The Madsen

The hotel is an old building but in fairly good condition. There isn't a lift, which didn't bother us, but it's useful to know. Our room was clean, spacious compared with most, and had a good-sized bathroom and everything we needed for a comfortable stay. The reception sitting room is lovely, with free tea, coffee, port and sherry, and you can buy inexpensive drinks there. Parking is unrestricted on the street out front for guests. The location works well for Penguin or Burnie.

I booked a one-night room for my mother on 11/01/25 for $149. The next day, $180 was taken from my account, $31 more than quoted. I've called and left messages but still haven't had a response, and I'll keep trying to get the $31 back. There was nobody on site to help my mother at any point. Her room had pipes banging beside the door, and she could hear everyone upstairs. She loves Penguin, but doesn't want to return. I can't recommend this place.

The room was spacious and clean, with a comfortable bed, and the spa was a lovely bonus. We also appreciated the complimentary port or sherry in the lounge foyer. We were right on the Main Street, close to the beach and other amenities, and had a great meal at the local pub, The Neptune Grand Hotel, just a casual minute's walk away. Parking directly opposite was easy. We arrived late, but a welcome text explained how to collect the key from reception, so that was no problem. Nothing negative to report.

The rooms were well appointed and the location is perfect. Getting inside was a bit of a strange start, though. At 3pm the reception door was locked, so we called. Bruce said we should have received an SMS with the details, but we hadn't. He was at lunch and wouldn't be back for another 30 minutes. Eventually we got an entry code and found the key on the reception counter. It all worked out, but the first impression was that we were an inconvenience.