The Pier Hotel

We were made room for at dinner even though the restaurant was busy, and the meals arrived without a long wait. They were plentiful and very reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and professional, and took care of every request. Our bedrooms were beautifully furnished with everything we could need, the beds were extremely comfortable, and the well appointed balcony had an amazing view. There isn't a lift, but the stairs to the second floor are easy to manage. One of the best hotels we've stayed in, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

We had tasty, good value food and drinks at the hotel, and could sit outside with our dog. The wire screen was clever: we could enjoy the view without getting bombed by seagulls. We stayed at the small park beside the hotel, which was lovely and full every day. The toilets were clean, showers cost $5, and there are nice walks along the beach edge path. Highly recommend.

The building is lovely and the location was good, but this was my third visit and things haven't improved. Staff were a shambles and kept getting orders wrong. Two steaks were tough as old boots, and when we asked for them without garlic butter, we were told that was how they came and it couldn't be changed. The seafood chowder was thin with hardly any seafood, the calamari wasn't cooked properly, and two mains never arrived. There were flies everywhere. With only one till running, you had to wait to pay or order a drink, since staff could only handle one thing at a time. I probably wouldn't visit again.

The chowder was a real letdown. I love creamy seafood chowder and figured it would be hard to go wrong so close to the ocean, but this had almost no flavour and an oddly cheesy taste. I wouldn't order it again. The toast with it was nice, I guess. The building is cool, with interesting history and photographs on the walls, and the staff were lovely.