Guest reviews The Esplanade Resort & Spa, Gippsland Lakes

by Becstar79 Chirnside Park, Australia

Good Family stay but a little pricey

We stayed here 2 nights a family of 2A and 2C (7 & 5) We arrived very late at night from Melbourne, I had called to inform them of this and the staff on the phone was very helpful and explained the late checkin process. Once we arrived we found our key and room with ease. My only suggestion would be maybe have something in the envelope about the parking. It was the Easter weekend so parking was hard to get (not enough car spots per rooms at the resort) so we had no idea where to park. We were lucky some other guest where leaving and said we could have their space. The room was nice and clean (beside the pair of reading glasses left on the couch) and had everything we needed for our 2 night stay. There was extra pillows and towels which is always nice. The balcony was nice to sit out on and look over the pool. (We were on the lower level so no view for us so can’t comment on that). The next morning I went to reception (early we have kids that don’t know how to sleep in) to get a map but was told, to come back at about 9:30am as they had already ran out of maps. When I returned at 9:30am there was still no maps and I was told it might be best to go to the information centre around the corner. This wasn’t such a big deal for us as we got some more information for our holiday anyway. However I am concerned that by 9:30am you had ran out of maps, this should have been addressed the day before. We continued to walk into town which is not far and an easy walk along the beach. We all used the pool and the kids loved it. The outside pool was too cold but the indoor pool and spa was perfect. The resort provided beach towels which was great. We did not use the restaurant so not sure what it was like but did notice the cocktail menu which looked yummy. The staff at the resort were all friendly and said hello with a smile. I would stay here again but being the Easter long weekend I found it very costly and wouldn’t pay this price again (we were so desperate to get away after COVID, I was prepared to pay anything (and all caravan parks had a minimum night stay so we couldn’t stay there as we were passing through on our way to Canberra). I don’t think what we paid was worth it to be honest. However it was a nice break for us and a lovely place to stay.

by Maja1958 Melbourne, Australia

Good size apartment, friendly staff but still plenty of room for improvement...

This stay was a surprise present for my husbands birthday so because it was special occasion I’ve requested apartment on high floor with nice water views. Receptionist said there’s none available on the high floor but it will have a nice water views. We walked in and straight away I knew there’s no water view as the apartment was on lower floor. I didn’t want to fuss so we unpacked and made ourselves at home. Apartment was clean and well equipped, we loved that it had 2 TV’s. Nice balcony with outdoor furniture, unfortunately it was too windy to enjoy it. Very good comfortable bed, don’t know about the quality of the pillows because we had our own. Bathroom on the small side which didn’t bother us really but what did bother us was the fact that there was no hooks on the inside of the bathroom door or walls. It would come really handy as the bathroom is small. Also toilet roll holder was in an awkward position, behind your back which was hard to reach. In the tissue box were only a few tissues left (from the previous guest I guess) but I’ve got a new box when I’ve asked for it. Also in the bedroom there’s no bedside table lamps and no clock. TV was very high up on the wall, right below the ceiling, not sure why they put it so high up???And now the 2 and 3-seaters in the living room and dining chairs - they are ALL TERRIBLE and they need to be replaced as soon as possible. They’re so hard you can’t sit on it. We did put pillows underneath and even with that it was so uncomfortable that we moved to the bedroom to watch TV. This is truly unacceptable and should be addressed immediately, we hope management will address this promptly. We did inform the receptionist about this at our check out. Also what we didn’t like was the doors around the building, you have to touch it and pull it every time to open it which is not ideal especially now with Covid19 situation. They should really consider installation of automatic doors. Breakfast was A-la-carte, we had egg and bacon roll which was really worth the money - $10 and was also really tasty. We would prefer a nice sourdough roll instead of slightly sweet white roll. It was also away too much of tomato chutney in our roll so the next morning we ordered without it and it was much better. Our latte was really nice and exactly how we like it. Overall we had a reasonably good stay.

by 123MissLilly

When you pay for an ocean view and get roofs, gas tanks and solar panels

Though a nice place , very disappointing with room position . We booked directly with the hotel , paid a premium and were guaranteed an ocean view . Confirmed in email and phone call . When we arrived and queried the appartments we were told sorry no guarantees This was a rest 5 days to sit and look at the water . This attitude isn’t good enough

by knevagogo Melbourne, Australia

Total waste of money

The room photos were deceiving , too da were tiny, unless you stay in the apartments. resort was in really bad condition compared to photos. 4 stars my foot. - quite run down but not as bad as the rest of lakes entrance. What a let down. Take my advice- holiday somewhere else. Charged a fortune - taking advantage of melbourne families- whom I’m sure many of which will never return.

by Traveler63922145079

Wonderful!!

Myself & 12 others stayed for 2 nights March 2021 for my 50th birthday. Apartments spacious, waterfront/ocean views & very clean! Staff helpful & friendly. Located close to beach & shops. Amenities are great. Beds comfy. Good shower pressure (not that low flow crap!) Would def stay there again & will recommend to friends & family.