Discovery Resorts - Rottnest Island — Hotel in Rottnest Island

My partner and I visited Rottnest Island and stayed at Discovery Rottnest 23rd to 25th February. It was our first visit and was meant to be a special experience. We were glamping for the first time too. I have been living with cancer for 9 and a half years so she also included special requests for privacy and the tent to be away from crowds and noise.

We were met at the visitor centre as I had mobility issues due to the side effects of my chemo medication. The buggy could only take one person at a time. The staff member apologised for not driving the bigger buggy. This meant my partner had to wait for about 20 minutes before the buggy came back for her. I let this incident slide.

During our check-in process, we informed Diane at the front desk that our departure time on Friday was 2 pm. We were offered a late check-out of 11 am. At the time, I thought it was reasonable. Then I recently come across an ad for Discovery on the Luxury Escapes website which states 'guaranteed check-out 12 noon'. This promotion is on till October 2022. Begs the question, why we not offered a 12 noon check-out? Screenshot included.

Diane escorted us to our glamping tent. It was right next to Pinky's Beach Cafe. Not what my partner had expected. Again, we were disappointed but let it slide.

Upon entering the tent, we were impressed with the layout and the view. When I went into the walk-in robe, I noticed the area above the drawers were covered with a layer of dust. I wiped it down.

Later in the day, I made a few more observations.

The blinds on the sliding doors were frayed , damaged and not aligned. Photo included.

While out on the private balcony, I noticed something unusual on the outdoor lounge setting. It was meant to have 5 cushions for seating. There were four. The 'fifth' one was a makeshift arrangement as shown in the photo. Two smaller cushions were used to fill the space. It was so glaringly obvious. My partner also spotted stains on the cushions.

On the evening of our first night, we had to figure our how to switch on the standing lamp and bedside tables. I eventually figured out that a switch panel above the left bedside table served as a master switch. Instructions in the welcome pack or perhaps from a staff member escorting us would have been helpful, particularly for first-time guests. Further, the standing lamp had 2 different LED lights. One warm white and one cool white. This made for a less than pleasing ambience, especially for couples. Attention to detail is lacking. Photo included.

I also discovered the next day that this deluxe tent didn't have any flyscreen doors. Tents 2, 3 and 4 were fitted with flyscreens. We were in tent 5. Photo included. This meant we could not leave our sliding doors open to enjoy the ocean breeze and risk reptiles coming into the tent given we saw a snake on the neighbouring balcony during our stay.

I spoke to Jackie, the Front Office supervisor on Thursday evening. In addressing the issue about the flyscreen doors, she rang the maintenance manager to find out why they were removed. He was out and about and would speak to her when he got back. Regarding the dust, she said they were short staffed. Jackie offered us a free upgrade to a deluxe tent on our next visit because of these issues.. An apology was issued by Jackie who said she would send me an email. When I saw her on Friday morning, she said she hadn't forgotten about the email. No explanation was offered about the flyscreens either. To date, no email has been received.

These issues are not what one would expect when paying almost $1,400 for a 2 night stay. Our 5-star Margaret River stay was cheaper and far more luxurious and private than this plus all we could hear until 9pm everyday was Pinky's Beach Cafe's thumping music non-stop.

Jackson at the front office and Aitor in maintenance were probably the best part of our experience in the resort. Diane wasn't far behind.

Apart from the accommodation issues, we did have a good and will return to explore other parts...

Idillic setting amounts beautiful tree’s, near the bay but not worth the money to stay there as the customer service and details let it down.

To start our experience, over the few days prior to staying my call log shows 8 calls from me to the park trying to get info before we stayed, six of those went to answering machine after being on hold and listening to commentary. I left a message for a return phone call on my first try which was not returned. Eventually I got through to a young receptionist only to be put on hold for several minutes and then told that there was a counter full of people and could she call me back shortly (took my name, number, booking). No call back! That was two days before we were due to arrive.

Second experience: Arrived at 12pm and were told up to 3 hours wait for our luggage. (Check in was two which would have been perfect). Luggage did not arrive for 5.5 hours. No phone call to let us know, apology, instructions on what to do, eg: wait at out tent etc, no compensation offered. After four hours, we had to go and investigate ourselves as again, could not get through on the phone. Young girl at counter blamed the Rottnest Express for the delay which was ‘out of their control’ could not tell us when our bags would arrive. We had to stay close to the park as our tent was locked and wait for a phone call, we could not explore the island for the afternoon. Our neighbours said the same thing happened to them the day before. Some accountability should be taken, especially when this may be a common occurrence, they charge for the collection and drop off of your luggage. Advice: Take a day bag separate to your luggage!

