Cullen Bay Resorts — Restaurant in Larrakeyah

Firstly the view from the balcony over the Marina was so beautiful. We stayed for 4 nights last week 19th-23rd July. Room 707. 7th floor. I’m not sure where to start actually. We had traveled for a few weeks and stayed in many other places. We were worried about some accommodation but on arrival found they were fantastic and less then half the price of this Cullen Bay Resort. We stayed here hoping for some luxury for a nice change at the tail end of our travels…well 😳 OMG. Our room was so dated and falling apart. The toilet seat slid all over the place and was not even attached. The bathroom door did not close or open properly and was all swollen from the shower water. The shower had a curtain that allowed the floor to completely cover with water. So slippery we had to put all our towels down on the floor and mop up after each shower. To save the cleaners the extra work we choose not to have them do our rooms up each day the whole 4 days we are there..we are happy to use our same towels for a few days..but we had to constantly chase them up for clean towels as ours were on the floor the whole time. The room needed a paint. There was patches on the wall where other furniture had been. All fittings..like bathroom towel rails and furniture were crapy. And all for over $300 a night. The beds were just shocking….terribly uncomfortable…took me ages to get to sleep. But in saying all of the above..(which I did mention to the lady in reception on leaving and handing in our key)…all the staff were lovely and really helpful with info on the town and surrounds..great communications and the cleaning staff do a great job also. We were just very disappointed with the room and cost of a room poorly presented like...

We recently stayed here for two nights. The service from the reception staff was great, and the views from our room were excellent. The beds were decently comfortable and the sheets were quite clean. The rooms were quiet and well sound proofed. Unfortunately these were the only positives.

The room itself was extremely neglected, dirty and in desperate need of renovation. As you can see from the photos, not only is there a lot of damage to the room itself aesthetically, but it’s clearly been many years since it’s had a thorough clean (thick accumulation of dust on blinds, above door hinges, in wardrobes, etc). As well as this, the lounges and furniture are dated and have stains on them. Much of the cutlery was dirty/had food on it, and cooking utensils were very limited.

The air conditioning in the bedrooms was very poor as well, making for two very warm nights of trying to sleep.

Upon departure we told reception that the rooms needed improvement, and we got the impression that the reception staff have received this feedback many times before. I’m not sure why the owners are reluctant to spend money to improve the condition and cleanliness of their property; oftentimes you have to spend money to make money.

If the rooms were renovated and properly cleaned, this would make for a very decent stay. Unfortunately, I am hard pressed giving this resort 3 stars; given how dirty our room was, it’s closer to a 2. It’s definitely not 4 stars as Google suggests. I hope the owners will decide to put some love into improving the quality and condition...

Positives: 1. Proximity to the public bus system was excellent and free travel for seniors was a bonus. The fact that it was in walking distance from the restaurants and cafes and the beautiful beachfront was great. The pool was good but needs a spruce up of furniture and paintwork. Generally staff were polite and as helpful as they could be given the lack of equipment etc. Negatives: For the money we paid we felt the accommodation was sub standard. The facility is tired and needs an injection of money and a good facelift. The room was ok size wise, however, it lacked class. It needs to be painted, furniture needs updating, equipment needs updating, curtains need to be fixed and/or replaced. The bathroom was small, the shower curtain took us back to the 70s, the shower base leaked after every use which made the surrounding floor very slippery and dangerous, the toilet seat was not secure and the exhaust fan was ineffective. We didn't like the fact that the balcony was not private from the neighbours on either side. The tiles on the balcony were lifting and dislodged presenting a severe trip hazard and they were discoloured, dirty and unsightly. We had to ask for things like a hairdrier and clothes airer, something we thought would have been standard equipment in the Darwin climate. While the location gave access to restaurants and cafes its distance from supermarkets, chemists and other shops was a negative. If we wanted anything that was not available in a cafe or restaurant we had to travel...