Edgewater Motor Lodge

I'm glad we only stayed one night. Our ground-floor room, number 4, needed repairs: the toilet seemed to leak onto the floor, the curtains were coming off their tracks, two ceiling lights didn't work, and the bathroom door squeaked annoyingly. The place seemed short on care and attention. Don't even try the swimming pool. Traffic noise was a problem too, and the windows need better soundproofing and double glazing.

For $159, I had a single beachfront room with everything I needed for an overnight stay. The reception staff were pleasant, and they gave me a small bottle of milk for my morning coffee. The room had a kettle, a French press, and complimentary coffee, which suited my early start. A heat pump warmed it up on a cold winter night, and there was a large shower with complimentary soap and shampoo. The motel is along the esplanade, close to the city centre, with excellent secure parking for my work van. Across the road there's a large, fully fenced children's playground and the scare park beyond it. There's also a lovely park farther along the esplanade.

We booked three nights after seeing the pictures online, hoping for a pool our son could enjoy. On arrival we were stunned. The room was okay, but the hygiene was hopeless, and the pool was so dirty it looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. There was dirt stuck inside the electric kettle too. The motel looked nothing like the pictures on booking.com.

The room was clean and the bed was okay, but it felt dated and needs updating. There was a plumbing smell, and it was very noisy near the stairs and drive-through. Marine Parade is noisy too.