My experience as a guest at the Atlantic Tower Motor Inn

Posted by Craig Leverenz on 9 August 2011

I’ve worked at the Atlantic Tower Motor Inn for nearly six years now and I know just about everything there is to know about how things work around the place. Up until now however, one of the things I’d never done is to actually stay in the Motel as a guest, and experience the business first hand from the guest’s point of view. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for years but just never got around to it.

The idea of staying at the motel for a night came about a few weeks ago. I decided I really wanted to treat my partner to a special night out, to show her how much she means to me. So I organised to stay at work for a night and have dinner upstairs at the Top of the World Revolving Restaurant.

At this point you’re probably thinking, “why would you take your partner to work for a romantic night out?” Well the answer to that question is quite simple: because I know how good the new Premium Spa Rooms are, and I know how good the food at the restaurant is. I personally think that the new rooms are equal to, if not better than what most 5 star hotels offer, and for a much more reasonable price. Also, I don’t know of any other hotel with colour changing mood lighting in the room. This is one feature that really offers that wow factor.

In the afternoon just before our romantic evening, I organised for an amazing bouquet of flowers to be delivered from Glenelg Florist. I placed these in the room along with my partner’s favourite chocolates and a bottle of her favourite wine in an ice bucket. I then turned on the mood lighting and the air conditioner, and placed some battery operated candles around the room (I didn’t want to use real candles as the fine for setting off the fire alarm would have definitely ruined our romantic evening!)

A short time later my partner arrived and we began our evening with a couple of glasses of wine out on the balcony, taking in the amazing views overlooking the marina. We then proceeded upstairs to the revolving restaurant for our meal.

It had been a couple of years since I had eaten in the restaurant and the food was even better than I remember it. We started off with a simple platter of house made dips for the entree, which had plenty to keep us going while we chatted away until our mains arrived.

For the main course I decided to have the beef fillet which was crusted with dijon and dukkah and sat atop a scrumptious potato roesti. It had candied shallots to the side, was topped with crispy prosciutto and finished off with a sticky shiraz jus and truffle oil. The beef was cooked to perfection and it was simply the most amazing mix of flavours I’ve ever tasted. My partner was equally impressed with the chicken breast dish that she ordered. Her chicken was stuffed with semi-dried tomatoes and Australian brie, baked in the oven and served with a seeded mustard mash and a creamy basil pesto sauce.

As it was a special occasion we also decided to treat ourselves to dessert. I had a beautiful flourless orange cake served with a Grand Mariner infused orange glaze and my partner had a gourmet sundae. All in all I would have to say that it was the most amazing meal I have ever had, all complemented by amazing views and the wonderful restaurant staff who kept us entertained throughout the service.

After our fantastic dinner and a couple of bottles of wine, it was time to head back to the room to try out the spa. We laid back in the spa for an hour or so, watching a movie on Foxtel and relaxing. After the movie finished we decided to call it a night.

In the morning, we awoke feeling incredibly refreshed. The new beds in the Premium Spa Rooms are really comfortable. It has made me want to get a new bed at home, knowing how good a sleep I am missing out on! After getting up we made ourselves a coffee and moved over to the chairs by the window. There we sat taking in the morning sun and having a quick look on Facebook with our laptops. It wasn’t long before our breakfast arrived. I had organised the night before for us to have room service breakfast delivered in the morning. We sat at the table in the room and enjoyed our bacon and eggs while watching the morning news.

After breakfast it was time to check out. It truly was an amazing night away, one which we both thoroughly enjoyed and would love to do again.

If you would like to book a night away like this, why not have a look at our new Premium Spa Rooms and some of our amazing packages. Our friendly reception staff are more than happy to arrange things like flowers, chocolates and champagne for you. Also, guests that stay with us get 15% off their food bill when they dine at the Top of the World Revolving Restaurant during their stay.