Melaluka on the Ocean

Comment by Paul

July 2006

Worst place we have stayed in Australia, kitchens are filthy, and we had to request some washing up liquid, toilet paper, something to wash and dry dishes with (which never arrived). The rooms are large but the bed linen was stained. They offer a 'courtesy bus' to take you into town, which you have to book the day before (which is fair enough!) but easier said than done when the so called manager is never in the office, and they expect you to call them or chase them around next door at costa bella. The place is also a bus ride (or courtesy ride) from town, and at night its difficult to get a bus back, and taxi's are not cheap (this of course is not the fault of Melaluka) but when there courtesy bus stops running at four-thirty it can be a pain to get home. In three days we never got a ride once! And when i requested a ride to our surf lesson, we were greeted with a barage of abuse from the manages mum, about if we had booked it through them they would've got commision, (and then probably a lfit). When approached about the cleaniless off the kitchen I was greeted with 'well i'd cook of anything' and further to top things off I was called a bloody pommy, and f***** idiot. enough said. It may sound like im going on, but in five months of travelling in Southeast Asia and Australia, it was the worst place by a mile, and this is also the first time i have posted such comments. Oh i forgot about the ants in the kettle.
Reply from the Hostel: My name is Peter Williams; I am one of the managers of Melaluka on The Ocean, listed on your web site. My attention was drawn to you web site by a backpacker who stayed here recently who told me there was "a write up that was wrong and over board." I am referring to the July 2006 comment. I read this comment with shock, but remember the couple who wrote it, as these type of people are few and far between. They are the only people in 29 years (since 1978) that refused to pay for accommodation after staying. Their complaints were either fanciful or over demanding. They said it was the "Worst place we have stayed in Australia," why then I wonder, did they stay for three nights? They complained of a "filthy" kitchen and the need to request toilet paper and dish supplies "which never arrived". We service each apartment each day which includes checking these things, if by some chance for example, the toilet paper has been used up throughout the day, by over use or pilfering, I don't see it as a great inconvenience to ask for more, which we then get immediately, as the storage room is next to our office. When they complained to my brother of the mess in the kitchen, it was determined that some of the mess and dishes were theirs, they just didn't wish to clean up after themselves. They continued their witch hunt of complaints with complaining that we were not in the office all the time, but next door in Costa Bella. What sought of complaint is this that they have to walk next door, 30 meters, to contact us? I run this place with my brother, and we do not sit in the office all day due to the demand of work in the different apartments. They complained that we are a "bus ride" from town. We make no illusions about this, and tell people on booking that we are 2.5km from town, and 100 meters from a beautiful beach. We have 4 local buses (2 services) per hour and we do a few runs to town each day. They didn't ask for a ride in their 3 days here except to go for their surf lesson. This "event" they say, resulted in an argument with my mum saying she said we would have received commission, so they should have booked their lesson with us. The real fact was that if they booked with us we would have arranged a pick up from the surf school, as we have done many times, but 10 minutes before their lesson they came and demanded a lift into town, there and then. Do they completely lack any dependency of their own? As to verbally abusing them, that is not true, we have never said that to any customers, irrespective of how difficult they are. Oh, and we didn't give them a ride to town when they left either, as they didn't pay, i.e. stole 3 nights. "Taxis are expensive? " $9, out of my control. Oh I forgot she mentioned ants in the kettle. We get ants when people leave food out on the benches, in a kettle? I've never seen ants in a kettle, unless maybe they put food in it? We have been running this business here for 29 years, initially my parents, and now my brother and myself. We are used to opposite comments than this couples' complaint. If we ran our business, and treated customers as they say, we would not still be in business after all these years. I hope you post his letter on your web site, as you say "This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites, we don't censor out the negative comments." Regards Peter Williams Manager

Noosa Heads (Sunrise Beach)