a fee to do the cleaning themselves. I don’t recommend this hotel, and I can’t see any price I’d pay to stay there. There’s a similarly priced motel across the road that’s usually under $200 a night. This place isn’t worth the risk to my family; I’d tell people to book anywhere else.