Old Maitland Inn

I had an incredibly disappointing experience at the Old Maitland Inn. The worst part was the manager, who was arrogant and rude for no apparent reason. From the moment we arrived, he seemed uninterested in providing even basic customer service. We were treated like an inconvenience, and any attempts to engage in conversation were met with short, dismissive responses. It left us feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable. The accommodation itself was subpar, with dated rooms that didn’t live up to the price. I would not recommend this place to anyone, especially given the terrible attitude of the manager. There are plenty of other places in the area that offer much better service and value for money.

We stayed one night here after a friend’s birthday nearby. Starting off with the positive: - room was clean - bathrooms have just been renovated and are really nice - air con is cold - close to shopping centre But still… this motel is waaaay overpriced for what it is. Each room opens out onto the parking lot littered with cigarette butts etc and then there is a random small pool in the middle that gets locked up whenever the owners feel like it. Also, full disclosure, we were warned if we got locked out of our room there would be a fee. Then, of course, we proceeded to get locked out of our room with 3x small children sleeping inside. My husband contacted the owners who said they would bring the key for us. Forty minutes later of anxious waiting …. Nothing. My husband once again contacted the owners who, it turns out, actually live ON the property and hadn’t bothered to come and give us our key. (We were waiting at our room instead of at the closed reception desk.) They literally had to walk down the stairs to give us a new key and not only charged us $100 for the pleasure, but didn’t come to our room when we weren’t there but went back upstairs to continue watching TV! We were staying in a family room so they were definitely aware we had kids. Families, don’t be tempted by the promise of a pool … look elsewhere.

This motel stop is a "must" if travelling on the New England Highway. Beautiful well equipped rooms with a pool in the middle of the grounds plus hosts, Paul and Kirstine Roadley, are people who will help their guests in every possible way. I had a very sick husband and they took charge, talking to him whilst we waited for the ambulance, organising food for when we returned from the hospital after 11 pm and even waiting to greet us when we finally came back at midnight. They were truly fantastic and I cannot recommend the place enough.