Having driven through the main street of Lorne, I was pleasantly surprised to come around the corner to find the historic Grand Pacific Hotel standing prominantly on the point. As quick stop to check in at the main building and then we were directed around the corner to the undercover car park with a designated spot for our apartment.
Up the stairs to the main apartment buildings - I didn't see an elevator, so if you have trouble with stairs, call the hotel before booking - and we were in Apartment 13.
It is a 3 bedroom apartment with Asian-themed decor - quite well decorated. The master bedroom has a king bed, while the 2nd room has a double bed and the 3rd room has 2 single beds. Aside from the ensuite, there is a 2nd full bathroom. Being an apartment, there is also a kitchen, dining table, lounge room and laundry.
But, the best feature in my opinion is the large balcony - it looks out towards the jetty and has a BBQ, table, lounge chairs and regular visits from local cockatoos. I loved watching the sun rise over the water. Well worth the price.
A couple of issues - there was no phone in the room. We had to walk back to reception when we couldn't find the iron in our room. We were told to use a mobile phone if there were any issues... that's fine if you have one.
We also found the WiFi to be challenging. It cost $5 plus GST for 2 hours and the connection was painfully slow. I gave up after 45 minutes of trying to check emails. But when I started to unwind, I stopped worrying about that!
We only used the main hotel building for the restaurant. They offer a buffet breakfast for $17 per person. It consisted of fruit juices, toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, hash browns, cereals, mini muffins and fruit salad. It was good quality, but not a wide variety.
We also had dinner at the restaurant on two of our three nights at the Grand Pacific. It was a lovely range of meal options and the quality was excellent.
You could walk back to the main shopping strip in Lorne - we didn't - and you could certainly go across the road to the jetty and rock pools. Not bad at all.
All up, even with my few issues, I would not hesitate to stay here again. The apartments are a fantastic option for family groups or for anyone wanting the option of cooking their own meals.
