Lahania by the Sea - JJ Place

I didn't realize how far away this place is from Cairns. I had to Uber back and forth and it got quite expensive.

We booked this stay in a rush and not reading all reviews beforehand.
However, the space was much smaller and more cramped than expected, with very limited storage with nowhere to hang clothes other than some wall hooks. Our bags had to be left on the coffee station floor and 1x in the bathroom. Only cutlery were two forks and two tablespoons and no teaspoon with only 2x coffee pods for 5 days, not even a tea bag. The light blanket was too small for the bed. Whilst we worked around this, our biggest concern was the bathroom! The tiny sink was mounted on top of the toilet cistern, and the toilet had to be flushed each time water was needed. There was no hot water at the sink, and the mirrored cabinet above it made access very difficult and awkward as it projects further out than the basin beneath. Simple tasks like washing your face and brushing your teeth resulted in water splashing onto the toilet and all over the floor.
While this accommodation may be suitable for a short overnight stay, we did not find it practical or comfortable for a five-night visit. The lack of space, very limited storage, and impractical bathroom layout meant it was not the right fit for our needs.
On the positive side, the accommodation was clean. There was a private entrance, which provided privacy and independence.

There wasn’t anything i didn’t like but a hairdryer would have been a bonus.

Size of the sink.

We booked the ‘Mountain View’ listing with a normal bathroom & we were “upgraded” to the ‘Deluxe Queen Beach’ listing. Be aware that the ‘Beach’ listing has no running water except for the one over the toilet that fills the cistern so if you want water, you have to flush the toilet. Not even any water in a jug in the fridge. No milk provided to tea/coffee. No glasses, only mugs. I had to fill the kettle mug by mug as the kettle didn’t fit under the spout. So did not feel that this was an “upgrade”. We weren’t asked if we wanted the “upgraded” listing
There was a problem with the shower .. no hot water; and only a dribble of cold water.

TV very poor - very small, sound quality very tinny and poor (better sound from my iPhone)
No microwave or toaster accessible

To be fair, we didn't read all of the reviews. If we had, we wouldn't have booked this. They are nice people, but I dont want to share a house with strangers. The owner was up early watching soccer on his sofa at 6 am. He was still sitting there when we came in at 8 pm. The room was clean, ensuite shower, toilet the other side of the corridor, and when you're our age and need to get up in the night it's not comfortable running out in the shared hall to go to the toilet, and the lock didn't work either.

The advertising says something about broadcasting sports events, this was the owner watching his sport, nothing more. Food smells flow up from the living space to your bedroom, and you can hear the owner (a large man) or his Mum (who was staying with us too from Melbourne) coughing or should I say clearing their lungs in the morning.

It's a great place for some people, great location, etc but the owners should be honest and clear about what this is. The accommodation is a small bedroom in the owners' house. You get to walk through their living space while they live their life to get to your bedroom. The ensuite doesn't have a toilet in it, which is a shame. The advertisement doesn't even mention that the owners are in full-time residence. This makes a massive difference and should be clear.

I could go on, but I dont want to be unkind. They are friendly people who are just trying to make a living, but be honest, people who dont mind sharing will still book. Its clean and a great location.

More selection of tea bags & honey Vegemite. Peanut butter .

Holes in the sliding screen door allowed bugs to enter when glass door was opened at night.

I didn't realise that the hosts live in the same townhouse. It felt a bit awkward being upstairs to them. I wasn't sure if we had access to the lounge room etc so I felt like we were intruding on their space, although they never made us feel like that. I have never stayed in a spare room at someone's house and it just felt a bit wierd. It should be clearer on booking.com that this is the arrangement. The hosts were friendly and helpful though.

Need new pillows on bed