Shelly Beach Resort

There was plenty of space at Shelly Beach Resort, and we loved having the tennis court nearby. The barbecue area was really well set up, while the games room was a hit. We loved our stay.

The rooms are spacious, comfortable and well appointed, though they smell a bit musty until you air them out. It’s an older place, but a great option with young kids: the beach is a short walk away, and the rainforest walk is even closer.

The pool and jacuzzi were very clean, and the resort’s outdoor areas were tidy. There’s a well-equipped games room and tennis court, though the basketball game or machine near our patio was very noisy. A leaf blower was also loud when staff used it for long periods. The apartment itself looked shabby and badly needed repainting throughout, and the stair carpet seemed grubby. The narrow spiral staircase meant we couldn’t get our large cases upstairs, which was a problem as we were travelling for quite a while. Walking to Shelley Beach was easy, but everywhere else needed a car and there were no restaurants nearby. It seems well suited to families with young children, with plastic plates and wine glasses, but not so much to couples. I thought it was good value, though I wish we’d stayed somewhere more relaxing and within walking distance of restaurants.

The rooms were okay for our one-night stop, and it was cheap for a family of five, but I wouldn’t return. The heating didn’t work: there was one split system upstairs in bedroom 1, and downstairs was very cold. There was a long list of rules with warnings about what would happen if you broke them. The upstairs bathroom was so squeaky you could hear every movement, and I could feel every spring through the trundle bed mattress. I’m glad we only booked one night while passing through. It would have been very disappointing as a holiday stay.