Short review
Value for money: 3.5/5 – Reasonable for the room size
Services: 3.5/5 – Friendly staff
Bedroom: 4.5/5 – Spacious and clean room
Sleep quality: 3/5 – Noisy split air conditioner, sunlight penetrating the bedroom
Bathroom: 3.5/5 – Large, clean, but the showerhead was below expectation
Facilities and amenities: 4.5/5 – Fully equipped kitchen is a big plus
Pros
- Spacious one-bedroom apartment
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Friendly staff
Cons
- Noisy air conditioner
- Showerhead can be improved
Long review
This time my family and I decided to have a getaway in Wollongong, which is located about 85 km south of Sydney. Wollongong is the third largest city in New South Wales (after Sydney and Newcastle) with a population of slightly more than 300,000 people. Here we stayed 4 nights at the Quality Suites Pioneer Sands, a 4-star hotel located on the northern side of the city. There are 47 rooms in the hotel, including studios, 1-bedroom apartments, and 2-bedroom apartments. Since there were 3 of us, I booked a 1-bedroom apartment because it has a queen bed and a sofa bed.
We travelled by car from Sydney to our hotel, arriving at around 14:30. Parking is free in front of the hotel or in the basement. We always found a parking space easily throughout our stay, which was convenient.
The check-in experience was not as smooth as expected. We were initially given a room on level 1. A check-in staff accompanied us to the room and, upon arriving, apparently the room was not ready. We were then re-allocated to a room on level 3. Again, the check-in staff accompanied us to the room and even helped us with our luggage. Despite the minor hiccup, the staff has been very helpful and friendly.
My first impression was that the room is spacious and clean. The kitchen is fully equipped, which was very handy for us. The breakfast bar is also a nice feature to have. Next to the kitchen, there is a dining area, which is spacious enough to comfortably accommodate a 4-seater dining table. There is also a small storage, which is a convenient spot to place shoes. The ironing equipment was stored here as well.
The size of the living room is also decent. One of the sofas can be converted into a bed, which was useful during our stay. Foxtel was also available, although the TV itself is a bit too small in my opinion. There is only one split air conditioner in the apartment, and it is located in the living area. It did its job in cooling the room (it was summer), but it was noisy. Furthermore, we could not close the bedroom door as it would block the flow of cool air into the room.
The bedroom has one queen bed and a large wardrobe. The curtain was not designed properly so it did not block sunlight well. We had to put a blanket on top to reduce the light penetration. The TV again was small.
The bathroom is quite big, but the showerhead was below expectation. It could not be adjusted and it made a mess every time we finished taking a shower because the water overflew into the supposedly dry area.
Finally, the room has a fairly large balcony. A good place to relax and have a cup of tea. The view from the balcony is unattractive though as I could only see other buildings.
Other facilities in the hotel include a small gym and a small swimming pool. Only continental breakfast was available in weekdays, while full breakfast was available in weekend. With a fully equipped kitchen, this was not a big deal for us though. We conveniently had breakfast in the comfort of our room.
Not much was happening around the hotel. The Towradgi Beach is about 1.5 km away. There is a good playground next to the beach too. The nearest supermarkets, shops and restaurants are about 5 to 10 minutes away by car.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay there. The size of the apartment is a plus, along with the kitchen. We did not interact much with the staff, but when we did, they were friendly and helpful. In terms of value for money, the price was reasonable, especially since we stayed during the holiday season.
