Ramada Resort by Wyndham Shoal Bay

The location was great, right across from the beach and close to coffee shops and restaurants. I also loved using the e-bikes and beach umbrella, though I wish guests could still use kayaks. The indoor lap pool was fantastic. I could swim without people standing around with cocktails or kids bombing into the water. We were upgraded to a two-bedroom unit at no extra cost so I could have a walk-in shower because of my balance issues. I definitely want to return!

We ate most meals on the balcony, with incredible views. The apartment layout suited our family of two adults and two kids really well, and the kitchen had everything we needed to cook several meals. Having a washer and dryer in the suite was a big help. We stayed five nights in a Breakwater apartment suite, and the accommodation and facilities exceeded our expectations. It was very family-friendly. My only complaint is that the electric bikes were only available to Club Wyndham members.

The floors were so dirty that our feet were black as soon as we got out of the shower. When I asked a manager to call me about the problems, I never heard back. During the first two days, the air-conditioning was broken and needed repairs, and several times we came back to find the power or lights out. I spent a lot of the holiday contacting reception and making room for maintenance staff to come and go. Nobody apologized or offered compensation. We also had repeated maintenance trouble with the hot water. Staff said it was “normal” for it to be unavailable in the evenings when lots of guests were using it. I couldn’t shower my two children at 6pm. Hot water is a basic service, but we got excuses instead of an apology, and staff kept insisting this was their “normal.” We paid close to $900 a night for three nights last week at a place advertised as a 4-star hotel, and the experience was extremely disappointing. A hotel that can’t reliably provide hot water, power, air-conditioning or basic cleanliness shouldn’t advertise itself as 4-star. The lack of service and accountability was shocking. I’m extremely disappointed and wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone.

The location across from the beach was good, but the rooms are dated. Some old appliances barely worked, and some didn’t work at all. We reported them and were told someone would check, but nobody came. The indoor pool bathrooms were filthy, as if they hadn’t been cleaned in days, and none of them had toilet paper. One day there was poo in the outdoor pool. The cleaner scooped it out while people kept swimming instead of asking everyone to get out so it could be properly cleaned. We had to tell our kids to leave the pool.