Mantra Quayside in Port Macquarie

From the moment we walked into our room, it was obvious something was wrong. The entire room smelt damp, wet and mouldy, which immediately made it feel uncomfortable and unhygienic. To make matters worse, the couch cushions smelt like they hadn’t been cleaned or washed after the previous guests.

During our stay we found a spider in the lift, two cockroaches in the room, and when we went for our showers, we noticed multiple black hairs in what was supposed to be fresh, clean linen as well as over the sink top. This was honestly disgusting and completely unacceptable for a hotel charging the prices they do.

When checking out, I raised all of these issues with the lady at the front desk. She told me that they hadn’t had time to get pest control done because they have so many people coming in and out. This is a major health concern — pest control and cleanliness should be prioritised above bookings, not brushed off as an inconvenience.

No solution or compensation was offered at the desk until I explicitly said that something needed to be done about the price. I was told to email management, which I did. They eventually refunded $50, which was frankly insulting given the condition of the room and the seriousness of the issues.

I emailed again explaining that this amount was not acceptable considering what we paid — and was completely ignored. No response, no apology, nothing.

This place clearly does not care about hygiene, guest safety, or customer service. We will absolutely never stay here again, and I would strongly advise others to think twice before booking unless they’re comfortable dealing with mouldy smells, pests, and dirty linen.