Mantra In The Village

In a fantastic location, but a very disappointing stay for the price. I actually got to sample two rooms during my stay 19 & 22. I also saw room 20. The first room was so noisy at night with birds in trees directly outside the balcony doors, sleep was impossible. I asked to be moved and with a bit of maneuvering they made this happen. The second room had almost no natural light, but at least I could sleep. This Mantra location is in dire need of refurbishment. It's dated, smells musty & the rooms are inconsistently appointed and furnished, some rooms have good furniture, decent tv's, comfy beds, and others didn't - very much luck of the draw on that front. Maintenance seems behind where it needs to be, blown light bulbs, cracked floor drains, leaking toilets to name a few issues we had during our stay. Basic cleaning seemed ok, though I did have to wash cups and dishes up before using them for the first time. The pool area is small, but was clean and seemed to be well looked after. Reception is often unmanned, but the staff do the absolute best they can when you ask for help, but in the case of this place, they don't have much to work with when it comes to making guests happy. I don't think it is worth what they are charging for a stay, I've stayed in nicer places for a similar price range and I wouldn't stay here again.

We have been travelling to Port Douglas for almost 30 years and always try to stay near the shops and restaurants on Macrossan Street. We were keen to stay at Mantra in the Village but unfortunately... it did not live up to expectations. We stayed for 11 nights. Let me bullet point some issues and provide some photos... * We rang ahead to confirm the bed configuration that we had included in our booking information. Despite having a long discussion with Coltyn (and later Josephina), the request had not been met. This had to be rectified when we arrived. * We did ask for a higher floor and this request was met. I would not want to have stayed on a lower floor as it is too close to the pool area. * After much arranging with phone calls, we finally had our room serviced on day 8 of the 11 night stay. We had to fit in with an early morning room service rather than choosing a more convenient time. *For supplies, it is a matter of going down to reception (when someone is actually there) to obtain clean towels, toilet paper, tissues, soap and any other required supplies. * Reception is meant to be staffed from around 10 am until 4 pm. This rarely happens. You are very lucky to get someone staffing the Reception area. * Mantra run four establishments in Port Douglas. This one and the Mantra near the Court House Hotel are the less impressive cousins of the other two. This Mantra is run down (in need of refurbishment) and not particularly well cleaned or maintained. Again, the photos should provide you with an idea of what to expect. * Coltyn, Emma, Aga and Josephina try to do a good job with a product which could easily be MUCH better. What is needed here is a good refurbishment and much better sound absorption. * The housekeeping staff are friendly enough but VERY loud. Every word can be easily heard through corridors and adjoining doors. In order to muffle the sound (and cooking smells), we had to place damp towels at the base of the door. * There is mold in the shower and the toilet was not clean. * The hot tap in the kitchen is far too hot. It is possible to accidentally burn yourself as the temperature is set way too high. * The woman in the adjoining unit turned her spa on at almost midnight. The sound was unbearable and sounded like an earthquake had hit the building. Apparently that particular spa had been set up indoors (as opposed to the usual balcony spas). And who has a spa at such a late hour? * The window shutters need some oiling as they are extremely loud and squeaky when opened. * The 'electronic safe' is operated with a key. Go figure! * There's probably much more to say but I will leave it at that for moment. As mentioned, I will let some of these photos speak for themselves. Unfortunately, for what we paid for 11 nights, this Mantra was not good value for money. The bottom line is, this place could be SO MUCH better.