Pagoda Resort & Spa

The hotel has views over the Swan River from the front, and a footbridge beside the resort crosses the freeway to riverside walking paths. Even though the street runs right alongside the freeway, we didn’t hear traffic in the hotel. There’s secure paid parking at the resort, plus plenty of free, convenient street parking with no time limit. Reception were polite and helpful, and cheerfully arranged a late checkout. Our room was immaculate and had a large spa bath. The restaurant food was delicious, and the pool area was lovely.

For what we paid, this place was top notch and it’s now my favourite. Room service was so good, better than most restaurants, and that was literally the best steak sandwich I’ve ever had. Staff were quick with anything we needed, and the pool was clean and nicely balanced, not overchlorinated. My only small gripe was having to ask for more toilet paper pretty often, but it wasn’t a big deal. 10/10.

Most staff were friendly, but there were rules everywhere, and senior staff could be unfriendly when someone broke one. I saw junior staff get shouted at across the room instead of being quietly reminded, and a disagreement about splitting a bill turned into a scene after one person in the party had already paid. The signs were very forceful: shoes must be worn, no guests after 10pm, and doors should be closed so steam doesn’t set off the fire alarm. Some areas, including the restaurant, were restricted with blunt directions to sit at the bar. At 3pm, only three of us and four others were in the restaurant, and the table we were told we couldn’t use wasn’t even booked. A simple explanation and direction to the bar would have felt much more welcoming.

The staff were the best part of our stay: kind, polite, attentive, and helpful. We’d come back to the Pagoda for the spa bath, which is hard to find, though we’d look for the cheapest rate to make it worthwhile. Check-in was easy, and I paid $15 cash for secure parking. The room was neat apart from dust built up on the window sill behind the louvers. Our devices wouldn’t connect to the Wi-Fi, and the staff tried to help. When only one of our four devices finally connected, they moved us to another room. We appreciated the slight upgrade, but there was some mould around the spa button and we still had no Wi-Fi to watch a movie on the laptop. We weren’t told about a wedding in advance, and the guests took up a lot of space in the walkways, entrances, and restaurant. After the service, it looked as though they had taken over the restaurant, so I had to ask if we were allowed in and felt like we were intruding on a reception. I ordered at the small bar, and a staff member quickly cleared a table in the corner and directed us to sit there, nowhere else. At checkout, they asked me to pay for parking again because my earlier payment hadn’t been noted.