Esperance Chalet Village — Hotel in Bandy Creek

We recently stayed 3 nights at the Chalet Village and although we were pretty happy overall, there are a few things that tainted our experience.

Firstly, let's start with the positives.

Really great communication, with both emails and SMS. Everything was easy and made for an effortless self check-in. The accommodation itself is beautifully styled and designed. You can tell they put in a lot of effort to create a certain aesthetic. The mood was set from the very first step inside with a temperature controlled environment and chill music playing. It's nice and quiet. Not a peep from anyone. The kitchen is very well stocked.

Now, unfortunately there was some negatives which tainted the stay for us.

Our biggest gripe by far, and probably is the reason this review isn't a 5 star, is the size of the bed. It's a queen bed, whereas the website says it's a king. It might not be a big deal to some, but for larger individuals like ourselves, it makes all the difference. It's the reason we booked here to begin with. We were on a 17 day roadtrip and this 3 day stint in Esperence was our splurge accommodation. We were banking on getting some great sleep, but unfortunately even though the bed was comfortable, it was too small. The website and listings need to be updated. We felt conned to be honest.

Whilst we appreciated the communal kitchen, we would've liked to see a microwave in the room.

The car park situation was disappointing. For the price we paid, we expected our own dedicated car spot right next to our cabin. But instead there was a communal parking area that we had to drag all our suitcases and luggage to and from over gravel. This gets old fast when you're carrying lots of luggage like we were.

The WiFi was incredibly slow. Really difficult to stream anything, with constant loading and buffering.

We appreciated the laundry, but it seemed a bit neglected in there. There was only one washing machine and no dryer. Might need an update.

Edited - Replying to reply Thankfully for my own sanity, I checked the screenshot I took of the original website description which doesn't state anything about a queen bed. But we can see that the website has now been updated to reflect the difference in studio chalets so...

Fiona and Matt have created a lodging environment that recognizes that rustic and chic need not be mutually exclusive. Additionally, compared to the competition in the area, which are mostly generic and functional lodgings with little, if any, regard for ambiance whatsoever (in other words - could be anywhere), Esperance Chalet Village (in our opinion) exudes in the ambiance department and is the undisputed winner of the pack of lodging options available in the Esperance area.

As world travelers and beach affectionados, it was the pictures of the area beaches that drew us to Esperance (our first time here) and the reality did not disappoint. Rules of the road to enjoy them thoroughly are to have a 4WD to drive on the sand, lowering of tire pressure for both sand traction and comfort on corrugated roads and (just in case) a portable shovel, a set of wheel traction tracks and a tow cable. Matt and Fiona were able to supply and/or direct us with all of the above, which in turn gave us extra peace of mind to explore the truly extraordinary nearby beaches. The seemingly endless miles of ultra fine, sugar white sand, aqua clear waters and whispy dunes are (to our knowledge) unrivaled anywhere else in the world and the ambiance and location of Esperance Chalet Village is ideally suited to take advantage of day trip visits to them. Note however that sun, wind and temperature can fluctuate dramatically from baking hot to windchills so the beach environments are more often than not best enjoyed from the protective shield of a vehicle.

Back at the ECV ranch the hospitality abounded with your choice of social interaction or seclusion. We stayed in the King Shack for a full month and enjoyed both.

Gary and...

We had such a wonderful three day stay at the Esperance Chalet Village. From the moment we arrived, we were so excited to experience the tranquility and privacy the chalet village offered. The chalet was so beautiful inside, such attention to detail with calming music playing on entrance, sparkling water in the fridge. The cabin was so cozy and comfortable! Highlights were the leisurely activities provided including bicycles and kayaks. We cycled to the esperance foreshore to check out the Sunday markets and also did a wonderful circuit bike trail to the Bandy Creek; and Brewery. The helmets and bike locks were all provided which just made it such an easy activity! We took the kayak down bandy creek towards the harbor, it was so peaceful and relaxing. The kayaks were positioned so conveniently to allow easy transport to the creek only few metres away. The campers communal kitchen was so impressive, with high quality appliances and everything that you need to cook! Coffee machine with cloud eleven local beans to brew your own coffee, filtered water provided on tap! Boardgames in the kitchen which we made use of, and had lots of fun! We’ve stayed in Esperance over a dozen times and this was by far our favourite spot. Will definitely be recommending to family & friends, and totally come back here...