Seaside Garden Retreat

The rooms were filthy, with dust everywhere, bottles under the beds, and mould that we reported but nobody dealt with. My daughter is highly allergic to mould, and it was terrible. We had to make our own beds for the rest of our stay, wash our own towels and sheets, and take out our rubbish. There was no cleaning during the whole stay, and we had to ask for fresh sheets and towels. Toilet paper, coffee, and other basics weren’t replenished either. The shower door was broken and coated in soap scum. There was nowhere to wash dishes, and the fridge freezers didn’t work. Dirty water came out of the taps several times without warning. I got diarrhoea after a week there, and the whole family was sick for nearly two weeks. The hot water barely worked, the WiFi was terrible, and the taps came off twice, which I had to fix myself. The bed head was so old it was falling off. We paid a good weekly rate after negotiating, but the service was disgusting and there was little privacy. We were hassled for more money, even though payments had been transferred into the bank account, in front of other customers. Staff were rude and knocked on our door early in the morning. On several occasions reception had other people speak to us when they couldn’t get extra money. The owner asked several times for cleaning, but it still wasn’t done. The pool was filthy, and we only saw it cleaned in our last week. We swam once, after that first cleaning we’d seen. Bindies were everywhere, so our poor dog couldn’t even walk around the grounds. The gardens weren’t maintained until they started doing something about them a week before we left. There was rubbish everywhere, and cockroaches and rats at night that made us scared to turn the lights off. We also saw brown snakes in a rubbish pile near the goats next door, and nothing was done about it. A man described as “Chinese” killed a native bird that was trying to get the cod, then threw it behind the tennis court. I was absolutely horrified. There were lots of big groups keeping us up all night. Uni students banged on the walls without consequences. We played basketball and tennis, but the balls looked 20 years old. The BBQ nearly blew up in my face in two rooms, so we couldn’t use it. The Chinese restraint used to be incredible, but it’s no longer open. When it was open, the food was only good on two of the five times we ate there. This used to be an amazing hotel 15-20 years ago, but on our last stay it had gone downhill severely. The place needs a complete makeover. It has the potential to be beautiful, but I’m disgusted and will never return, even if it’s done up. A lady kept showing me what it looked like 20 years ago as though that made this okay. The health department needs to check it out. Don’t bother coming until it’s renovated and clean. Honestly, the worst hotel I’ve been to. Don’t waste your money.

We found somewhere else to stay at Bateau Bay Hotel, where they were extremely helpful. The place we’d come to was Seaside Garden Retreat Hotel. Roadworks were happening outside, and a big sign said “Hotel Open”, but the car park was empty, the doors were locked, and there wasn’t a person in sight. The phone number was disconnected. We’d lost all faith by then. Stay away.

Dust was everywhere, and it was obvious the room hadn’t been serviced for a while. The bathroom was gross and its door wouldn’t close all the way. The room smelled mouldy too. The whole place made me feel sick. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The location worked really well for our family. It’s a 10-minute drive to the beach, and the on-site Chinese restaurant was handy with picky eaters. There was plenty of parking, even on the weekend, and the free WiFi was good for streaming cartoons after the beach. Our family room had enough space for two adults and two kids, and the beds were surprisingly comfortable for an older place. Some furniture is worn and the bathrooms could do with an update, but we were very pleased with our stay. The value is outstanding for what you get. Happy family stay.