Bayside Hotel

The room and the hotel's general atmosphere were nice, and we were happy with our one-night stay. The restaurant meal was a letdown, though. There were three of us, and we ordered two burgers and a pizza, but none of us could finish. Everything tasted bland, almost as if it had come straight from the freezer, and it was hard to believe a chef had prepared it.

We really enjoyed the bistro both nights, especially the schnitzel. The food was good for a reasonable price, and the service was nice. We were in motel room 308, with a lovely view over the bay and parking right outside, though people from the bistro seemed to use the motel spaces and we couldn't always find one at night. It's ideally located for visiting the bay of fires, with plenty of shops and cafes nearby. The bedroom was a little dated but very clean and comfortable, and had everything we needed, including an ironing board, kettle, crockery and cutlery. The bed was large and comfortable. The bathroom seemed recently refurbished, was extremely clean, and had excellent shower pressure. Toiletries were provided, even shaving foam, along with a hair dryer.

Jennifer finally got us settled after the room mix-ups. She was super helpful, checked the right room for us, and then found us a completely different one when we discovered other people's belongings in the second room. Third time lucky! The first staff member had initially put us in a room that slept only two, though we were three, and was rude and unfriendly. He ignored us when we arrived and came across as blunt and dismissive. Apart from that check-in, the hotel was lovely. Our room was clean and spacious for three, and the location suited us perfectly. We didn't eat at the restaurant, so can't comment on the food.

We had a lovely stay, with a clean room, nice bathroom, and a view of the bay. The staff also gave us a late checkout, which was really helpful as it let us go to park run.