Descubra sua estadia em Yamba

Firstly the positives. Fast and friendly check in, pleasant reception area. Great facilities and grounds, particularly the pool area. However it is generally old and shabby. The stairs leading up to the first floor apartments were dirty, the railings were covered in cobwebs that has been there for ages. The rooms, although freshened up with a lick of paint and newish carpet doesn't make up for the aging bathroom and dated tiles. I'd suspect Angourie was constructed around 25 to 30 years ago and it shows. The room we'd been given suffered terribly from road noise. And the bedroom couldn't be separated from the living area, having a louvred window that still allowed sound the float through. But worst of all (in the bedroom) was the high vaulted ceiling with a window that allowed the morning light to stream in. No chance of sleeping in! And I'm on holidays...the precise occasion when I want to sleep in. Overall just OK.

When travelling down the East Coast of Australia it probably doesn’t occur to use Yamba as a stopover as it is a little way off the Highway. I stopped and had dinner at the Pacific Hotel Yamba, first class, great views of the Ocean friendly staff and lovely meal. Travelling you take for granted poor meals but then when you have an excellent meal it really stands out. I had the fish of the day a grilled snapper fillet, cooked simply and beautifully.

It was too late for us to arrive at the hotel. The landlord left a few letters on the door and found the one with the name of our land. There was a message from the landlord and a room key. . . The town is beautifully landscaped, surrounded by the sea, with a lot of seasides and seabirds, perfect for a weekend family vacation.

The Pegasus Motel packs a lot in a little space with a pool, half court and bikes for use. It’s on the corner of the main road and Angourie rd so a tad noisy but super close to the bike/walking path along the river into town. Rooms are clean, linen soft and bathroom huge ( I think ours was an accessibility bathroom). There’s also a microwave toaster and kettle for breakfast and a little courtyard out front. Super friendly hosts too making this a great value packed motel for your Yamba stay.

We won't be back again. THE POSITIVES - We stayed in the waterfront villas. It was a nice and relaxing view onto the river. The swim up pool was nice but it was packed. THE NEGATIVES - The kids pool and waterslide pool was freezing, too cold to enjoy. This was disappointing as it was all my daughter wanted to do, which was a real shame. Perhaps it gets warmer on hotter days but this is a serious problem with the park. Only the brave in the waterslide pool and waterpark. The waterpark and waterslides appear quite dated and well below the standard of a number of other parks we've visited an hour or so further north. BUT THE REAL KICKER for us was how management dealt with us. We needed to be moved on the first night because of a plumbing issue. We had completely unpacked and were celebrating my daughter's birthday. We spent a good 2.5 hours moving, under darkness and expected a free night's reimbursement for this hassle. The executive manager offered us $50 compensation, which I believe shows a lack of empathy and basic knowledge of business practice. When I re-explained to him all the hassle that we went through, through no fault of our own, and how it ruined my daughter's birthday celebration, he said 'I believe $50 credit is a fair compensation'. This showed to us that The Blue Dolphin does not put the experiences of their paying guests first and are happy for them to have unpleasant experiences and leave unhappy. Please be warned that if you are moved because of any fault with the room to not expect anything but an insincere email from their executive manager with an insulting reimbursement figure that I believe shows a clear lack of empathy, maturity and personal skills. Even if the park does improve its facilities, the executive manager has imprinted such disappointing touch of how this business treats their customers, that we will never return.

Our room overlooked the carpark and while not a sea view it was quiet. It was spacious enough, and the ensuite with shower was fine. The provided soaps etc seemed a cut above normal quality. There wer plenty of extras that make a stay here easy - coffee maker with pods, toaster, basic crockery etc. Fridge was fully stocked as a minibar. Bed was comfortable, and the room was clean and seemed freshly painted even though the building isn’t new. There was a damp odour when we first entered, we had to air it out - but this might be from the water. We enjoyed our stay, close to ocean pool, beach and the pub.