Name: El Lago Waters Motel under Gobell Hotel
Address: 41 The Entrance Rd, The Entrance, New South Wales, Australia, The Entrance, New South Wales, AU
Price range: $78–$134 per night
Rating: 5.93

What guests think

At El Lago Waters Motel under Gobell Hotel, travellers consistently praise the waterfront, walkable location, but many describe very dated, poorly maintained accommodation with cleanliness issues, broken fixtures, and a generally unsafe feel due to loitering and noise.

Multiple reviews note the pool being closed or dirty, limited or unmanned reception, and malfunctioning basics like air conditioning and hot water. Some guests found the beds comfortable, rooms spacious enough, or staff helpful, and views of the lake are a highlight. Expect a budget stay in a prime spot with significant trade-offs in upkeep and comfort.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Facilities are run down, with several reports of the pool being closed or dirty and outdoor areas poorly maintained. Parking feels poorly lit or unsafe, and some amenities like the games room or tennis court were locked or unusable.

Related guest reviews

4

Shirani

Jan 23, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The pool was green,everywhere on the property was piled up broken furniture covered with torn tarps.Paint was peeling of the repainted tiles in the bathroom. Stayed 2 nights the beds were not made up the 2nd day,the used cup were not washed , no tea towel to dry the cups, no hand towels. The property was badly run down.The dining room was full of old unused furniture,but as you enter the property there was a big board advertising in house dining!It's a wonder that they are allowed to trade & (false) advertise. Very dissapointed.

2

Cathy

Oct 5, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The photos of the property in the picture doesn’t look like that in person Staff using blower in car and bellowing up dust Room smells The pool under construction A bad smell coming out of the ac

6

Christopher

Oct 16, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Its close to the water, in a nice convenient spot. Later checkout to most places. However, upon entering heading to our room there was a hole in the roof (looked like bad water damage) in the pool they have a nice shallow end for children, but the pool was dirty, we pulled a half fish body out of the shallow section. Overall just had a real weird vibe.

4

Kim

Nov 4, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Water was out on arrival and again before 7am the next morning. A council truck was parked across the road with their generator going full ball for their water blaster to clean the walkway was quite annoying 😒. Pool could have been cleaner.

4

Chloe

Sep 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Pool is out of service. As soon as we got into the room we had no power, had to go and get someone to reset the power box. Could not use the tv as the 2 remotes were for a complete different brand tv and would not change the Chanel. Supplied with 1 pillow. Went to reception to see if we could please get another pillow and a tv remote, was advised all rooms are full (even though there was hardly anyone there) so no pillow and they had to get maintenance for the tv. Both of which were not rectified. We have been here a few times before and it appears it sadly just keeps going down hill.

2

Erika

Feb 25, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very old and out dated. We still had beer lids left in our room from previous tenants. Pool was dirty around the edges with scum. Old car left in car park on jacks with wheels missing. In even pavers my 6 year old kept tripping on them. Over charged at check in.

6

Theresa

Apr 30, 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

Daughter found a cockroach in the drawer and the back of the door lock was missing in the 1st room we were put in. The room my mum and sister were put in only had 1 dim light in the main living/ sleeping area as the staff said they had no spare light bulbs for the other light fittings. Fridges all froze all contents. Vending machines were all empty. Lounge chair out by pool was broken. However my mum did have a fall from her wheelchair trying to get into her room and transferring to her walker and one of the staff members were very helpful coming in to help us get her up, so thank you for that.

6

DAVID

Oct 12, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Air conditioning not functional, pool not operating (due to resealing), rooms not previously cleaned to any standards. "FAMILY ROOM" not safe, no safety screen on a third floor windows. Location is superb however.

