Spicers Balfour Hotel

4.0 / 5

•

37 Balfour St, New Farm QLD 4005, Australia

Reviews from Guests

4.0/5

917

Reviews

from real guests

daes0707

Five-star staff, but the hotel needs investment Let me start with the positives: the staff were exceptional and the food was excellent. Both were genuinely five-star. We came to Spicers Balfour after two nights at the Emporium and deliberately chose it because we wanted something different — smaller, more intimate and with the character of a boutique hotel. We weren’t expecting another Emporium, nor did we want one. But our riverside room at the Emporium cost roughly the same as Suite 12 at Spicers, and there was a gulf between the two experiences. At the Emporium we had a spectacular view across the river and Brisbane skyline, a jacuzzi bath and some genuinely luxurious touches, including switchable privacy glass, as well as access to the pool, sauna and gym. Suite 12 at Spicers is a ground-floor room with no outlook at all. They’re obviously very different hotels offering very different experiences, but boutique shouldn’t be shorthand for lower standards of upkeep, particularly when you’re charging essentially the same money. Spicers feels tired and in need of investment. Visible mildew on shower grout in a premium hotel is an absolute fail. We also found marked and dirty walls, chipped paintwork and stained carpets. Poor ambient lighting and the lack of modern charging facilities added to the sense that the room has fallen well behind the standard its price suggests. The older building brings other compromises. In Suite 12 we could clearly hear TV and video noise from the room above. That’s what makes the experience frustrating. The staff and food deliver at the level you’d expect from a premium boutique hotel. The accommodation doesn’t. We left wishing we’d simply stayed another two nights at the Emporium.

momsandsons8789

We were thrilled right from the minute we drove up. Then we met the lovely Sara, she is a treasure and a valuable asset to the property. After we were checked in she schlepped our bags up to our room on the second floor. There is no elevator. My hubby didn’t want her to based on the size of the bags so they each took one. We loved our room, it faced the frangipani garden and the smell coming into the room from them was so great. We loved the Nespresso machine and the tea in the room, plus we had nice bottles of water in glass bottles there for our consumption. The soaps, shampoo and hand crème were excellent. The sheets on the bed were the best. Breakfast- our room price included breakfast. Wow! It was amazing, we could order from the regular menu and everything we had was absolutely delicious. We can’t begin to say enough good things about the food. Sara greeted us entering the restaurant by name, made us the best coffee and chatted with us about what we were going to do around Brisbane that day. We had dinner there one night and the food again…was great. The location is fantastic the walk to the river and all the activities there. We had an early check out and it was suggested in order to take advantage of breakfast to preorder. So we did, and when we sat down our food was served. Loved this place. You have to stay here if in Brisbane. It’s the best!!!!

Sinecure

So disappointing. We had stayed here a few years ago and it was great. This time was not. We booked for dinner, expecting the Vietnamese influenced menu that was still on their website - and also on the QR code we scanned in our room. Nope. They had changed to a "shared plate", boring menu. The spiced nuts were 50% dust, several other dishes were small and bland, and we left hungry. Our water glasses were never topped up, and we had to pour our own wine after the first small glass. No wonder the restaurant was almost empty. The crowning disaster was that the coffee machine in our room was broken, and there was no alternative. Never again.

