Rocpool Reserve

We were very disappointed with the Rocpool Reserve Hotel. For $736 for one night, the extra decadent package put us in a huge basement room with no windows. I wouldn’t have been happy paying even $250 for the stay. There was space, but the carpet was worn, the walls were beat up, the door handle fell off, and there was no air conditioning. They suggested opening the French doors for air, but those opened onto a ground-level area by the parking lot where anyone could walk in. The staff were friendly but seemed badly understaffed and overwhelmed. Things felt chaotic, and checkout took 15 minutes. The property wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t a five-star hotel and wasn’t worth what we paid.

After a long journey, we were so glad we’d booked Rocpool. The room was just what we needed after a long flight, and breakfast was delicious. The staff were incredibly helpful and did their best to make us comfortable. What a lovely hotel, I’d highly recommend it to any tired traveller!

The room was extremely comfortable, though we had a rather large bug sharing it with us, and there are lots of stairs. The place tries to cover the hotel, bar, and restaurant with very few people, and we never saw more than two staff at once. Service could be quite inattentive. It came highly recommended, but didn’t live up to the hype. We thought we were splurging, yet it didn’t feel worth the price once we were there. In hindsight, I’d have stayed elsewhere.

The food was excellent, and I even considered staying just for the chef. But I left without spending the night, and it wasn’t worth it. I’m intersex, and seeing the gender-neutral title Mx. on the reservation site had made me think the hotel would be accepting and welcoming. Instead, staff ignored my preferences and called me “Madam” or “Ma’am” throughout. The rooms were large and the bed looked comfortable, but the decor and colour scheme were awful. The pictures didn’t match what I saw, and nearly everything was brown or muted green. It looked very ugly unless you’re a big fan of brown. I have no idea how the hotel has such a high rating.