Clifford Park Holiday Motor Inn

The photos are badly out of date, and the pool was empty and out of use. The room itself was clean, but the property seemed to have no maintenance, with loose pavers and rubbish around. We had to take out our rubbish at the end or risk a cleaning fee. It’s on the corner of two very busy roads, and traffic noise carried into the early morning. Soundproofing was poor too, so we could hear the TV in the adjoining room and our privacy was affected. I booked at short notice, and this was a case of paying cheap and getting cheap.

The bed was surprisingly comfortable, the air conditioning worked well, and the location was good once you were off the property. That’s about where the positives end. The grounds were full of litter and trip hazards, with an overflowing skip on one side and a burst garbage bag spilling rubbish outside our room. The pool was empty for “renovations,” though the rooms need so much work I’m not sure it can be saved. I’d booked a one-bedroom apartment with decent ratings, and knew there was no kitchen sink. Since we were the last to check in, we were “upgraded” to a room that wasn’t in the listing. The air inside was thick and musty, catching in your throat and immediately triggering my partner’s asthma. The kitchen had dishes in the rack and a melted toaster. Four beds were in what might once have been a living room, with a table and peeling fake leather chairs. Beyond that were two mismatched brown couches that looked dirty, though there was free wifi for the TV. The floorboards creaked under the unclean carpet as we went to another room with two more beds, then the bathroom and laundry. There were six beds and space for eight people, but only two pillows had cases, one just a quilted protector, and those pillows were in separate rooms. The other pillows were bare. Each bed had a rolled white towel, so there were two usable pillows and eight usable towels. The yellow curtains were falling off their hooks, but we managed to open most of the windows. The screen door to the large patio was locked, probably for the best because the floor looked like it was crumbling and was covered in mould. A small landing could be used as a patio, but another unit’s door opened onto it, which explains the old pole in the sliding door runner to stop anyone getting in. The air conditioning was set to heat even though it was January, making us wonder if the room had been unused since winter. But the fridge had a bottle of off milk that was still in date. The fridge was on but not cooling, though the freezer worked. The milk had separated and looked ready to explode. On check-in, my partner asked about a late checkout, as he usually does. The receptionist said it should be fine and that she’d tell her boyfriend, who did the housekeeping. She was closing reception, and after being last to check in, we didn’t stay any longer than we had to. It’s hard to believe they didn’t know the room’s condition, and I doubt feedback would go anywhere. I later saw another complaint on booking.com about off milk in a fridge, so more than one room clean had missed it.

The place looked like the worst motel I’ve ever stayed at in this country. There was rubbish everywhere, smashed furniture in the car parks, and male staff carrying old mattresses and couches on their backs without shirts. Other arriving guests were saying they felt unsafe and calling it “dodgy.” They’d also been booked incorrectly and had to fit eight people into one room. We were put in the wrong room too, but were short a bed, so that gave us an easy way out. Don’t stay here.

I’ve stayed in a few motels over the past two weeks and paid twice as much at other places for nowhere near as much as this one offers. My room was basically a little home with everything I needed. Very pleased, and I’ll book again.