4

Mel

Mar 3, 2024

·

The pictures shown of the property need to be updated as it is very run down and looks like it has been that way for a long time. The main entrance smelt and walking through the corridors we could smell cigarette smoke. The tap in our bathroom fell off whilst showering. There were holes in our ceiling. The remotes to the air conditioning unit and tv didn’t have enough batteries so we had to keep swapping them to use them. Someone knocked on our door at 11.30pm and woke us up. The pool wasn’t clean. The vending machine only had a couple of random items in it. The front desk is not manned 24/7. Would not recommend. Don’t waste your money

4

Kate

May 27, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

After our door swipe battery dying and locking us out, management took 45 mins to come back to have the door opened. It was the attitude of the man who had to manually come up and open the door; he was vulgar and rude, and swearing and it made us feel so, so uncomfortable. It was a horrible experience to listen to him while we waited. We got moved to another room while waiting to retrieve our bags from the locked room- even then we had to wait for these new keys. The place was tidy, but so run down. It didn’t feel clean at all. Very visible signs of rust and incomplete repairs around the room, especially in the bathroom. The couch was old and worn. The whole hotel is in need of repair, updating and refurbishing. The microwave was dirty; we had one spoon, no plates to be able to eat any food off. We felt unsafe parking the car behind the motel. The entrance sign is covered with graffiti, which should have been our first red flag. One camera in back car park, no real fencing. Was worried to leave our car there overnight. The tennis court is useless and over grown. If you’re looking for a cheap bed for the night, it will do the trick, but recommend finding anywhere else to stay if you’re looking for anything more than this.

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Cleanliness

Frequent complaints about dirty rooms and bathrooms, mould, rubbish and pests, with lingering smells in some areas. A few guests mentioned clean linen or generally tidy rooms.

Related guest reviews

2

Kate

Jan 4, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Really dirty room and really run down. There was no light in the bathroom .The cold water in shower didn't work, reported it, first manager ignored it, after several complaints it was barely repaired, we missed our dinner reservation. There was a kettle but no crockery or cutlery in the room to make tea or coffee, I request it, was given dirty cups & plates with dried food scraps on it. The bedside table had dead bugs on it and dirty yoghurt cups were still in the room from previous guests. The hotel was like a slum , really dirty, everything was broken and we felt unsafe. We slept on top of the beds on top of blankets as they were rock hard and we woke up sore and itchy. The games room was being used as a junk dumping ground, the whole place was disgusting. Unfortunately I paid a lot to stay there. Don't waste your money.

4

Daniel

Jan 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Location was great. Nice pool, water views, easy walk over to shops and the boardwalk for restaurants. The hotel though? Room wasn’t vacuumed, there was rubbish under the bed, no fresh towels in the room, the bin wasn’t emptied and there was no door to the bathroom. At all. For the price, the location was fine. The room was below average.

2

Asmita

Oct 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

worst motel ever...just nice in the photos... and very dirty....

2

Lani

Dec 27, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

This motel was dirty, the grounds were covered in rubbish, it had mould on the ceiling in the bathroom. There was exposed cables hanging behind the bed. The railings of the stairs do not meet code! I feel it's unsafe and inhabitable and needs to be deep cleaned, re painted or maybe just demolish It. $300 for the 1 night and it was absolutely disgraceful.

2

Christopher

Dec 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Ac worked. View of water. balcony windows and doors construction were really bad. plexiglas was added to fill in the gaps. this wasnt secure. Bed sheet cover was dirty with some sort of fluid stain. Mold in the bathroom. Kitchen looked average (we didnt use it)...during the "renovations" they have painted over the sunken kitchen lights. Floor wasnt vacuumed or if it was they hadnt done a good job. the wardrobes had leftover like hand rails or bathroom towel rack. Looked like some pretty shady people hanging around in the back carpark. Cars driving a couple of meters past the front door doing 50km/h. Staff were nice.

2

Glenn

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I walked in to see bugs crawling around on the floor. The couch was the most disgusting thing I have seen in all my time of travelling with work. The whole facility is so run down and dirty. I walked out after 5 minutes of being in the room and found another place to stay. Do yourself a favour and give this terrible place a miss.

