Kingston Lobster Motel

The room itself was in poor shape. The bathroom seemed to be falling apart, with leaks from both the sink and shower, and there was no shower screen or curtain. The shower dripped loudly all night and kept us from sleeping. The mattress was hard, the pillow too flat and soft, and the AC was so noisy we had to switch it off. The check-in process was just as frustrating. The motel said it was 24/7 self check-in and told us to wait for instructions by 2pm, but nothing came all day. We did get an early morning text asking us to pay for an upgrade. When we called the staff line on arrival, Anna or another staff member blamed us for not giving a phone number, though we had, and for not replying to the upgrade message, which hadn't asked for a response. There was no apology for failing to send the check-in instructions and code. The communication was rude and unprofessional, and left us with a bad impression of Kingston SE. Because of Kingston Lobster Motel, we won't return to Kingston SE, and we won't stay here again.

We needed somewhere to get out of the cold, wet camping weather, and this motel worked perfectly. We booked the day of at the front desk and got a pet-friendly room, so our pooch could come along. Ours was newly renovated and had everything we needed. It was near the laundry and the big lobster at the end, which was fun. I’d definitely recommend it!

Our renovated Queen room was $145 a night, which felt like good value for our three nights, Sunday to Wednesday. The online booking was simple, and they texted the room number and door code just before we arrived. It was quiet despite being near the main road and OTR, and the fridge was almost silent. The shower was nice and hot, the TV was HUGE, and we only faintly heard a neighbour's TV. There was an allocated parking space right outside the door. The outside looks a little shoddy, though the room was lovely inside. There are RAA charging EV stations on site, and the property backs onto farmland with a few horses. It’s only a few minutes’ drive to THE best Chinese takeaway for miles. We could just see the Big Lobster next door from our window :)

From the road it looks like a typical motel, but inside was a nice surprise. The room was bright, the white sheets pristine, the bathroom spotless, and there was plenty of hot water. I didn't expect this much in a small Australian town. I'm grateful to the owners for making my comfortable night memorable, and I still think of that giant lobster.