Speaking of the lock, no lock for tent included in accommodation fee but were told if you want one to come back to reception and ask. Our tent was right next to campers area, full of young people, a busy footpath and oval. Of course we would want a lock for our tent! It should be included from the get go for the price you pay and the location our standard tent was in without a bond having to be be paid.

The tent comprises of a comfy small double bed which has nice linen and pillows four towels for two people (generous), small bedside tables with a lamp (nice touch) and small draws and a roomy bathroom with a small sink with two small draws. There is no cupboard or side board. Where do you put your towels and face washers off your bed, on the floor? There are two hooks on the shower but the bottom one has a 1/4 of the towel on the ground. Where do you put your bags (or contents), snacks, esky (as there is no fridge)? This space is okay if you have minimal luggage or food. Logic is though, most people who stay in any accommodation, even self contained usually bring some sort of snacks or drinks at least with them and do not buy every meal and snack on their holiday. A small cupboard or side board would be great to put these things away or at least off the ground to allow room for you open luggage (as there is no wardrobe) and esky etc. The space is not big so with all of this on the ground it is squishy.. The tent gets quite warm (thankfully there is a fan) so if you want a cold drink definitely bring an esky. There is a lovely verandah with a table and chairs.

First evening meal at Pinky’s took a long time to come out and the size difference between the plates of fish and chips being served was very noticeable, my husband got a small serve and he was not happy. The salad comprised of lettuce but the fish and chips he did get were tasty. Prawns and cocktail sauce did not mention they needed to be peeled.

This park is in a lovely picturesque spot and the tents are lovely but the things I mention really let it down for us. If this was a cheap place to stay, these things would not be a bother so much but it isn’t so we expected better service and and finer touches.and...

Massively overpriced for the service provided. We normally go to the campground, which is right next door, but this time my mom was visiting from overseas and she wanted to stay at Discovery Rottnest (and pay for it, I would have never paid the cost of this place). Overall, this place offers a poor service in relationship with its extremely high cost. We stayed in a family tent for 2 nights, equipped with a king size bed and a bunk bed. The location and the tent itself are amazing, but the service and the lack of staffing are not up to the price that we paid for it ($1000 per night). We arrived to Rottnest at 4:30pm and our bags didn't make it to our tent until 6:30pm, and that was after we complained twice. Although we were warned this could happen, a service that charges that price should ensure that guests get their bags as soon as possible. It got cold and we couldn't access our warm clothes and could not change after a first bath for a good while. The first night we had dinner at the restaurant, Pinky's. This place is definitely not up to the standard one would expect for such location/hotel. My son's pasta was so mushy and tasteless that he didn't want to finish it. When a 7 year-old refuses spaguetti with tomato sauce something is really wrong. The pasta had been cooked ages ago and clearly re-heated in the mircro-wave. The rest of the meal was mediocre, being generous. During both breakfasts, the dining area was clearly understaffed. Both mornings we sat on tables with dirty plates and cups on it and really sticky and dirty. Food also run out very quickly and was not replaced fast enough. The second day we wanted to prepare our own lunch using the toaster in the tent, which did not work. I went to reception to change the toaster and they told me they would send someone straight away with a new one. After waiting 30 min I went back, and they called maintenance in front of me, who replied "we will do it after lunch", while we were waiting to prepare our own lunch... In the end they brought the new toaster, which did not work either... because the reason was the power in the whole tent was down. It was an easy fix that was not checked promptly enough by staff, who said it can happen quite often... Staff are actually nice and friendly, and try to be helpful, but the place is clearly understaffed, which, at that cost, is really unacceptable. At most I think a price of $400-500 per night for that service would be a fair price, but it was double of that. I would suggest to the management to cut their profits a bit and improve the service.. Last but not least, on the morning we were leaving my son had 39 degrees of fever. Our ferry was at 11:45, and checkout at 10, so we asked if they would kindly allow us to check out at 11, so we wouldn't have to be wandering around the place with a sick kid on a hot day... They told us 10:30 was the latest we could stay, because they had a very busy check in... On a Sunday morning? With so many tents that were clearly available? No wonder, at that price and with that service, that so many tents were available, when the rest of Rottnest accommodation is fully booked since months ago. When you walk through the next door campground and realize that families there are enjoying the nature and beach as much as anyone else, and paying $37 per night (a staggering $963 per night difference with a family tent), you realise that, at the current rates, Discovery Rottnest is a real rip off..... We will be camping next...