ISLAND ROOM on Magnetic Island

I guess that the advertisment is a bit misleading. You just get a (small) room in someones house, who is also home. There is a private badroom and toilet, but to get there you have to cross the livingroom of the family. There are pictures of the living and kitchen: bot can not be used (because of the family who uses it). There isn’t mentioned that there are big dogs. The owner will put them away during the stay, but it does smell like dogs inside and if you have an allergy (like my friend), it is a bit of a problem. The owner herself was nice in the beginning, but when we showered (at 10pm) she got very angry that we woke her up altough we tried to be as quiet as possible. The way she spoke to us, guests, was very unprofessional. The airconditioning can’t be put lower then 24degrees, which is pretty high for a small room.

This was a very uncomfortable and disappointing stay.
We chose this homestay because the listing clearly stated that guests had access to a kitchen. Based on this information, we brought simple food to prepare light meals (sandwiches, eggs, avocado). When we politely asked to use the kitchen to cook the eggs, the host was clearly unhappy and almost refused. We were given a tiny corner of the counter and felt watched and unwelcome the entire time.
It felt as though our presence was an inconvenience, despite us being quiet, respectful, and mindful throughout our stay.
Furthermore, several common areas shown in the photos (such as the pool table and other indoor spaces) were not available for guest use. We were only allowed to eat outside at the front of the house.
This experience was very different from what is described in the listing and what previous reviews suggest. We did not feel welcomed at all, and the description of the property is misleading regarding kitchen access and shared spaces.
Unfortunately, we left feeling uncomfortable and disappointed. Based on our experience, we do not believe this property should be listed as it currently is.

Didn’t like that the private bathroom was across the property, we assumed it would have been an on-suite. We felt uncomfortable at the fact the man (who I assume was the other owner who we hadn’t met) came to our door at 1:30am to tell us we were being too loud (which we might have been) but being 2 young girls staying in the room for 1 night we feel it was inappropriate as we had not met this man and after telling him we were sorry and that we were going to bed he continued to stand there and reprimand us for a continued time (which was unnecessary). We understand it is a shared space and we might have been too loud however, as we had not been introduced to this man we feel it would have been more appropriate for the woman to come and tell us, or he should have left after we apologised the first time rather than hanging around. This made us very uncomfortable and we were quite happy we were leaving the next morning.

Nil

The room could have a mirror for dressing.
A kettle and tea and coffee could also be provided in the room.
Window louvres needed cleaning.
Pillow cases stained.

Niets!

It’s not a room with ensuite. Bathroom and toilet are not close to the bedroom.

First of all, it wasn’t clear from a brief view that this was a home stay - it could be far more apparent. It is included deep in the description which the host was quick to tell us on her introductory tour of the house - ‘it is in the description, you just didn’t read it fully’. As mentioned the facilities are acceptable, however the toilet/shower is on the other side of the living room which both of the hosts have a view of at all times. This results is a huge lack of privacy and causes discomfort. There were dog hairs left in the bath which we could see without much effort. The host added to our discomfort by hoovering and making a racket an hour prior to our checkout time - ensuring we were awake to leave! We were waiting on a taxi to the ferry terminal and were told to wait outside rather than being welcomed and allowed to wait inside for this - resulting in us being kicked out to the porch prior to the checkout time.

Everything was exceptional, nothing to improve.