Albatross Bay Resort

We knew this was not a holiday destination. I had accompanied my husband on a 3 day work trip, but if you call yourself a 'resort' in the tropics, the very least you would expect is a swimming pool! This place is a little way out of town and you need a car to anywhere, the shopping centre, community hub and alternative eateries are 2-3kms away. The accommodation we had booked was a standard double room on the first floor. It was adequate, but very bland. No colour, no pictures, vary dated and tired. The bathroom was pretty good with a hot powerful shower and the bed was comfortable. The corridors and stairwells were in desperate need of a clean and a refurbishment. Quite off putting as you walk from the carpark. The fire doors, both internally, and the fire escape were propped open and not locked so security was a concern. The daily room service did not happen and we helped ourselves to fresh hand towels as the linen cupboard was left open most of the time The restaurant was a saving grace. We booked an evening meal and were able to watch the beautiful sunset as we dined. The selection was good and our meals were interesting and tasty, although both the beef cheeks and chicken breast were rather dry. The tables were laid up with cloth tablecloths, cutlery and glasses. It was lovely. The sports bar also offers food and drinks from 10am. The staff were not overly friendly, but helpful and courteous. The accommodation is not cheap at $237 a night. We would have expectd something better for that.Next time we are in town we will try somewhere different

We spent a night at the Albatross Bay Resort, an interesting complex in Weipa which does have limited venues to stay and eat. It is a busy large hotel and the local watering hole for the town. We had some issues with air conditioner in our room which was sorted after a while. The bed was comfortable and we had a good sleep, our bathroom was a good size and the shower very good. There is a nice grassed area linking the accommodation area to the dining and bar areas which were quite busy. Unfortunately the dining was not up to speed with some dishes being missed for our group. The breakfast the next morning was a disaster with the dining room running out of juices, fruit, even hot water and some other basic items so our group set out with empty stomachs - not good enough for a major hotel who is supposed to cater for tour groups.

On one level, the Albatross Bay is a perfectly acceptable remote-area motel. Our room was spacious and clean (including the bathroom). Wifi and a/c worked well. There were signs though that all wasn't hunky-dory. Three beds in the room but only 2 mugs, 1 wine glass, 1 bowl, 1 fork, 1 spoon, 1 teaspoon and 2 knives. And none were matching - all came from different cutlery sets! There was also a small microwave, a toaster and a tea-towel. But this place calls itself a 'resort', and that's when it really fails the test. There is no pool and while our room was functional it was completely characterless. No attempt to brighten it up, no resort-style pictures on the walls. Outside of the room, things started OK. The deck and beer garden are great spaces and offer sublime sunset views through the trees. And the beautiful Blue-winged Kookaburras added to the atmosphere. But come meal times, things really hit the wall. Dinner was something of a shemozzle, but at least everyone got what they ordered. I also understand they had 2 or maybe 3 tour groups to deal with and they were understaffed, but it was not good. Our barramundi was dry and tasteless and steaks not cooked well. But that was heaven compared with breakfast the next morning, when for starters they ran out of bowls and the only available cereal was Corn Flakes. There was toast ... and bowls of peanuts. The problems were attributed to the barge from Cairns not arriving on time - though too many tour groups and not enough staff could also have been issues. I should add we were here with one of those tour groups.

This place needs money spent on it to bring it back to something like being a ”resort”. Though initially looking promising it is actually a bit run down and dirty. The donga accommodation is old and dirty and the staff lackadaisical - couldn’t care less. The food was passable.

Superb location overlooking the bay. Comfortable room despite the lack of anything on the walls. Great shower. Nice continental breakfast. Generally friendly staff.who were very generous once an oversight in our booking was recognised.

Room appeared clean and tidy, despite a bad smell - but on closer examination it was not. Dirty pillows, somebody’s clothes hanging in the wardrobe, a giant cane toad in the toilet. Front counter staff the next day were very apologetic and displayed awesome service; but experience was enough to avoid in future.