Maxwell Del Mar Hotel

The room was really spacious for two, and the upstairs bathroom was a standout. The TV had plenty of entertainment options, and the bar staff were great, though the bar surcharge was the one downside. It was easy to get here from the airport, with the hotel right on the main road and convenient access to the pool and public transport. Friendly staff too. I’d definitely recommend it and come back.

The pool got extremely noisy on Saturday morning. I think the hotel rents it out on weekends, which is understandable, but the noise was a lot. Room cleaning is every three days, though that worked fine for me. I stayed six nights in a balcony room and had everything I needed, including a mini fridge, closet, TV and kettle. The rooms are spacious, and the location on the main road made it easy to catch a ZR van. Restaurants, the gap, Maxwell beach and Dover beach are all within walking distance. I didn’t try the attached restaurant’s food, but the rest of my stay was spot on. It was budget friendly, especially for the price, and I had a very pleasant time. I’d recommend it and would happily return.

We were a group of seven with a wedding reservation, and dinner turned into an unforgettable mess. We were the only diners besides two people having drinks, so there really wasn’t an excuse for how things went. The first two meals took over an hour to arrive. They were burnt, rubbery, seemed reheated and came in tiny portions. We waited politely for everyone else, but after those two finished, another two or three meals finally appeared about 30 minutes later, with some orders wrong. The waiter didn’t seem bothered by the mistakes, and when we asked him to hurry things along, he said he didn’t want to pressure the cook. The remaining meals took another 30 minutes, arriving more than two and a half hours after we ordered and an hour after the first two people had finished. We’d travelled for 12 hours that day on little sleep and were starving. The food was terrible, some of it wasn’t edible, and dishes were either undercooked or badly burnt. Orders were repeatedly wrong for several people, even though the waiter came back to confirm them after taking the order. It was also very expensive. I feel a bit guilty writing this because I think it’s family owned, and I did debate it, but this was just bizarre. If life is about creating memories, this certainly did that, unfortunately.

The price was good, and I was happy with every part of my stay. The staff were amazing and so friendly. There’s karaoke on Thursday nights. It’s not usually my thing, but I enjoyed myself and even got serenaded… oooh! If I remember right, room service comes every three days. If you need something between visits, you can ask housekeeping when you see them or call reception.