Facilities Details

Free Parking

Air Conditioning

Free Wifi

Coffee/tea maker

Bar

Meeting/Banquet Facilities

Heating

Designated Smoking Area

Restaurant

Room Service

Terrace

Non-smoking Rooms

Laundry

Dry Cleaning

Facilities for Disabled Guests

Ironing Service

Express Check-in/Check-out

Valet Parking

Library

Fax/Photocopying

Concierge Service

Daily Housekeeping

Accessible concierge desk

Accessible public restrooms

On-site accessible self parking

Bicycle Rental

Ticket Service

Proposal spot

Baggage Storage

Smoke-free property

24-Hour Front Desk

Desk/workspace

Free Parking

Air Conditioning

Free Wifi

Coffee/tea maker

Bar

Meeting/Banquet Facilities

Heating

Designated Smoking Area

Restaurant

Room Service

Terrace

Non-smoking Rooms

Laundry

Dry Cleaning

Facilities for Disabled Guests

Ironing Service

Express Check-in/Check-out

Valet Parking

Library

Fax/Photocopying

Concierge Service

Daily Housekeeping

Accessible concierge desk

Accessible public restrooms

On-site accessible self parking

Bicycle Rental

Ticket Service

7 Available Room Types

Balfour Suite

36 Square Meter

Tea/Coffee Maker

Minibar

Shower

Telephone

Air Conditioning

Hair dryer

Iron

Bathrobes

Radio

Refrigerator

Desk

Ironing Facilities

Free Toiletries

Toilet

Private bathroom

Heating

Slippers

Carpeted

Electric Kettle

Towels

Dining Table

Non-smoking

Sleep comfort items

Laptop workspace

Blackout curtains

Wardrobe/Closet

Daily housekeeping

Free Wifi

Toiletries

Extra Long Beds (> 6.5 ft)

Kids shampoo

DVD/CD player

Clothes Rack

Room service [24-hour]

Executive King Room

29 Square Meter

Tea/Coffee Maker

Minibar

Shower

Telephone

Air Conditioning

Hair dryer

Iron

Bathrobes

Radio

Refrigerator

Desk

Ironing Facilities

Free Toiletries

DVD/CD player

Toilet

Private bathroom

Heating

Slippers

Carpeted

Electric Kettle

Towels

Non-smoking

Sleep comfort items

Laptop workspace

Blackout curtains

Wardrobe/Closet

Daily housekeeping

Free Wifi

Toiletries

Extra Long Beds (> 6.5 ft)

Kids shampoo

Clothes Rack

Room service [24-hour]

Executive Queen Room

17 Square Meter

Tea/Coffee Maker

Minibar

Shower

Telephone

Air Conditioning

Hair dryer

Iron

Bathrobes

Radio

Refrigerator

Desk

Ironing Facilities

Free Toiletries

DVD/CD player

Toilet

Private bathroom

Heating

Slippers

Carpeted

Electric Kettle

Towels

Upper floors accessible by stairs only

Non-smoking

Sleep comfort items

Laptop workspace

Blackout curtains

Wardrobe/Closet

Daily housekeeping

Free Wifi

Toiletries

Extra Long Beds (> 6.5 ft)

Kids shampoo

Clothes Rack

Room service [24-hour]

Accessible Suite

Non-smoking

Sleep comfort items

Electric Kettle

Laptop workspace

Air Conditioning

Blackout curtains

Minibar

Wardrobe/Closet

Daily housekeeping

Free Wifi

Tea/Coffee Maker

Telephone

Desk

Toiletries

Extra Long Beds (> 6.5 ft)

Towels

Hair dryer

Free Toiletries

Toilet

Kids shampoo

Shower

DVD/CD player

Slippers

Private bathroom

Bathrobes

Entire unit wheelchair accessible

Iron

Clothes Rack

Room service [24-hour]

Accessible Queen Room

Non-smoking

Sleep comfort items

Electric Kettle

Laptop workspace

Air Conditioning

Blackout curtains

Minibar

Wardrobe/Closet

Daily housekeeping

Free Wifi

Tea/Coffee Maker

Telephone

Desk

Toiletries

Towels

Hair dryer

Free Toiletries

Toilet

Kids shampoo

Shower

DVD/CD player

Slippers

Private bathroom

Bathrobes

Iron

Clothes Rack

Room service [24-hour]

Facilities Details

Parking and Transportation

Free Parking

Valet Parking

Bicycle Rental

Food & Drink

Restaurant

Room Service

Bar

Front Desk Services

Express Check-in/Check-out

Concierge Service

Ticket Service

Baggage Storage

24-Hour Front Desk

Entertainment and Family Services

Smoke-free property

Business Facilities

Meeting/Banquet Facilities

Fax/Photocopying

Common Areas

Terrace

Library

Cleaning Services

Laundry

Dry Cleaning

Ironing Service

Daily Housekeeping

Internet Access in public areas

Free Wifi

Miscellaneous

Non-smoking Rooms

Facilities for Disabled Guests

Heating

Air Conditioning

Designated Smoking Area

Accessible concierge desk

Accessible public restrooms

On-site accessible self parking

Proposal spot

Coffee/tea maker

Desk/workspace