HOTEL REVIEW - Quality Inn Centrepoint Motel Rockhampton

I thought I'd give a different motel a go on a recent by trip to Rockhampton and with the Quality Inn Centrepoint Motel, I wasn't disappointed.

The motel is promoted as undergoing a major redevelopment and is under new management. There are large conference rooms, and a nice looking pool area on site as well. Also, being a member of the Quality Inn chain of motels meant I received frequent flyer points for my stay.



From the outside the place looks quite nice. Inside, a renovated and modern reception desk greets guests. There are also stairs to Signatures Restaurant, which is on the second floor. Unfortunately, my brief stay meant I didn't get to eat at the restaurant, although it did look busy in the evening, and judging by the menu that I found in my room, Signatures Restaurant does look to have a good choice of food. I ate dinner and breakfast at one of the nearby fast food outlets of which both all the majors plus a nice Coffee Club are all within 1-2 blocks of the motel.

One downside to the motel I found almost immediately was the lack of undercover parking. I arrived in the early evening and found all but one space was taken. Given a large storm was inbound to Rockhampton at that time, I was glad to find the cover! There is additional open-air parking at the rear of the complex.

The room looked quite nice as I walked in. I stayed in a Queen room and as shown there was plenty of space and it was well appointed. There other levels of rooms available including Twin Bed Rooms, King Rooms, and Spa Suites.


There was a large bed, air con, desk and chair, lounge chair, and a large flat screen television that had a full range of digital and complimentary some pay-television channels. There is also a user-pays in-house movie service too. A free WI-FI Internet connection and an Internet Café are also available at the Motel.


The bathroom gives the motel's age away with an older appearance including old-tiled floors and painted brick walls. It is still quite nice and has a decent size – fairly roomy with a shower, hand-basin and toilet.


A nice night’s stay was had at the Quality Inn Centrepoint Motel, and while I didn't sample the restaurant, the motel is an ideal place for the business or holiday traveller to spend the night or longer. Although, if you want your car undercover during storm season, make sure you get the motel before the sun goes down!!

HOTEL REVIEW – Quality Hotel Sheridan Plaza – Cairns

I had seen this hotel on Sheridan Street in Cairns during a recent trip up North and thought that I would give it a try as a "Plane Spotting Hotel". There are other hotels on Sheridan Street, in fact I stayed in another further towards Cairns City some years earlier, however this hotel is the closest major Cairns Hotel to Cairns Airport – about 2-3km to the terminal. And it’s also only 2-3km to the Cairns Central shopping centre.

This hotel is advertised as “affordable luxury”, and I would agree. This modern, 4 ½ star, boutique style Hotel is quite reasonably priced for a short-term stay. Our price also included a full buffet breakfast each morning in the main downstairs bar/restaurant.

The hotel has seen some recent refurbishments and features three types of rooms from deluxe (as we had shown below) to expansive suites.


What I like the best though, was that about half of the 74 rooms in the hotel have a view onto Sheridan Street from a private balcony (as we had). This provides almost unobstructed views to the some of the flight paths to and from the airport. The preferred runway for plane spotting from the hotel is Runway 33 in Cairns, when literally all aircraft pass by the front of the hotel on short finals for landing. I have found this runway is used a lot in the tropical summer months of December and January. Some pictures are shown below.





Should Runway 15 be in use, spotters can still see all departing traffic, although some of the smaller aircraft will make an early left turn before they actually reach the hotel as shown below.




The hotel has superb facilities, with a mini-bar, fridge, and tea and coffee making facilities in the air-conditioned room. The hotel also has a gymnasium, outdoor pool, free Internet Kiosk, guest laundry, and free undercover parking. The hotel staff were always friendly, and the ladies at the check-in desk provided great assistance to us in booking tourist day trips to local attractions.


There is a service station next door to the hotel, and being on a busy street does provide a fairly high level of noise that has caused some negative reviews of this hotel. However, I would recommend the Quality Hotel Sheridan Plaza as a good choice to stay for the aviation enthusiast.