LOCATION: The location is ideal, right in the heart of town and so within walking distance to boat cruises, food outlets, shops and the tourist information centre.

STAFF: We dealt with Tracey upon arrival, who was very friendly and welcoming, and could not have been nicer or made the check-in process easier. It was a good start to our stay, but unfortunately it didn't last, as explained below, and the other staff we dealt with were very uncaring about our experience.

ROOM: Upon arrival, we decided to stay in the more expensive Village Waterfront Executive Spa room, specifically because it had a spa. After a long day of travel, we thought this would be a nice way to relax, and the balcony looking over the harbour would have made a relaxing place to enjoy a cuppa and the peaceful view.
There is no allocated parking bays. The walk to the room was not far, just up a flight of stairs. On first appearance, the room itself looked tidy, but it is definitely outdated and very overpriced just on this fact alone. Green carpets and red furniture might look more refreshing in the online photos, but it just feels "aged" as soon as you walk in. With regards to the tidiness and cleanliness of the room, this really needed more attention, and has needed it for a long time. You can see wipe marks on the walls just above the bed where cleaners have wiped, but then nothing above, and it's clear it has been that way for a long time. It's the sort of look you get when a room is sanded, and then half the walls are wiped and the other half left - the difference is obvious. The large cupboard with the tea/coffee/fridge etc has so much dust across the bottom that it's clear it hasn't been cleaned in a long time. The balcony couldn't be enjoyed at all because of smoking neighbours on their balcony. Guests who pay for a non-smoking room should be able to enjoy all aspects of that room, which includes the balcony. On a fine evening, it was disappointing to have to shut the door and not fully enjoy the view or the breeze because of this, and management should be paying more attention to all the non-smoking laws that exist these days so people can exercise their right to enjoy the room they are paying for. Those aren't our biggest issues though. Our largest issue was the spa. You expect that running a spa you will enjoy clean water and a relaxing bath, and not have to get out feeling disgusting because of bugs and larvae coming out of the jets. This was absolutely awful to sit in and you couldn't pay my wife enough money to hop in after that. We understand that sometimes cleaners get slack and management needs to know, so I immediately went to reception and reported it to the [redacted personal identifier]. His response was disappointing and unprofessional. Not once did he apologise or seem concerned in any way, he simply stated thanks for telling him and he would let housekeeping know. There was not even an offer to change rooms, or even come and have a look at the issue, or any offer to actually clean the spa. At the very least we had expected an apology. So, with that total lack of care, I decided to go back and try and make the most of the expensive evening and clean out the spa myself so that at least I could enjoy it. Paying $200+ a night for a room you don't expect such levels of dust, or for that to come out of spa jets, or to have to clean the spa yourself as a guest before you can use it. The issue there is - the housekeepers clearly aren't doing their job, I've had to do their job for them while paying a lot of money to stay there, and the next guest will at least receive a clean spa but I've had to pay for it. This is totally unacceptable. I decided to give the hotel one last chance to address the issue in the morning when we checked out. Again I was disappointed. Again there was no apology at all, no care, they simply said it would be reported. What kind of an accommodation provider can charge guests a premium, then offer something so sub-par and disgusting, and not even apologise for it?

PRICE: As stated, the place is very over-priced for the age and terrible level of cleanliness, as well as the attitude of the two staff we dealt with after check-in.

LAST WORDS: We would not recommend staying here. Our experience was so disappointing. There are plenty of other accommodation providers in Strahan. It appears that this place charges a premium because of their location, but you are far better off paying less at a place that might not be on the waterfront, but that will actually offer you a clean room and professional service.

The room we had at the Strahan Village Cottages was great! We had a nice balcony overlooking the bay and the main street which was great for sitting out watching the world go by - or watching the ducks which were equally amusing:) The room itself was nicely decorated and comfortable, the only downside being that there wasn't enough car parks for the rooms and we had to keep on being 'creative' to get our car parked.
The set of cottages are really cute and are in the perfect position to enjoy a lot of what Strahan has to offer.