Places to eat can be few and far between and with the Hotel up the road not serving afternoon meals, we u-turned back here for a very late lunch. Staff were very friendly and the meals were very prompt. We ordered a chicken salad burger and vege salad burger, both of which were delicious. Very fresh soft rolls and salad, and while the patties were fried they were not dripping with oil and very tasty. The shop sells various touristy souvenirs and knick-knacks, as well as other food options like hot rolls, snacks, and hot and cold drinks. It's not much to look at, but prices were good and the food good, so we'd recommend it.

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 On first appearance, the room itself looked tidy, but it is definitely outdated and very overpriced just on this fact alone.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.

Stanley offers a few options for dinner, but this is by far the best place for those on a budget that don't just want fish and chips. And quite possibly your only option at 8pm on a Tuesday night! Don't be deceived by the name or the unassuming appearance, as once you try the meals you'll be hooked.

Our dinner meals here were Satay Chicken & Rice, and Steak w/Chips & Salad. As people who love Thai food, we have tried a lot of satay dishes over the years, and this is definitely up there with the best. There was something in the flavour that we couldn't quite pick, but it was delicious. It tasted homemade, which sounds odd, but it was such a lovely 'natural' flavour, and with fluffy white rice it was a great dish. The steak was cooked perfectly, and came with a very fresh salad that wasn't overloaded with cheap salad dressing, and the chips were air fried - we've heard of air fryers, but not tasted food from them. These chips weren't oily or over-cooked, and they had more flavour we feel - really tasty. There was a variety of menu options to suit any tastes, including vegetarian, and it's a great place for kids also. The fridge has takeaway dessert options as well, and these are always changing so don't be afraid to go back more than once. We happily did!

The cafe offers sample tastings of various flavours of their fudge, which we tasted before dinner, and knew we would have to come back for dessert the next day as we couldn't fit it in that night. We did get the chance to have a lovely long chat with the cafe owner, who was so friendly and welcoming (as were all the other staff).

The next day we came back and tried their new hot chocolate dish, which is three smaller sizes of any three flavours of hot chocolate you want, matched with three truffles to match the drink flavours. This was a fantastic dish, and makes it much easier for hot chocolate lovers like us who don't want to miss out on all the flavours but couldn't fit more than one in at a full-size drink. Our flavours were Raspberry Ripple, Coconut, and Rocky Road - if these don't take your fancy, there are at least 12 flavours to choose from so you are guaranteed to find something you'll like! The Rocky Road had more of a dark chocolate taste, for those who don't have quite as sweet a tooth, but the Raspberry and the Coconut were outstanding favourites for us. Both were full of flavour but light enough that you really could be tempted to go a second round, and they were perfectly matched with the truffles. The range of truffles is very large, and very reasonably priced we felt. Definitely worth taking a sample pack of a heap of flavours for your travels!

All in all, we are so glad we stopped here for dinner, as every experience after that was just divine and far exceeded our initial expectations. Anytime we are back in Stanley we will definitely stop back in here!

The menu here is fantastic, not just for sweets but some lovely savouries as well. The Carrot & Chickpea soup doesn't sound exciting but was absolutely delicious, full of flavour and very well priced for the sizes. The waffles with berries and icecream was something we had to squeeze in, and the icecream was a real standout. Homemade and full of flavour, definitely better than any standard store-bought. All the prices were quite reasonable and the menu had pictures of all the items which was great to see what they were. Taste the jams, the flavours are exceptional and the trio of jam packs are good value. Highly recommend a visit.

Heading back to the Sunshine Coast from a road trip to Tasmania, we thought we'd stop off in Byron Bay for a couple of hours. It was getting late so we had a search for a motel and come across this Best Western in Tweed Heads. What a gem of a find. The motel is very very clean inside and out. Not outdated as all the rooms have been renovated and are very spacious with lounge and 2 seater table and chairs. Has everything you need including microwave. Aircon worked a treat and the bed was very comfortable. We were in an upstairs room as it is 2 levels so if you're an older person and don't want to climb the small flight of stairs, make sure you ask for a ground floor room. Also, depending which direction the planes are landing on that day, it is very close to the flight path. This will not affect your sleep as Gold Coast doesn't have very late flights anyway.
All in all, great rooms, awesome friendly service and would 100% stay again.

