I booked this trip for our anniversary expecting a relaxing resort stay and instead got what felt like a three-day episode of “How Much Can Go Wrong in One Room?”
On arrival, reception gave us little more than a place to leave our bags for five minutes before disappearing into the void. I later received an email informing me that the queen room I booked had apparently transformed into two single, but it was fine because housekeeping were instructed to have the beds pushed together. Romantic in theory, except for the giant trench in the middle that my partner kept disappearing into all night. The beds were also on tiles and slid around every time either of us moved, which really added to the “sleeping on a moving platform” experience.
The room itself looked like it had been cleaned in a hurry and then abandoned halfway through. The floor was still wet and sticky when we walked in, there were paper towel fibres stuck all over the mirror, and the “luxury black tiled bathroom” had enough calcium build-up on the shower and tiles to qualify as a geological feature. The shower door squealed and scraped every time it moved, the water pressure was terrible, the hot water was never actually hot, and after two minutes in the shower the pipes would start screaming too. There was visible water damage and mould beginning above the shower as well. I could go into detail over the dirt in every corner and around the walls but its whatever i guess.
The room had one thick blanket and one thin sheet for what was effectively two separate beds, so we spent three nights freezing and trying to negotiate blanket custody. Obviously, there isn't a fitted sheet to fit this spectacle of a bed, and the flat sheet folded hospital style kept pulling up all night. The tiles throughout the room were cracked and moved underfoot with loud crunching noises, which was a lovely touch real scenic yknow, bringing the hike indoors. The kettle looked like it had survived several natural disasters, the fridge froze everything solid and exploded three of our drinks overnight, and neither the TV nor my phone would connect to the Wi-Fi, “ IP address could not be found”
Privacy was also apparently optional, because the curtains were hanging off the rails and my partner had to stand on a chair to fix them so people walking past couldn’t see straight into the room. Also not soundproof at all, we could hear every convo outside and I'm sure they could hear ours inside the room also. Then on the second day we came back to find a male staff member standing on the boardwalk laughing and pointing his phone into our room. He stopped as soon as he saw us and walked away without saying a word, which was genuinely uncomfortable.
One of the main reasons we booked this place was for the kayaks, only to find out once we got there that they had been unavailable for some time due to storm damage. Fair enough, weather happens, but there was no mention of this online, on Facebook, or before arrival. Instead there was just some old masking tape over the sign at the FISH centre that looked like it had been there for a hot minute now.
The boardwalks themselves felt like a workplace injury claim waiting to happen. The red panels were uneven, loose and wobbly, especially when wet. I nearly tripped several times before I realised I had to actively watch where I was walking the entire time. For a family resort where swimming is the main activity, it feels like an accident waiting to happen.
The only people I genuinely felt sorry for were the bar, general store and kitchen staff, because they seemed completely overworked, undertrained and understaffed. The chef was clearly trying his best, but if you are charging luxury prices, adding a public holiday surcharge “for staff”, and still running with minimal staff, it comes across as pretty misleading. The general store workers, I met 2 in the time I had stayed, were the sweetest girls and listening to them struggle to find options on their till and tourists huffing at them it took me back to when i worked in the same position. Also pack your own snacks, the selection was crap, do you want chips or chips or chips or oh more chips.
To top it all off, on the last day I was charged another $376 (thank the universe i must approve payments) despite already paying in full. When I went to reception with my bank statement showing the payment, I was basically treated like I was trying to steal from the resort. I was told “there’s no payment here” as if that was somehow my issue to fix.
I have worked in housekeeping, administration and hospitality in a very similar style of resort in Far North Queensland, so I know things go wrong sometimes. But for the prices being charged here, this place is nowhere near the standard it advertises. The location is beautiful, but unfortunately the resort itself feels tired, poorly maintained and badly managed.
Other than all those unfortunate events, the Fitzroy flyer staff were amazing, hilarious demonstration of safety procedures and friendly while explaining the island itself on the way over. I would recommend warm pjs and a robe for your room as its genuinely freezing with the ac off and the windows shut, and look out for the cute lizards in the walls sticking their heads out :)
I have photo proof of all so when hopefully someone reaches out we can sort this out appropriately.
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