Epsom Motor Inn

My room was beside the "restaurant" and cockroaches were everywhere, on the bed and pillows, in the shower and on the tables. The linen was dirty and very old as well. I had to leave straight away and couldn’t stay. The manager said I’d be reimbursed, which I assume was just a usual ploy to get me off the phone. As expected, there was no reimbursement. Complete liars. An absolutely horrible, disgusting place. DO NOT BOOK.

It wasn’t worth what we paid, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here. The bathroom wasn’t clean, the sink boards were water damaged, and the place didn’t feel inviting. When we first entered, the receptionist came in and sprayed something, which was a terrible first impression. The beds were dirty, and one looked as though it hadn’t been changed, with hair and other objects in it. Disgusting. As my cousin and I were getting changed to leave, one of the men stood by the glass door. He had already come by to tell us it was time to leave, so returning three minutes later and waiting at the door felt unprofessional and off-putting, especially with two women in the room.

The one good thing was the clean bed, and the motel is in a good location. Otherwise, I’d have demanded a refund and gone elsewhere. I won’t be back. The room and property looked as if they hadn’t been maintained in years. The shower leaked across the bathroom floor, the vanity unit was rotten, and the fan, heat pump and hair dryer didn’t work and were dusty. The kettle had dirty water left by the previous guest, the fridge was over-iced and very cold, and the cupboards were broken. The cups were dirty, so I bought my own at the supermarket, and there was no sink to wash them in. Outside was just as neglected, overgrown with weeds and rubbish everywhere, including dirty alcohol bottles near my room and a filthy skip full of rubbish. There were broken fixtures and fittings outside too.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the motel in good shape. My room was clean throughout, had brand new carpet, and all the facilities worked. George, the new manager, was helpful, pleasant and polite, and he and the team are clearly working hard to improve the place. I enjoyed staying there and will be back soon. Well done, guys! I visit Auckland from Sydney regularly and used to stay here every 3 to 4 weeks for 2 days to a week, over more than three years. It’s not expensive and the location is excellent. I stopped visiting last year while the borders were closed. The motel has new management, changed about six months ago, so you can forget many of the earlier reviews.