Robinvale Bridge Motel

I’d stayed here many times under the previous owners and always had a pleasant time. Robinvale is my hometown, and I came back for sorry business with my family and stayed at the Bridge Motel. This visit left us feeling uncomfortable and disrespected by the manager, who is also the cleaner and the husband of the woman at the front desk. One of our children had wet the bed, as kids sometimes do. We’d already stripped it and asked for fresh bedding. He came into our room without permission, where my sister and the children were spending time, and pulled apart the wet sheets to inspect them. He confirmed they were wet and said there’d be a cleaning fee. Then he looked around and judged the crowded room, with our bags, food on the table, a walker, and toys. We had another night booked, and I explained that travelling with three kids means bringing a lot of things. He kept repeating the cleaning fee. We asked to continue the conversation at reception or outside, since he was being rude and the discussion was happening in front of the kids. He had entered while two women and their children were there without permission, and his manner felt hostile and judgmental. We tried to explain our concerns, but he brushed us off and kept arguing until he decided to leave. All we wanted was clean sheets. The tone, hostility, and uninvited inspection of the bed weren’t professional. The room had a damp smell when we arrived. The pillows smelled damp too, the air conditioner leaked over the bed, and there were chips under it and an empty Jim beam bottle. I don’t drink, and we hadn’t been drinking in the room. The floors were stained already. We’d also eaten at the restaurant next door, which was lovely. My kids had spaghetti, and some accidentally fell on the floor. We told him about it, but hours after checkout we got a call saying we’d be charged because “all” the carpet was stained. We had only wanted fresh bedding, and were left feeling very uncomfortable.

The room smelled damp because the air conditioner was leaking over the bed, and we found crumbs and a straight bottle of Jimmy under it. The place felt unhygienic, and I wouldn’t recommend it. We don’t drink or leave a mess, and we were born and raised in Robinvale, so we know the go. We were travelling for sorry business and had a lot of luggage, but the room wasn’t dirty. My son had wet the bed, so after stripping it we kindly asked the manager for fresh sheets. Instead of waiting for us to bring them to the door, he walked into my sister’s room uninvited, inspected the dirty bedding, and said we’d be charged if the room wasn’t clean. I told him not to judge us and that we’d clean up when we left, since we still had another day there. I also said it was inappropriate to come in and have this conversation in the room, rather than at the desk or outside. He was very rude, and the service was disgusting. You’ll be overcharged for this place.

I’d told the hotel I’d arrive very late, possibly in the middle of the night. The owner helped arrange a room and left the key there, but when I got in at 4 a.m., the door lock was broken and the room couldn’t be locked. That seriously affected my sense of safety. I’d also told them I was checking in late, so I expected checkout could be extended, at most to noon. Instead, they knocked at 10 a.m. and even asked me to pay extra. I’m glad I didn’t ask for a refund.

We had no accommodation when we got to Robinvale, so we went into the Bridge Motel. The staff were very friendly, and our room with two single beds was clean and comfortable. We also had dinner at the restaurant: the cheesy garlic bread with honey was absolutely yummy, and the mushroom risotto was very nice.