Mercure Bendigo Schaller 4.5 星

Very noisy place. Woken at 6am with 30+ mins of thumping and banging from floor above. Then trucks reversing and unloading directly below my window. Then having a coffee in the cafe downstairs and a staff member starts vacuuming the floor near the table! Had to check out early just get some peace and quiet.

The rooms are small, but we found it comfortable. The staff were very helpful and the cafe was fine. There are also free movies off the TV. The parking in front of the hotel is perhaps limited, but there is an overflow parking area behind the hotel. You need to take a ticket from the machine, but reception can ensure that there are no extra charges. The one warning is finding the place. You need to turn into the hospital gates and then the hotel is clearly on the right. This is not marked on Lucan Street and I have driven by it twice before I understood the system.

This hotel met our needs perfectly as we were in town to see Frida Kahlo. The room was great & I was a little surprised by the negative comments in other reviews. I agree the bathroom is small & it would be difficult for guests with mobility issues or needed increased space. I also do not understand why body lotion is inside the shower with the shampoo. All in all met our needs.

Overall a comfortable hotel, although very little room around the bed, having to do the "sideways shuffle", and the shower was a tiny triangle, but the water pressure was great. It had a strange switch for the bathroom light/exhaust fan, which was next to the front door, and not near the bathroom. The restaurant was good, although people kept coming in and out of the three external doors along the seating area.

This hotel has some great advantages. It is right next door to the hospital (great for family visiting, patient recuperation, etc), and is a short (driving) distance to the town centre and restaurants and bars. Not walking distance. The hotel is filled with funky artwork from resident artist Marke Shaller. It will not be to everyones taste, but we thought it added interest and good talking points. Some will interpret it as an ego trip for Mark Shaller who treats the hotel as his own gallery and every artwork is for sale. Be not mistaken - lots of reviews have mentioned this - the rooms ARE QUITE SMALL. If you are looking for space and plenty of lounging spots, these rooms are not for you. If you are comfortable walking sideways up against the wall on one side of the bed, then go for it. Good for a single person working in town for a couple of days. Staff were very helpful and attentive. Food in the restaurant was quite good and staff were attentive. They need to look at better ventilation in the lounge/lobby/ reception area, as the smell of cooking pervades the area - right up to the lifts. Beds were quite comfortable.