Review of Lake Tinaroo Terraces 3*

I recently stayed 2 nights in a 2 bedroom lake view lodge at Lake Tinaroo Terraces (near Cairns) which has a 3½ star rating. Rate is $119 per nite. On arrival we report to reception which is empty and resembles a tip. A man waddles in, we give him our name, he can’t find the booking, we phoned twice & emailed once (no reply to email). He takes our money & waddles out to show us where the lodge is. The lodge turns out to be a tiny painted corrugated iron tin shed that shakes & groans every time you walk in it. The lake view is actually the two tin sheds in front of us. Not long after arrival I make a cuppa to have with our Danish pastries, I grab a plate, it was stuck to the plate beneath it, I find it hasn’t been cleaned. I check all crockery & notice many items are dirty, so I had to do the dishes! Nothing in the fridge, not even a tiny UHT milk. One of the light fittings on the lounge wall was missing its cover & didn’t have a light bulb. Cleaning & upkeep of the tin shed was rudimentary to say the least, filthy crockery, musty soft furnishings, dusty, grimy windows. The master bedroom was in a loft and was the most spacious room. Only 1 light bulb missing. The bedlamp was a doozy, the base was cracked & a large opening revealed internal workings. Clock radio was helpfully switched off at the power point First night we settled down to watch a dvd but the remote didn’t work, checked the batteries, none in the remote. The 2nd bedroom is a bunk bed squeezed into a "cupboard". No sheets on the beds, this was only revealed on day 2, again clock radio was helpfully switched off. Any chance of a hair dryer in the bathroom? Not a chance. The only room information in the tin shed was one unmarked A4 sheet notifying that animals were prohibited, check out was 10:00am & dishes must be washed and rubbish removed when departing. Once in the tin shed there is no way to contact the "on-site" manager as there are no internal telephones. On day 2 when I went to the office there was a sign advising the office was closed as there were no vacancies. No details at all on how one can contact the manager. Why not call Lake Tinaroo Terraces on the mobile then? We have Vodafone & Telstra mobiles, no signal on either. Public phone booth 1 klm away. I eventually approached a nearby house where I spied Mr & Mrs Manager on the front balcony. Both glaring at me when I approach & ignore my polite greeting. I ask about sheets for bunk bed, told there was a $15 charge ($10 on website). Mr Mgr tells me that if we booked at the Sheraton & wanted another bed we’d have had to pay extra. I respond that we didn‘t book a hotel room but a 2 bedroom apartment. In the face of pure, unbridled hostility I retreat. Needless to say hospitality at Lake Tinaroo Terraces is zero and it was one of the most unpleasant stays I’ve ever had. Standards do not merit the tariff charged nor the star rating by a long shot.