Sails Motor Inn

We weren’t convinced we wanted to go there, and once we pulled onto the street, we saw there was no Hamilton Motel across the road or anywhere nearby. It was a bizarre experience. The sign outside said ‘vacancy’, but the receptionist said there were no rooms and told us to call her boss about a brand-new motel ‘straight across the road’. We called the number she gave us, and a woman said the same thing: ‘Hamilton Motel, brand new, straight across the road…’ It seemed odd.

It’s somewhere to rest your head if you have to, but the rooms are very run-down and the cleaning leaves a lot to be desired. The stove was filthy, there was yuk down the sides on the floor, and the window sills and door frames were dirty. The main bed had no headboard, and there were sex handprints all over the wall. You could see them from the kitchen looking toward the bed. I wanted to clean the room before bringing my things in. I don’t know who cleans this motel. There were a lot of WINZ Homeless families, and it felt more like a campground than a motel. I wouldn’t recommend it when there are other options on the SAME street.

I’d give fewer stars if I could. It’s an unhealthy living environment, and I wouldn’t let my dead goldfish stay there, never mind stay there myself. The manager isn’t helpful and is lapping up the overpaid room rent from WINZ. Steer clear, people.

The worst motel stay I’ve had, and nowhere near worth $180 a night. I was there for two weeks, and the room was damp, outdated, filthy and mouldy. My child ended up covered in itchy bites, possibly flea bites. When I raised it, Patrick didn’t seem to care and handed me fly spray. He later said he wasn’t interested in hearing my concerns. We paid for a studio with a queen bed and a single bed for our child. Instead, there was a queen bed and a couch with just a single sheet, an uncovered duvet inner and an old itchy blanket from the wardrobe. The sheets were stained. Fresh towels and linen weren’t provided unless we kept chasing the owners and cleaners, and we were limited to one toilet roll a day. We were told to take our own rubbish to the skip bin and vacuum the room ourselves. The cleaners were rude and complained about having to do their jobs. The motel was noisy late into the night, with children running through corridors until at least 1 a.m., loud music and guests partying outside. There was also a lot of drug smoking, both inside and outside rooms, and rooms occupied by gang members. The pool was always closed and never looked clean, even on very hot days. A spa pool was advertised, but I never saw one. I was also woken at 6 a.m. by a high-powered water blaster spraying the outside walls. Patrick was rude and dismissive, and the whole stay was far from relaxing. Absolutely disgusting. I wouldn’t recommend it.