Schooner Hotel

The room was okay and suited the haunted-house feel. The staff were excellent, and the experience of all that irreplaceable history was fantastic. If you’re after a Hilton, go to the Hilton. For an unforgettable experience across the board at fair dinkum prices, the SCHOONER is the place.

Do not stay here or waste your money. The experience was absolutely shocking, and this place shouldn’t be taking guests. The rooms were cold, the TVs didn’t work, the bed linen was dirty, and there was no hot water. The showers didn’t work either, and management asked whether we’d need a shower, so they clearly knew about the problem. There was no heating downstairs, and the bar was just a fridge with drinks in it. The photos bore no resemblance to the reality, and there was a building site downstairs. We were meant to stay two nights but left after one because it was so terrible. When I spoke to the owners, they took no responsibility.

Remember to wipe your feet when you leave, so you don’t take any ghosts home with you. It seems they’re doing their best with about two staff members, despite having 60 ghosts, but there was still litter on the floor when I checked in. The location was good and the beds were soft. That’s about all you need for an overnight stay, I suppose. Street parking.

We arrived at The Schooner yesterday after booking through Booking.com and found the hotel closed to guests, with renovations in full swing. We’d booked on 02.11.2025 for one night, hoping to stay in what’s reportedly the most haunted room. We went ahead despite the bad reviews. The booking was confirmed, and my special requests were confirmed in messages through Booking.com. We paid the balance in January 2026, then drove 3.5 hours only to find the hotel shut. A builder told us it wasn’t safe for guests, so I called the hotel number. A man answered but didn’t even apologise for the inconvenience. He said he’d pass my number to the manager and that I’d have to get a refund from Booking.com. The manager still hasn’t called back. The location is lovely, and from what I saw of the downstairs renovation, it might be lovely once they’re up and running, if the rooms are being upgraded too. But the customer service is absolutely rubbish. An email or text to let us know they were closed would have been great and would’ve taken less than five minutes.