A run down of all the places you stayed ie Motels would be great,. It can be a real hassle finding good places to stay. The advertised photos you get in the travellers guides leaves alot to be desired.
Here you go mate (took a bit of remembering and typing )
now I know how Alan feels...
Well I mentioned it before but I’ll mention it again to keep them all together …
We stayed at the Esplanade Motel on the beach front at Lakes Entrance. Roughly half way along the “main drag” Off peak rate (at end of March 2012) was only $75 per double room including a light breakfast (for 2).
Got a 1 star rating from some review site on the Net which was crazy because 90% of what was criticized didn’t apply (to room 12 anyway)
Full kitchen, renovated Bathroom, Comfy Bed and chairs. Was clean and tidy. Only two small complaints were, the obscure Brand LCD TV had a poor (tinny sound) and the door needed a draft excluder (about a centimetre gap under the door) which would have been a problem if it had been cold or windy (which it wasn’t) Rating 4 Stars (out of 5)
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The Next night we stayed in a cabin at the Coachhouse Marina “resort” Batemans Bay NSW. $115 per night.
Wasn’t as cosy.. had a very noisy wall mounted air conditioner which we decided not to use. Had a smaller (48c or 51cm)conventional TV. Had 2 bedrooms one with a triple bunk. Had a full kitchen. Couch needed a couple of cushions (not very comfy)
Just an average place for the money 3 Stars (hardly a resort)
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Next we stayed at the Marlin Motel on the Gold Coast (Biggera Water) @ $90 for a double room..
A bit of a dive really.. Old and there were roughies in the next room.. They came back from a nightclub at 2am and made plenty of noise.
No Microwave, old fittings in the bathroom. Not very well lit and the room was a bit musty smelling. Narrow car spaces and fairly poor access (not recommended) Funnily enough it reminded me of the sort of seedy motel you see on American movies where some runaway girl gets molested .
By far the worst we stayed at (2 stars)
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Next was Pacific Paradise Motel on the Sunsine Coast @ $88 for a double..
Now this one was quite a surprise .. probably only a few years newer than the Marlin Motel but cleaner and a bit bigger room. Just a much nicer place to be.. Apart from tricky access to the angled parking not much to complain about here. Friendly and helpful owners too..
( Only3.5 stars though as fairly basic)
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Settlers Motor Inn Tenterfield $90
After a poor start this one rated well… The owner didn’t like my term Standby Rate .. But I told him I’d got them elsewhere so we negotiated $90 which I was happy with …
Room was well equipped and modern but a bit small. Car parking was great as our room (#18 I think) had room out the front for 1 and a half cars then a pole so no need to worry about getting bumped.
(another 3.5 star rating) They did wash our windscreen overnight .. Nice idea
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We decided to have a bit of a treat in Tamworth and stayed at Ashby House Motor in which had a very large room with up market fittings and a quality feel . Still no microwave though and a real hike upstairs with all our bags and laptops and stuff.. It was $135 per night (so still only 4 stars because we were just as comfortable in Lakes entrance)
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Blue Diamond Motor Inn Dubbo
Not too bad. Good size clean ground floor room (not great value though at $112) Had a bucket outside the room with a squeegee in it to wash your own windscreen.. Recently renovated and pleasant enough..
3.5 stars
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Forrest Apartments Canberra (Only $99 per night) Roomy Clean and Modern . Fully Self contained with a good size (40”?) LCD, Microwave and even a Washer/Dryer combo.
Parking was a bit away from the room and spaces a bit tight for a bigger car. But good location close to the main restaurant area of Canberra (Eating out is expensive in Canberra though)
4.0 stars (taking the price into account)
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Albury Paddlesteamer Motel ($102 per night for a double room)
Good sized room . (but getting a bit tired.. cracked glass in the shower Etc) Still no Microwave
Bad oil stains on the cement outside some rooms .. didn’t help the look of the place (owner working on improvements)
Could have been more central too .. better than some but only average.. 3 Stars
