Short review
Note: 3 is average
Value for money: 3/5 – There are better hotels with the same price range; the location is pretty good
Services: 3.5/5 – Staff were polite; wi-fi signal was weak
Bedroom: 3/5 – Rather dated, reasonably spacious
Sleep quality: 4/5 – Quiet environment, comfortable beds
Bathroom: 4/5 – Clean and quite spacious; bathtub was a big plus
Facilities and amenities: 3.5/5 – Standard amenities in the room, a small pool, and a guest laundry
Pros
- 5-minute drive to Charlestown Square and to Westfield Kotara
- Close to the beach and Lake Macquarie
Cons
- Weak wi-fi signal
- Kettle and spoons need proper washing
Long review
My family and I recently stayed 4 nights in Mercure Charlestown. Its website describes this hotel as a boutique hotel that offers an escape from downtown CBD hustle. The 2-storey hotel is fairly small as it only has 53 rooms. Charlestown itself is about 10 km southwest of Newcastle. Lake Macquarie is only a short drive to the west, while the beach is a short drive to the opposite direction. It sounds like a strategic location to have a relaxing family getaway. Unfortunately, during our stay, New South Wales experienced the heaviest rain in 60 years, so we did not have many opportunities to be outdoors.
We arrived there by car and it was raining of course. I stopped my car on the covered driveway in front of the lobby. The lobby is small, although it still looks reasonably nice. There are several comfy-looking seats around the lobby, although I can’t imagine why people would like to stay there for long. Behind the front desk there is a short staircase where I found another seating area, a work desk with a computer, and a wall full of brochures. The rooms are located behind this space.
Check-in was quick. The staff informed me that I could park my car directly in front of our room, which I did. The room is facing the main street and is located on the ground floor at the end of the building. It was a standard room with a queen bed and a single bed. The room looked rather dated, but reasonably spacious. The amenities were as expected, although the TV was small and the kettle needs a bit of washing. The small spoons needed thorough scrubbing too. The view from the room is obviously unspectacular since I could only see the car park and a bit of greeneries. Even though the room is facing the main street, there were not many cars passing by, so it was quiet at night. The beds were quite comfortable too. The room could be accessed through another door, which opened to the corridor connected to the lobby.
The bathroom was again reasonably spacious. It looked dated, but was functional and clean. The bathtub was an excellent thing to have, especially with a small kid tagging along.
One afternoon, I could smell cigarette smoke. Apparently one guest decided to smoke in the car park and the smell drifted into our room even though she was a few rooms away. Some people just did not realise how annoying and strong cigarette smoke is.
When it comes to services, we didn’t interact much with the hotel staff. When we did interact with them, they were polite and accommodating. One day the cleaning staff forgot to give us soap and shampoo though, so I had to go the front desk to grab some. The Wi-Fi was actually quite fast, but the signal was rather weak, probably because the room is at the end of the building. I lost the Wi-Fi connection several times during our stay, especially when I was in bed near the bathroom wall.
Now let’s briefly review the facilities in the hotel. The restaurant is located next to the lobby. We didn’t dine there, although we did go there to get our welcome drinks. It looked cosy and the staff were pleasant too. The pool could be accessed through the restaurant, although it would be awkward to do so I would think. There is an outdoor access as an alternative. When trying the outdoor access to the pool, I found another nook used as a seating space. Again, not sure why people would want to sit there. I guess they only wanted to make the space more presentable. The pool itself is small, but it should be a nice spot to cool down in a warm weather. The view of the tree line is refreshing too. Another facility that I found is the guest laundry located on the first floor.
The location of the hotel is actually quite good. Beside its proximity to Lake Macquarie, the beach and the Newcastle CBD, it is also close to 2 big shopping centres: Charlestown Square and Westfield Kotara. Due to the weather, we spent a good amount of time in these 2 places. We also managed to go to the Merewether Beach one afternoon when the rain stopped for a few hours.
Overall, it was an average experience, but we are willing to go back when we are in the neighbourhood and when the weather is less wet.