8

Margaret

Dec 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was comfortable and clean. We could not operate the tv and the light switch in the bathroom was very difficult to turn on/ otherwise OK

4

Annastaice

Nov 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

There was piles of rotten rubbish right next to the exit door at the car park. The outside photos on the website are old- the outside is not maintained at all. Our room had dead silverfish in the bath and dead bugs on the floor. The bed was broken and dipped down on the top right hand side. The door chain was missing- which made us feel very unsafe with the domestic violence that carried on until 3am in the morning. There was no tea or coffee in the rooms or spare blankets. Very over priced for the state of the place and its surroundings. I wish I could rate this higher as the staff were lovely on check in.

8

Charlotte

Sep 8, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Enjoyed our stay. Clean and comfortable

4

Sarah

Jan 5, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Avoid !!! Filthy, Dirty, Broken. Couldn’t check in until 3pm due to a shortage of house keepers. Initially sent to a room that the toilet literally had poo all over and in it. We were then sent to another room. Great start to our family holiday not ! Windows on Top floor could not be secured - very worrying when you have two small active children. No communication from reception- could not speak English , not told how to turn air conditioning on. Rubbish all over the property. Filthy Pool. Rubbish all near the pool. Over priced for the squalor. Had paid upfront and no other options but to see it out for three nights. Soo many guests complaining-looks like they were having a worse time then us. Some left in disgust - I wish we had that option. Would not return, very disappointed. Left with quite a sick feeling in my stomach. No regulation on other guests who were noisy , rude and running around at 10pm. The only good thing about this property is the location but that simply cannot make up for all of the above. Avoid at all costs. Never again.

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Rooms

Rooms are very dated with recurring maintenance issues such as not working air conditioning and hot water, broken fittings, and doors that do not lock; noise can also be a problem. Some reported comfortable beds or spacious rooms, and a few enjoyed water views.

Related guest reviews

6

David

Feb 5, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The air conditioning in my room did not work in the middle of summer. Property needs to be renovated and tidied up.

6

Eleni

Nov 15, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Room was in good condition, although the sliding door couldn't be locked. On the final night there was no water pressure and the hot water was non existent.

8

Mark

May 6, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Was very quiet and beds are comfortable

2

Jade

Mar 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Air conditioner did not work properly in 35 degree heat and the place smelt like weed. Dodgy people walking in and out at all hours of the night. Not a good place to take kids thats for sure.

2

Christopher

Dec 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Ac worked. View of water. balcony windows and doors construction were really bad. plexiglas was added to fill in the gaps. this wasnt secure. Bed sheet cover was dirty with some sort of fluid stain. Mold in the bathroom. Kitchen looked average (we didnt use it)...during the "renovations" they have painted over the sunken kitchen lights. Floor wasnt vacuumed or if it was they hadnt done a good job. the wardrobes had leftover like hand rails or bathroom towel rack. Looked like some pretty shady people hanging around in the back carpark. Cars driving a couple of meters past the front door doing 50km/h. Staff were nice.

6

DAVID

Oct 12, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Air conditioning not functional, pool not operating (due to resealing), rooms not previously cleaned to any standards. "FAMILY ROOM" not safe, no safety screen on a third floor windows. Location is superb however.

2

Lew

Apr 24, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Couldn’t lock the glass sliding door. Black mould in the bath room which has made me very very sick with acute respiratory condition . The bed had completely collapsed . Destroyed my back . Teenage girls running and screaming in the corridors at 10:15 at night . Night manager not interested. I had to vacate the room at 22:30 on the second night of my prepaid stay due to intolerable conditions of the facility. So with that I insist on a full refund .!

10

Cameron

Apr 4, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Rooms are big and spacious

4

Matt

Nov 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Air conditioner did not work, cooling function was definitely not working. Air con set on 17 felt like 25 deg. With a pregnant wife and a hot day, this was uncomfortable. After raising this with reception and maintenance - they assured me I was wrong and that the Air con was working fine. Ridiculous. Not handled well by management. Rooms are very old and ours wasn't cleaned sufficiently. Pool was clean and worth swimming in. Great location.

