The Bluewater Motel Bowen — Hotel in Bowen

Traveling with family and an elderly disabled parent. Had booked two rooms (one disabled) for that night. Turned up at 11:30 am not wanting to check in, but just wanting to leave a wheelie walker there as we had a full boot with that and the wheelchair (we needed only the wheelchair). ||||Office was empty, so I ran the bell once then twice. Still no answer, so I called out “Hello” once, then twice. Bleary-eyed owner came out and started to berate me about how this was also his private residence and he doesn’t appreciate people yelling out so loud that he can hear them over his headphones. He keeps on blathering on about the difficulties of running a business in hospitality and I should’ve called if I want early check in. I try to tell him that I don’t want to check in, I just want to leave the wheelie walker, but he just keeps complaining about how I am causing him problems by being there “before check in”. ||||When I point out that the sign out the front says “24 hour booking”, he says “Do you want to stay here?” in a voice that suggests he’ll just cancel our reservation. I’d love to have just walked out, but he’s got my credit card details and could just say I’ve canceled too late for a refund. Plus I’ve got an elderly parent who needed the disabled room. ||||My wife comes in to see what’s taking so long, and in the rudest voice he tells her to wait outside. I’ve never ever experienced such unbelievable behavior outside of watching “Fawlty Towers”. I was verbally abused and made to feel not at all welcome. The only reason we stayed was it wouldn’t have been worth further interactions with him if he’d charged us for a late cancellation. Also, as another reviewer pointed out, the shower curtain in the disabled room is too short so water goes everywhere. I gave 1 star because the rooms were clean and the cleaning staff were...

I’m writing this based purely on my experience of travelling with a disabled person. In my opinion the facility is tired. I suspect the webpage hasn’t been updated in years. Before booking I searched online for disabled bathroom facilities, pool and on-site dining. We did get a disabled bathroom. Short shower curtain meant water went everywhere. One small tube of liquid soap provided. 3 bedroom unit with only 2 chairs. Neither chair had arms (which are useful to disabled people). Restaurant closed til further notice (this appears in small font right down the bottom of the booking page). Pool closed. A 4WD parked permanently in the parking bay out front -we were unable to open our car door fully to get our disabled person out. Not how it looks in the pictures. I don’t want to be unkind, but owners/managers could improve all of these things with a little empathic thinking. On the upside - good size room including a full set of...

This is a very good motel. My wife and I stayed 4 nights, we would have been happy to stay significantly longer. The big refrigerator was a pleasant surprise and the private courtyard at the rear useful. The rooms are a very good size. The manager/owner, Simon and his staff were excellent. We really enjoyed the pool, long enough for a moderately competent swimmer such as myself to do laps when I felt like it. Simon took over the motel in Dec 2022, before which it already seemed to have very good reviews but Simon is definitely working hard to add even more value wherever possible. The location is short stroll from the shopping centre and the water is for us 74yos an easy walk. We look forward to returning to Bluewater Harbour when we again visit North Queensland. Thank you Simon...