Carnarvon Lodge

The hosts were friendly and communicative before I arrived and while I checked in, but not nearly as much at checkout. They advertise the lodge as close to the cruise port, so they should understand that guests may need timing that works with cruise check-in. Someone knocked on my door at 10:05 am to tell me to leave. I was respectful, cleaned up, and was out by 10:07 am, so the knock felt rude and unnecessary. They'd helped with my luggage on arrival, but at checkout I had to drag my suitcases downstairs because there was no elevator. The lounge had no air conditioning while I waited for my Uber. It gave me the impression they didn't care about guests as much as money. I hate when businesses save money at the expense of guest comfort, and I don't see myself returning. I hope they read this and improve. The checkout time on the website was listed as noon, and that was one reason I chose this place. After payment and booking, though, an email said checkout was at 10 am. I was going on a cruise and had planned around the listed time, so I ended up waiting two hours to check in for the cruise. That was extremely inconvenient. There weren't many guests and the rooms were small, so I don't understand why four hours would be needed to clean them for the next person. The room also looked nothing like the website photos. The bedding seemed dated and dirty, and made me uncomfortable. The room itself wasn't special, just somewhere to sleep, but it did have useful conveniences: bed lights and several electrical plugs, including some near the bed. That's the only reason I'm giving it three stars. I appreciated those features, though when I compared the plugs with others, I found they weren't effective. Every time I tried to shower, there was absolutely no hot water. That was really disappointing and inconvenient.

The location was nice, and there were reading lights by the bed. But I couldn't sleep because the hall lights stayed on all night and shone through the gaps in the door. Everything in the room was white, so it glowed. There was no soundproofing and it was noisy, and the floors were dirty. I never saw a staff member and had to call the number I was given for help or any service. The front door was left open all night, and there were no curtains on the window.

We were woken by mice and possums in the roof, and couldn't wait to leave. The toilets hadn't been cleaned before we arrived, and tubs of cleaning chemicals and brooms were scattered across the stairs for us to dodge. There was dirt, grime, and dust on the floors, walls, bedsides, and table. Broken floorboards had lifted up and were taped down under a rug. The floor sank and creaked as we walked. We felt filthy staying there. It was a horrible stay.

The location is great for getting around Sydney, and I would stay again. My room was clean and reasonably comfortable during my three nights there. I didn't see a single cockroach, despite the horror stories in some earlier reviews. The hot water was fine and the towels were nice, though I'd suggest wearing thongs in the shower. The manager was nice and helpful. It's not the Hilton, and people shouldn't expect that, but my stay wasn't unpleasant.