Seaview Norfolk Island

We stayed in a 2 bed cabin with ocean views. Everything was great and none of us 4 adults had anything to complain about, clean and comfortable and the staff were great. Also on site is a bottle shop that had very good prices and the staff there were friendly as well.

We (two couples) stayed in the two bedroom cottage for a week. We easily filled this week and wished we could stay for another. It really depends on your interests. We purchased the meal/tour package and hire car through Seaview. Our cabin was comfortable, attractive, exceded our expectations and had absolutely everything you could want. There was even a mobile phone with island SIM provided for local calls. (tours, restaurants, host etc) The wifi in the cottage was excellent. Everything was in good condition and we loved the verandah with comfy furniture. Our view was exactly as you see on this page and the garden grounds spacious, green and relaxing. As we saw other accommodation on the island we were very happy that we had chosen Seaview. It is older than some so may not suit all comers however our furnishings, paintwork etc were very good. We saw other venues that are crowded and have all the "charm" of a city motel or are large upmarket resorts where $$ rule and personality is lost. Seaview has true, friendly island charm, our host looked after us well and was always contactable by phone. We didn't see the hotel rooms but noted others seemed happy with them. There is no longer breakfast/dining at Seaview however with the package option you receive vouchers for all meals. This has an added advantage of encouraging you to see different, beautiful and delicous venues. Some are in short walking distance, a couple a bit further. Ask about the taxi if you like to wine as you dine. If you wish to self cater the cottage is very well equipped. The tour side of the package is very well managed and included everything we wished to do, along with free time. We were given a spreadsheet of activities which was well planned and easy to follow. The car hire was simple and good, one stop shopping. Pilli-Pilli cottage was wonderful and I have no hesitation in recommending it highly.

The only redeeming qualities of the Seaview was the view to Phillip Island was amazing and good walking distance to village. And that is all! We were booked into the Seaview for 7 nights. We looked at changing to another place but were told we could not get our money back. So, we left 2 nights early. Cost us to change the tickets but were so disappointed. When we spoke to locals about the Seaview, they rolled their eyes. On arriving at Seaview, Paul was there. Not the friendliest person to meet the guests. We were not told about the pool available...found that on day 2. Asked at the bottle store if it was part of the complex and if available to guests. The pictures you see are not what you get. The restaurant/bar in the pictures is not there now. The bottle store has taken that over. The reception area is a mess. Looks more like a back packer. We went down to our room, like a dungeon! No ceiling fan or air con. Lace curtains don’t cover window. To sit outside you could take the outdoor chairs from the room out to the small path. Old picnic tables were available if you risked sitting on them. The outside of the building is in disrepair. The bathroom, what a joke! Hit your head on the wall when you sat on toilet, room was so small. Old dirty shower curtain, the old leg slapper. Leaky taps and don't mention the shower! no pressure at all and had to bend down to use it. Wi-Fi is available but not good. Hairdryer available but did not work on anything but hot. So would we recommend Seaview, NO. Very disappointed as we were going back to see the island after living there 40 years ago.

Norfolk Island is easy to walk around, you definitely don't need a car to get to anywhere, but it is nice to be central and on the outskirts of Burnt Pine, where pretty much all opportunities to buy food on Norfolk Island are. So you can quickly grab something before walking to the national park trails, Cocktail Falls, down to Kingston, snorkeling areas like Emily Bay or Bumboras Reserve. Important to note there is nowhere to buy food at Seaview, except chocolate and chips (crisps) from the bottleshop on site. Seaview Norfolk Island was an excellent place to stay. Very comfortable bed, I mean really comfortable. The shower was excellent (hot water, good amount of water comes out the nozzle and the pressure is good). A lot of space in there too, it's a decent size and it's a standalone shower stall ie it's not in a bath). Quality toilet paper, and I liked the little green shampoo they provided (there's also conditioner, liquid handwash soap, bars of soap and other stuff including insect killer spray - you do get the occasional flying bug attracted by the light enter your room). Seaview is also within the radius that Pinetree, Baunti and other tours pick up from. Has a great view from the common kitchen/dining area (hence the name of the place), has a guest laundromat if Norfolk is part of a longer journey and you need to do washing. It's got a pool on the property with a BBQ area next to it. There's a fridge in your room & TV by the way. There is the sound of roosters waking you up, but as someone who walked everywhere, feral chickens (since there are no snakes or other predators around on Norfolk), are around every place you might stay at. Sure bathroom taps and tiles (I quite liked the baby chick pattern on the tiles) are old, but they work well. That's all you need. Talking to other people, this is the case everywhere you stay anyway, so if no cracked tiles, freshly painted walls and so forth are a necessity for you, maybe Norfolk Island isn't your destination. there's plenty of power points to charge stuff in the room. Wi-Fi is slow but is free and works.

Pluses such as free wifi, great views, clean bedding, tea making facilities, tv, guest laundry and even free roaming roosters crowing in the morning can be found in most if not all other hotels on Norfolk Island. What sets the Seaview rooms apart is their location in a building which is in gross disrepair with peeling paints, mouldy walls, and at least one badly chipped wash basin. The contrast is even greater when you look at the recent addition of a cellar with its fresh paint. Apparently one can upgrade to their cottages which are well hidden from the multilevel twin rooms. We paid a package deal for 8 days and several tours and a hire car plus all meals. However if I had known that I was going to holiday in a delapidated and staff-less “hotel” I would have looked for a better deal. Should anyone ask to recommend a place on the Island I can only say definitely NOT the Seaview Norfolk Island. The photographs speak for themselves.

We were booked into Seaview. We got there and the view is amazing and that is the best part. The accommodation was very disappointing. The room was not like what is on their web site. The room was small and had a pattern covers on the bed. No bedside lamps my husband had to put up with the main light on when I wanted to read and he sleep. The bathroom was very old tiles with a shower curtain. No one serviced the room and we had to go and get clean towels from the laundry. We got given clean towels only two days. A bit of a let down.