We ordered here before reading other reviews and so were a little unsure what to expect, but our experience was pleasant. For a busy Sunday morning breakfast period, the meals came out in about 10 minutes. The half strength flat white cuppa was a real half strength and lovely taste. The eggs benedict with smoked salmon was a little dearer than other places at $20, but it was presented well, flavour was delicious and the salmon was definitely fresh. The avocado on toast was served nice, the only disappointment was the small amount of brown/bad bits served with it. Other than that, the food was delicious with friendly service.

It's hard to tell from outside just what is on offer inside here, so if you're looking for more than just a coffee, you'll definitely find it here. A good breakfast menu is on offer at reasonable prices, as well as plenty of cakes/muffins/breads in the display, and cookies and scones. Hot drinks are very reasonably priced, just $3.90 for a small flat white, hot chocolate and cappuccino. Real fruit smoothies are also available for $6.50. Service was quick, and inside seating options plentiful and very comfy (loved the high back chairs). There's even a TV screen inside if you still want to catch up on a bit of morning news. All in all, a pleasant breakfast.

This was an unexpected trip for us, but even booking at the last minute in the middle of January we found the prices quite reasonable to take the car over. We didn't opt for any extra paid seating or cabin on our day sail - if you so suffer motion sickness then we'd highly recommend the cabin. We booked the cabin for our night sail back and would definitely do it again. We were concerned initially about the room size, but we were very pleasantly surprised when we entered our cabin. A very large window allowed plenty of light and views, the beds were comfortable, a small desk and chair, and still enough room to not feel cramped. It was great to have our own bathroom and it was more than sufficient. There are lots of different spaces on the boat to suit your needs, though not quite as many or perhaps as large as the pictures looked to us online. Food was much better priced than we had expected based on other reviews. If you eat anywhere with 4 kids it's going to be expensive, but the actual prices on board are very reasonable - movie cinemas charge a lot more! Lunch buffet is great, pile up a whole plate for $24 and it will do 2 adults (it did us anyway), and plenty of other couples we saw did the same. Boarding and exiting with the car was part of being a well-oiled machine, absolutely no delays and such a smooth organised process. We wouldn't hesitate to take the boat over again, but would definitely get a cabin both ways.

We have been regulars here for a long time, before and after new management, and have always loved our visits. Prices are very reasonable ($9 for breakfast omelettes, $8 for fresh fruit/muesli/yoghurt) and the food is always fresh. We have always had very friendly staff and quick service, that is why we continue to go back. The new decor is fantastic, it's great to be able to sit at the bench and look out and feel like you're on holidays even if you aren't. It's only a small walk to the beach which is very handy and they serve all the usual fish, chips and burgers (including a vege burger). Keep up the good work, we'd highly recommend and will continue to come back.

We have walked past Crumbz many times after hours and always told ourselves we need to stop in one day as the decor looked nice and menu prices were very very reasonable. Today we finally gave it a go for breakfast and were not disappointed. Service was very friendly, drinks came out quickly and breakfast followed not long after. Scrambled eggs with avocado was a good size and very cheap (probably the cheapest we've seen), and again the portion size for the poached eggs with salmon and avocado was very decent and well-priced. There is mainly outdoor seating so in cooler weather you may need a jumper but the sun also comes in on fine days which is lovely in winter. There seemed to be quite a few regulars turn up while we were there and with the pricing, food and portion size, we understand why. We'd definitely recommend it and will not think twice about coming again. It's easy to miss as it's tucked a little bit back from the Street, but keep an eye out as it's well worth the stop.