Smiths Beach Resort — Hotel in Yallingup

Pros: The location was great, practically beach front and a very good base for visiting Yallingup & Marg River region destinations. My husband and I stayed in a one bedroom garden apartment/villa, which was very spacious, modern & simply but tastefully decorated. It included a dedicated car bay, semi private outdoor garden, balcony and outdoor shower head/tap for rinsing off sand from the beach. It also had full kitchen facilities & a private bbq on the balcony, which was very handy. There is a separate restaurant located adjacent to the hotel, which serves pretty decent food. Reception service was friendly but I do have some complaints that may or may not have been within their control.

Cons: The biggest problem we had was cleanliness & especially as the bedroom (and the open shower that was part of the bedroom) smelled terrible for the entire duration of our stay (3 nights), although weirdly the toilet and the upstairs living area didn’t smell bad at all. The smell was odd and came in wafts - we didn’t know what it was initially but now we suspect it may be a sewerage problem or mould in the pipes. The smell was very strong as soon as we checked in (also the shower floor was still wet when we checked in, but unsure if this is related) but we had to leave shortly after for dinner so we left the windows open to air it out, hoping that would solve the problem. By night time when we got back, the smell was still very strong but reception had already closed (they close at 5pm), so we called the following morning & asked if they might know what’s causing it. They organized for housekeeping to come and check out the issue whilst we were out, but never called back to let us know if they had found the cause or solved the problem before reception closed again for the day. Therefore that night we came back to the same smell again and couldn’t do anything about it. The 3rd day we complained again and I asked if there might be a sewer nearby causing the problem (as the toilet has a sign that says the hotel has an on site waste treatment plant) , but reception avoided answering the question and sent house keeping to our room again to investigate. The house keeper told us he could smell exactly what we smelt & that he put some chemicals in our toilet the day before, but as that didn’t solve the issue, this time he put chemicals down all of the drains in the apartment - his English wasn’t very fluent so he couldn’t explain what chemicals he was using and why he thought that would solve the problem, but he said that this should fix it. After that the smell did get better although it was replaced with a weird chemical smell. Again, reception never called back to check if the problem had been resolved or not, and by this time it was already our last night. The next day, which was day 4 (when we were due to check out), the weird smell was worse again. We told reception on check out that this issue was still not resolved and that we were very disappointed as it wasn’t relaxing at all having to sleep in that smell, and that we probably wouldn’t stay again as a result despite all of the positives about the hotel. Although we received an apology, we were not offered any other form of resolution at any point (eg changing rooms) or any other compensation. Aside from the horrible stench, we also found hairs and fluff on our bedding & crumbs on the dining seat - but those issues paled in comparison and didn’t bother us as we could easily clean it off ourselves. On one of the days, the daily house keeping obviously didn’t clean our toilet or floors, as there were still stains & and dead insects. Also the table on the balcony had a layer of dust.

I am happy to pay a high price for a quality stay and also usually happy to dismiss small issues that don’t compromise our overall experience. But when paying $500+ a night, a fresh clean room is the minimum expectation, and this...

Smiths Beach itself is genuinely stunning, and the resort’s proximity to this beauty is undoubtedly its strongest feature. Unfortunately, the resort itself didn’t quite live up to the “luxury” it promises.

We booked a “Garden Villa” for three nights, expecting privacy and lush views based on the description. However, the reality was a significant letdown for our villa (#31). Instead of garden views, we were treated to an uninterrupted display of the resort’s communal pool and elevated villas, effectively turning our stay into a public spectacle. Want to relax romantically on your balcony or lounge? Prepare to become entertainment for fellow guests. Even with sheer blinds drawn, privacy remained non-existent.

Inside, the villa itself felt more Airbnb than luxury resort. General fittings and joinery (kitchen and robe) was worn and in need of repair. Discovering remnants of previous guests’ meals in the oven wasn’t exactly the welcome we hoped for. Likewise, the fridge door was alarmingly grubby, clearly not wiped down in weeks.

The bedroom offered its own set of disappointments. The king bed turned out to be two singles pushed together, making any romantic intentions awkward and uncomfortable. Locked doors downstairs hinted that the “garden view” advertised might actually exist somewhere beyond our access. Additionally, blinds in the bedroom had large gaps, giving neighbours an unfortunate view direct into the bathroom, making privacy impossible even there.