2

steven

Jan 1, 2023

·

Stayed 19,356 nights

We paid $181 non refunable the toilet seat was up paper scrunched unlikely cleaned the balcony door didnt lock was one towel on single bed none on double bed went to reception no one there rang them no answer went for a walk came back asked for towels told they didnt have any was given to bath mats this place shouldnt even be on expedia we scoured the internet and found another hotel down the road and left will be emailing expedia about this experience

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Service

Service is mixed: some staff are friendly and helpful, but others report unresponsive or rude interactions, limited reception hours, and unresolved requests.

Related guest reviews

6

Adrian

Jan 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The accommodation was just ok. Overnight stay. Older facility, rooms need a lots of work & TLC. The check in experience was extremely poor. No one at Reception & there was a few customers waiting to check in. After waiting for a while & a few phone calls that got no answer. A resident came & told us to hell loud as the person would be at the back of the office & yes there he was (maybe sleeping) no apologies given. The surrounding area has deteriorated in the last few years. The area was not inviting but the views of the lake across the road are beautiful. Such a shame, so much potential.

10

thea

Jan 9, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very friendly and helpful staff and owner.

8

Judy

Oct 27, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location. Affordable. Staff friendly and there for you needs. Property would get 10/10 if renovated but then I guess they would put the price up.

4

Chloe

Sep 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Pool is out of service. As soon as we got into the room we had no power, had to go and get someone to reset the power box. Could not use the tv as the 2 remotes were for a complete different brand tv and would not change the Chanel. Supplied with 1 pillow. Went to reception to see if we could please get another pillow and a tv remote, was advised all rooms are full (even though there was hardly anyone there) so no pillow and they had to get maintenance for the tv. Both of which were not rectified. We have been here a few times before and it appears it sadly just keeps going down hill.

8

Suzie

Sep 3, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The Receptionist was warm and friendly and prepared to help make my husband's and my stay as satisfactory as she could.

2

Nathan

Oct 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We didn’t use the pool. The reception staff was a bit rude and didn’t help with finding my room. We got to the room and no towels for the shower. The reception was closed at 5 on a Saturday, so we couldn’t ask them questions or get towels

2

Carissa

Oct 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Crap. Nothing like advertised. Delapidated, unclean, suss activities with staff entering and leaving on electric scooters. Reception closed at 7pm and attendant seemed pissed off to be called to check us in. Even though we called ahead with arrival time. Was noisy, toilet seat broken. Shower far to hot with no water pressure in cold tap to adjust.

10

Stephen

Aug 17, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great customer service , Kid lost earring and they gladly looked for it and found and are posting to me very impressed

4

Kate

May 27, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

After our door swipe battery dying and locking us out, management took 45 mins to come back to have the door opened. It was the attitude of the man who had to manually come up and open the door; he was vulgar and rude, and swearing and it made us feel so, so uncomfortable. It was a horrible experience to listen to him while we waited. We got moved to another room while waiting to retrieve our bags from the locked room- even then we had to wait for these new keys. The place was tidy, but so run down. It didn’t feel clean at all. Very visible signs of rust and incomplete repairs around the room, especially in the bathroom. The couch was old and worn. The whole hotel is in need of repair, updating and refurbishing. The microwave was dirty; we had one spoon, no plates to be able to eat any food off. We felt unsafe parking the car behind the motel. The entrance sign is covered with graffiti, which should have been our first red flag. One camera in back car park, no real fencing. Was worried to leave our car there overnight. The tennis court is useless and over grown. If you’re looking for a cheap bed for the night, it will do the trick, but recommend finding anywhere else to stay if you’re looking for anything more than this.

2

Matthew

Oct 22, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

On arrival there was no staff a phone number at reception said to call, nobody answered and after 2 hours they called back, the room was dirty , the area was unsafe, the bathroom was filthy

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Location

Waterfront, walkable location near shops and restaurants is a clear positive. Several reviews mention feeling unsafe at times due to loitering or poor lighting in the car park.

