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We stayed at the Bell Tower Inn over Easter. Rooms are very spacious and have a large bathroom too. Parking is right outside your room so that’s great. Has a bar fridge, microwave and tea coffee making too and a toaster which was great. We ate at the restaurant on site which has a great menu. They deliver food to the room too if you feel like it. We actually ended up checking out early which was a shame as we had chain smokers next door ( they are allowed to smoke right outside the room) and the smoke got into our room so that really got to us and we had to leave. They also need to provide some recycle bins. They don’t recycle anything there so lots going to landfill which is a shame. They really need to have a designated smoking area away from the rooms. Apart from that we were very happy with the hotel.

We booked two nights in this motel and I should have followed my gut on my initial encounter on reception. The Asian gentleman was not engaging and abrupt- it seemed we were an inconvenience to him. I was given the drill ie where to go for continental breakfast, put out sign for house keeping services and only one electronic pass key. According to my daughter, the expression on my face was priceless, as I entered the door and saw the room- it was an old room and not at all what I had expected. The beds were comfortable and linen clean. Electric blankets on bed and an extra blanket and pillow in the cupboard. So beds got a tick. It was obvious an attempt had been made to refurbish the room and bring it up to par- new toilet, hand basin, fridge, white goods (ie toaster, jug- Kmart), microwave and fridge, TV Aldi) fresh coat of paint and new lighting but no accessible light switches from the bed. Floor covering appeared new although it was obviously cheap. Even the laminated bench near the fridge was poor- the chip board was exposed and whoever installed needs to have a lesson in finishing things off properly. The shower head was supported- now listen to this one- pieces of bark in the hole in the wall. I had to stop and think was I in Ballarat or an outback motel in the NT? Next came the dining experience- quaintly referred to as continental breakfast. Rows of plastic containers with various cereals, all labled, the 3 'el cheapo' toasters and one electric jug on the bench and all connected to a power board that floated midway up the wall- OHS error there!!! Various juices in the fridge- expiry dates needed to be checked, and of course the old bread in the freezer trick. My 25yr old daughter just laughed and said 'Mum I am back in a school camp'- there was no tv in the area, just tables and chairs with artificial flowers placed in coffee mugs and some prints on the wall and signs saying cctv and ' Don't take any foodstuffs or kitchen wares to your room” {Motels owners words not mine}. Why have a toaster in your room if you can't grab some bread and little packets of jam and butter?? {Crockery and cutlery, all plastic was in the room- doesn't make sense to me} Piece of resistance was housekeeping- I dutifully put out my sign and 'lo and behold' on returning to room later in the day, sign was off door and I thought Oh that is good they have done the room- well they had sort of- fresh towels, some rubbish removed and get this- the king bed straightened up and no attempt to do the single bed. No attempt to wash used cups and glasses or clean out shower, hand basis etc. The shower base was not clean and there was grime and accumulated dust on the skirting boards and around all architraves, the paint job was so poor you could see the brush strokes and where he/she had completely missed areas, the grout was filthy. We paid $292 for two nights at this establishment and it was money poorly spent. The owners need to lift their game- doing things on the

Cons ...I chose this accommodation due to the pictures and facilities that were offered. I am most disappointed with not having a properly working gas heater in the apartment. I was expecting a log gas heater as stipulated but instead an old gas heater that has a fault in the filter and turns off. The other heater/cooler is not big enough for the floor space and took up to 3 hours to heat the room. As for the tiny heaters in the bedrooms that don't heat up anything. The bathroom lights/heat thing has one glob not working. The fan/light in the living room doesn't work. We tried as stated in the rules to turn it on. And yes we turned it on at the wall and tried the remote it came with. Motor needs repairing. As for complementary toiletries, four adults have to share one tiny shampoo and conditioner bottle and two small soaps for 3 nights. Lucky I took my own soap. One a 1/4 roll of loo paper as well. Not a big deal but for the amount paid, I should not have to bring my own loo paper. It took me so long to find cups, plates ect. That were spead out in diffrent cupboards. Put coffee cups in the cupboard above the kettle or even Maybe have them altogether to make it easier to find. I have stayed in some lovely places and unfortunately was very disappointed in this one for the price. This is a very expensive place to stay for very little. Coming from a warm climate to Ballarat and not being able to get warm is the most disappointing thing of all. No Netflix as stated, but a very old Austar set up. Lots of things on the facility page that definitely were not included. Perhaps state which apartment has what in your advertisement to help people make a choice. I thought they would all have the same amenities. At least the basics anyway. Paying almost $1000 for 3 nights I could have been in Palm cove for a week at Peppers Beach club. I might suggest to maybe put usb outlets in so travellers don't have to bring their own plugs. Pros... The only real positive thing was the main bed. Very comfortable and large. Was quite clean except the sheet wasn't on properly and wasn't folded under mattress as you would expect.

Stayed here for 3 nights in early November. Checked in and greeted by a lovely lady on reception who was very helpful and nice. Was in room number 1 (spa room.) The room was very clean and modern and although the room was close to the road, inside the room was very quiet and couldn’t hear cars or other guests and made for a relaxing stay. Only a 5 minute walk to the lake and a quick drive Into town. Had dinner at the adjoining hotel which was a very nice meal Would definitely recommend staying here and I would definitely stay here again when I’m next in Ballarat Thank you

Recently visited Newington apartments and was greeted with lovely decorations and furniture upon arrival. It was a comfortable and spacious apartment that provided great amenities. It's close proximity to the city centre ensured we were very able to explore the area during our short stay. However, issues arose as our apartment was meant to include 2 sofas but were instead provided with 1. The staff's response was to ”ensure we thoroughly check photos of the apartment before booking”. This shouldn't be the case when the description included ” two sofas”. Following on the poorly constructed bathroom meant loose handles and screeching showers when the water was turned on. In the midst of a pandemic there is no mention of any additional sanitary measures the management have taken to deal with COVID-19.

We stayed in the Grand Room (No 1). The room was very big and had an inviting fire going when we arrived. We did arrive a little earlier than the check in time of 2.00pm and found parking was a bit of an issue. The car parks out the back were full (I assume with cleaning staff) and there were no staff on site. There was no parking out the front - a very busy church or school across the road. We had to park out on the main street and walk our bags around. We made a call on a mobile phone number we had and they organised a key quickly for us which allowed us into our room early. We went out and grabbed lunch and got back around 2.00pm and the car parks were starting to empty out by then and we were able to snag a car park straight out the front. Room was beautiful and full of character. Was very well appointed. If you have problems with stairs I would make sure I book a ground floor room. I couldn't see a lift and there were no staff on site to assist with bags.