I booked my friend and I in for 3 nights at $55/night (book-in at noon Friday, March 11, 2011 and book-out 10am Monday, March 14, 2011) but when my friend turned up ahead of me on the Friday he was told it was booked in for 4 nights (they included Monday night) and that he would have to pay $220 instead of $165, or else they would not accept our booking. He was afraid we might not find other accommodation as it was the long weekend and so he paid the money. They said the same thing again to me, even though I showed them where I had written down at the time of booking the agreed to dates and times. (Of course, when there's doubt they should go with the customer - plus, there should've have been any doubt!). The accommodation itself was OK, but since it's a little hard to sleep on Friday and Saturday nights there with karaoke until 1am and since they seem to have little awareness of customer relations, next time I would avoid this place like the plague and book in instead to Reid's Guest House at $67/night or Ballarat Backpackers Hostel for $40/night for single rooms.

My husband and I went to this pub early november 08 for a business meeting, and were shocked by the treatment we received by management.

We brought our 7 week old baby, who kept quiet most of the meeting. When the baby started to cry a little, I took her out to where the main bar was, and tried to pacify her. My baby got a little sick on me and some milk also landed on the carpet. I went over to the bar to tell the guy what had happened, and the guy working behind the bar told me not to worry, and that it happens all the time, especially when patrons drink too much and get sick, he said. He gave me a paper towel to wipe my arm, and I went back to get my husband who was inolved with the meeting. When I put my baby back in her pram and waited for a moment I could interrupt my husband, a lady came out and from behind the bar, yelled out over the meeting "excuse me lady, was that your baby who vomited all over my carpet? Come with me now!" I felt shocked and embarrassed, as she assumed I didn't care and just walked off when I was assured by the staff there that it was ok, and I assumed it would be taken care of. I went back and on all fours, started to try my best cleaning the bits of dried up milk on the carpet with some serviettes. The lady then came over to me and told me that my husband and I were no longer welcome in her pub, because my husband told her how rude she was and how unnecessary it was that she screamed out over the meeting to deliberately embarrass me, targeting a young family, when her focus should have been on addressing other patrons who's language you wouldn't want anyone to hear, spitting, and being disgusting as we walked through to where the meeting was.

It is a shanky pub, food is very ordinary and overpriced, and in my experience, management is extremely rude. I wouldn't treat my worst enemy like I was treated. When I did waitressing at a pub, if someone broke a glass or spilled a drink, it was our job to clean it up for the patrons. I would have been happy to get the mop out and clean it up if I was told to, but when you are assured 'its ok, it happens all the time', and you have a baby in your arms, you assume a cleaner will help out with the proper dry cleaning materials for carpet.

How embarrassed I was!

In town for a party, we were two couples just needing beds for the night. On the corner of Mair and Doveton Streets, the Peter Lalor is just one block from the main street of Ballarat. This is not a hotel, a motel or a B&B; it is an old fashioned Aussie Pub. The rooms have a bed, a basin, a wardrobe and a chair. The ceilings are so high that our room was taller than it was wide! The bathrooms are at the end of the passage. Bathroom-wise, the men fare better than the ladies who get one shower at one end of the passage and one toilet at the other.

The pros were that a double room cost $50 per night, the bed was clean and comfortable and we could have drink in the bar when we arrived and another before going to bed. There is no TV, except in the residents lounge. And this really is an unpretentious place. I liked it.

The cons were that our friend who also stayed there was in culture-shock as she had never stayed in a pub before. There was lively (but bad) karaoke on the Saturday night, but it didn't disturb our sleep. There is no breakfast included but there are plenty of good cafe options nearby.