Related guest reviews

2

Robert

Nov 19, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Turned up to find dirty run down building graffiti on signs out front burnt out car on block beside hotel felt was an unsafe place to park our car and hotel vibe was off putting didn’t even go inside had to find alternative accommodation

8

MR BRIAN F

Feb 12, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was very comfortable, the building and surrounds looked quite old and a bit run down with a few questionable people hanging around. Great location but would benefit from renovations to get the place to a standard most people expect these days.

4

Daniel

Jan 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Location was great. Nice pool, water views, easy walk over to shops and the boardwalk for restaurants. The hotel though? Room wasn’t vacuumed, there was rubbish under the bed, no fresh towels in the room, the bin wasn’t emptied and there was no door to the bathroom. At all. For the price, the location was fine. The room was below average.

6

Christopher

Oct 16, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Its close to the water, in a nice convenient spot. Later checkout to most places. However, upon entering heading to our room there was a hole in the roof (looked like bad water damage) in the pool they have a nice shallow end for children, but the pool was dirty, we pulled a half fish body out of the shallow section. Overall just had a real weird vibe.

2

Jekope

Jun 17, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The location was good but not very clean , rubbish in the bathroom not taken out , aircon doesn’t work , balcony ver dirty with dust and leaves from trees , stains on carpet, tea mugs not clean and there was no cutlery in the room and parking behind building is very dark at night no lights there for guest coming back late at night.

10

Janice

May 2, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The location is fantastic, very walkable to the main shops. Our family room was clean, sps hood, has hot water, fridge, microwave and kettle plus small tv. Value for money

2

Stefan

Mar 1, 2024

·

Did not feel safe in this hotel. There were police upon arrival and people loitering. Hotel was run down for example shower fittings falling off and taped up

8

Leanne

Oct 8, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great weekend getaway close to everything we wanted

10

Simon

Apr 11, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely and peaceful motel , close to the water and walking distance to restaurants and cafes.

2

Jorge

Nov 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Unfriendly staff, arrived around 10:30. A woman who looked suspicious was hanging around the building. The room was clean for sure, but the bed, you can feel the springs. I don't have high expectations for affordable accommodation, but this place disappointed me! Please do not book it!

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Dining

Not enough information in reviews.

Related guest reviews

4

Shirani

Jan 23, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The pool was green,everywhere on the property was piled up broken furniture covered with torn tarps.Paint was peeling of the repainted tiles in the bathroom. Stayed 2 nights the beds were not made up the 2nd day,the used cup were not washed , no tea towel to dry the cups, no hand towels. The property was badly run down.The dining room was full of old unused furniture,but as you enter the property there was a big board advertising in house dining!It's a wonder that they are allowed to trade & (false) advertise. Very dissapointed.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$113
February	$85
March	$87
April	$89
May	$85
June	$77
July	$69
August	$87
September	$67
October	$78
November	$76
December	$101

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $82	2 $112	3
4	5 $84	6 $82	7 $82	8 $119	9 $93	10 $94
11 $79	12 $79	13 $94	14 $94	15 $92	16 $105	17 $78
18 $94	19 $78	20 $94	21 $79	22 $79	23 $134	24
25 $119	26 $84	27 $79	28	29 $83	30 $94	31 $95

El Lago Waters Motel under Gobell Hotel

Prices for El Lago Waters Motel under Gobell Hotel

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Basic Room

Executive Suite Double Room

Family Room

Lake View Room

Super Executive Double Room

Pool View Room

Executive Room

Sundeck Room

Guest reviews of El Lago Waters Motel under Gobell Hotel

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Security deposit

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about El Lago Waters Motel under Gobell Hotel

Considering this hotel for your The Entrance trip?

Prices for upcoming dates

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23 $79	24 $79	25 $79	26 $91
27 $78	28 $79	29 $82	30 $79