Despite being advertised as a luxury accommodation, the resort oddly provides no daily servicing or fresh towels, toilet paper etc unless you’re willing to pay an additional fee. Worse yet, basic resort expectations like towels for pool or beach use are completely absent, unless you purchase one for $50 each. It’s baffling and entirely out-of-step with standard luxury resort offerings; we were unable to use the resort pools for this reason.

The thoughtful touch of a French press with Margaret River roast coffee and local milk was appreciated though the milk provided had an expiry date the day after we arrived, a small but telling oversight.

Perhaps most indicative of our overall experience was the complete lack of customer care upon checkout. Dropping off keys without even a cursory “How was your stay?” summed up a disappointing attitude towards guest satisfaction.

Smiths Beach is beautiful, but sadly the resort oversells itself with misleading descriptors such as “luxury,” “garden view,” and “beach view”, words that don’t align with reality. For seasoned travellers expecting true luxury and privacy, temper your expectations significantly before booking.

And yes, if you read the website’s fine print, it does clarify that ‘beach view’ actually means ‘beach glimpse’ and explicitly states there’s no daily room service. I’m sure it mentions other limitations as well, but then one has to wonder, why bother using terms like ‘luxury’, ‘beach view’, or ‘garden view’ at all?

Edit following operators response: Thanks Steven & team for clarifying. I now realise the luxury at Smiths Beach Resort is indeed fully available, provided guests select all the "extras". Perhaps you should list luxury itself as an additional charge per night, just to keep things clear. Also, your compendium explicitly states that room towels aren’t permitted for pool use, so you might want to update your own rules before highlighting them in...

My daughter and I booked two weeks advance ON April 2023 to stay in SMITHS BEACH RESORT IN YULINGGAP

To an unexpected circumstances my daughter caught Covid and very sick to go, as it is 2 weeks Recovery prior to our stay.

I being aware of Covid seriousness affects to people and I have had heart surgery , I am very prone to catching it from my daughter before we go , while I am also waiting for coming Surgery On May 2023 .

So we decided to contact Smiths Beach Resort to Move the dates not to cancel And ask for Compasionate ground .

The person In charge in Smith beach Resort to whom my husband had spoken to Wasn’t very nice and Point out to The Refund Policy which is 28 days cancellaltion No REFUND. We requested for a change of dates They wouldn’t do that either!!

$1000 we paid No REFUND NO CHANGE OF DATES NO COMPASIONATE GROUNDS

But will allow us to have other people to come and stay to replace us .

Soo that means IF WE CANT GET NOBODY to Stay We TOTTALY LOST THE MONEY $1000

First time I heard of such policy! WE ARE VERY SAD AND UNHAPPY.

Not even sure if my daughter gets better near the date But in the meantime I am so scared to get Covid as due to heart issues :(

I WOULDNT RECOMMEND THIS

“SMITHS BEACH RESORT “

Besides it’s too Expensive!

Still to decide in coming to stay so we won’t loose our money !

Other businesses Looks after people and profit

Smiths Beach Resort is PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE .

Think before booking in this Smiths Beach Resort

Even it a matter of life and death Their rules is there rule and Policy

May god blessed your souls How can you all sleep at night

When you treat Guest like this 🙌👎👎👎👎👎👎

Mk

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In responsed with the owner post regarding about my Smiths Beach Resort Review!

First I wasn’t aware of the cancellation policy My fault I didn’t took the time to have a look. Just look at the Photos in your Website, then we booked it

Secondly None of your staff has mentioned about the pre bookings with cancellation policy !

Third You need to be real

Even if you have Accomodation with no Contact due to Covid , which sadly my daughter have .

Do you ever think about That In your mind Not everyone can manage ! Specially when your vomiting Weak And and Lethargic! Do you think it’s fun to go away ? And 9 days incubation ! But every individual are different case A lot died too I am sure you know this !

Last

Last due to your Smiths Resorts lack of Compensation and humanitarian ground!!! Everyone of your staff told me to look for someone to who can take over our stay.

I didn’t ask for cancellation!! Simply if we can? Or CHANGES THE DATE!

We just simply asked to please 🙏 if we can change the dates. As I just received the letter from RPH that I was going to have Surgery And scared to be near around my daughter to catch Covid As I will not cope If I get sick as I had open heart surgery In the past and the surgery wasn’t successful and that I have to be extra careful.

Your Smiths Beach Resorts Policy Sucks. And Cruel . Remember I didn’t want to cancel but simply just asking to change dates , even if we have to pay a Little extra !Again I wouldn’t recommend Smiths beach Resort!

Accidents happens unexpectedly.

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