Kings Park and Botanic Garden Perth

As advised, I spoke to management this morning about the state of the room — after first assuring myself that its condition did, in fact, violate Australian Consumer Law and basic health and safety standards.

The manager didn’t quite know what to do and tried to offer me the third and last budget room they had. I declined. There was no reason to believe this one would be any better than the previous two, and simply moving a guest from room to room, hoping housekeeping had been more thorough in one than in the others, is not an acceptable standard.

Instead, she sent a member of housekeeping to meet me in the room so we could inspect it together.

Well. She was not happy that her work was being criticised.

I don’t blame her — according to her, they are given ten minutes per room to clean. That, of course, doesn’t exactly allow for stellar results.

I pointed out a visible trace of blood in the bathroom that hadn’t been cleaned. She stomped in apprehensively and informed me that it was not, in fact, blood, but food sauce stains. When I replied that this hardly made a difference and that it should be cleaned regardless, she commented:

“Jesus Christ! No one has ever complained. It’s a budget room — deal with it!”

I tried to remain sympathetic, making it clear that I wasn’t blaming her personally, but rather expressing concern about the substandard setup and conditions. Another “Jesus Christ” was thrown in my direction, and she left.

My subsequent attempt to resolve the situation with the manager was nearly dismissed until I became a little more direct. I was eventually issued a refund for the unused nights, plus one additional night. Only at this point did she apologise for the actual state of the rooms.

At least the past few days have shown me how differently people handle criticism — and that it is okay to speak up, even though I did feel properly gaslit at the last hotel.

⸻

I then checked into a capsule hostel in Perth. While it means more people around me (and I’m quite tired of not having peace and quiet), it does offer privacy curtains, a noticeably higher standard of cleanliness, and a modern setup.

After check-in, I put on my best flip-flops (I might — or might not — only own one pair) and walked to Kings Park and the Botanic Garden to explore the area.

The alley leading up to the gardens emanated an intense citrus smell, which likely came from lemon-scented eucalyptus, a native tree known for releasing strong lemony oils, especially on warm days.

The gardens are… nice? The view over the river is certainly unique and lovely, and the DNA Tower (with its helix design) was a fun five minutes. But all in all, the gardens are nothing to write home about.

So far, Melbourne wins.

Oh — and I may have discovered matcha-flavoured frozen yoghurt in Perth. Eating green things is healthy after all, isn’t it?Read more