Boat Harbour Motel — Hotel in Wollongong City Council

Unfortunately this was one of the worst motel rooms I have stayed in.||||When we booked into the motel at 1.45pm on Saturday 25 January there was the constant loud noise of hoons driving their illegally modified cars and motor bikes up and down Cliff Road in front of the motel. It was so loud we could not sit on the balcony or leave the sliding glass door open to allow the refreshing sea breeze into the room to dispel the very strong cleaning agent smell that caused my husband to sneeze constantly. || The sliding glass door had been repaired with silicone where the glass had been broken. || No extra blanket or pillow in the room. || No landline ||Only 4 teabags for two people. || There were only two dining chairs to sit on.||No extractor fan in the bathroom and not able to open the window.||Extremely old large air conditioning unit located on the floor next to the sliding glass balcony door. ||Only two power points for the tv, microwave and electric jug. || We were in Wollongong to attend a 50th Birthday Party. When we returned to the motel at 10pm the entrance to the carpark was chained blocking access. The carpark was full and we had to search the streets for a parking spot. There was no parking within streets of the motel so we had to drive around for a while before finding one near the motel. The streets around the motel are full of units making street parking spots extremely scarce. Sunday the 27 January we were woken at 7am by a male on a microphone speaking extremely loudly announcing details and commentating on the fun run taking place that morning. He was still talking when we drove out of the carpark 9.15am The motel restaurant was closed for renovations to the kitchen. ||Be warned the coffee shop shuts at 2pm. || We did not eat breakfast at the cafe that morning because of the the constant loud noise from the commentator of the fun run. || All in all an extremely unpleasant stay to what should have been an enjoyable short break. NEVER AGAIN would I stay at this motel or any accommodation in Wollongong because of the noise of the hoons driving on the roads.||Water was hot and good pressure||Bed was...

Pros : Very good restaurant. Wonderful staff all around. Good location within short walk to the beach and playground for children as well as cafés, restaurants and into town for other dinning options. Clean fresh sheets.

Cons : Worn out rooms and facilities. Noisy traffic on the road (would apply for any resort along the beach I imagine). Parking is under supplied as the combined restaurant and guest totals mean you may end up parking a block or two over out on the street.

Being a motel ones expectations should naturally be lower than that of a hotel. The being said the friendly and helpful staff take care of the motel compensate for the locations short commings.

I requested and was given an ocean facing room with the hope of being able to hear the ocean at night however it is not possible due to the location being closer to the harbour bay (hence the name) which shelters it from the waves. This is a personal reflection and not an issue with anything the motel claimed to offer. However should you be like myself and enjoy going to sleep to the sound of the ocean you will be disappointed.

Our room only had one towel in the bathroom when we arrived and we simply had to let them know at the desk and it was corrected immediately and then housekeeping staff came by again later with another set just to be sure.

The restaurant has excellent deserts that I ordered and took back to my room for the family however we did not eat a meal there though the menu does look very good.

Where the location let me down the most was in a combination of little things: soft main bed meant my first night was not very restful so I had to make up for with another 4 hour nap the next morning after breakfast. The overall decor is very dated and given the rates you pay one would imagine they could afford to renovate a few rooms now and then to bring the place up to a better standard and improve the experience of the guests.

To sum up: A little over priced for what you get though the location is really good and close to everything...

Our group has been travelling to the Boat Harbour Motel for 18 years as a long weekend venue for running, cycling, lots of eating, drinking coffee and singing of classic rock anthems

The location of the Boat Harbour Motel is perfect; close to beaches and paths and trails, our recreational activities have plenty of options. We are within walking distance of many cafes, restaurants, shops and the entertainment centre if there is a game on in town.

The rooms facing the harbour have spectacular views. The Motel has been showing its age, and revealed, especially the bathrooms, how far hotel and motel design has evolved over the last few decades. We were met with many pleasant surprises on our return: A new logo and sign was just the start.

Inside, fresh paint was an appropriate mirror to the friendly greeting and easy check in process. The lift hadn't escaped the tarting up, and our room (307 facing east) had also been given a makeover - fresh paint and furnishings, new window coverings and a fresh bathroom with fabulous hot and strong hot water, although they did mysteriously retain the original floor tiles that were the nightmare feature of every mass produced house in the fifties and sixties. Still very small, it is functional with fabulous hot water.

Another change is the addition of "The Basin" cafe to the lower ground area. adjacent to Osbourne Park. The coffee is seriously good, with Australian cafe breakfast staples served with generous portions.

Even the housekeeping staff seem to have ratcheted up a gear and were not only good at their job, but extremely pleasant.

Instead of going back to the Boat Harbour being something of an ironic joke that we were returning to somewhere run down and weighted in the past, we are now looking forward not only to the great location, but an evolving and interesting accommodation option, with easy access to...