新北方飯店

All the comments about a quaint, quirky hotel are correct but the number one priority for a hotel is a good nights sleep and you would be lucky to get it here. We paid $175 for a room with a private seperate bathroom. The only private thing about it was a not on the door saying so - no external lock. We are fairly certain that others used it during our stay. The place has paper thin walls. “Michael” according to the name on the door next to ours had his TV at high volume until 10pm when I gave up and suggested through his door that it was time to lower the volume. To his credit he turned it off, which I thanked him for, but he must have been either upset or perhaps bored with the lack of TV and proceeded to produce an unbelievable amount of noise until 11pm. Walking around and around the tiny room on his heals, dropping things, opening and shutting things, - I have no idea what he was doing. Building an IKEA kitchen? Redecorating the room? Chopping up dead bodies? Who knows but with the paper thin walls it sounded like he was in the room with us. Every time I thought he was done he started again. When he finally fell asleep you could hear his snoring! Around 6.30am he was at it again, possibly deconstructing the IKEA kitchen but was eventually drowned out by the heavy truck and car traffic outside. I would have complained to the staff but when we left at 9am there was no one on sight to speak to. Never again!

The Northern ART Hotel is a real gem. Rooms and beds were comfy. There is barely a wall space without an interesting hanging or sculpture. The host was very friendly and accommodating. Having a simple breakfast included was much appreciated. There were two different musical performances/practices during my stay. Quite marvellous. Highly recommended.

This is a lovely hotel. Large room with a very comfortable bed. Lovely decor. We had our own en suite which was very well done. It was great to drink tea out of fine bone china. A very eclectic hotel. Great breakfast.

Northern Arts Hotel is an excellent place to stay in historic Castlemaine. The owner, Maggie, has created a quirky, interesting, friendly and warm place to stay. Go on a Sunday and you’ll be able to grab a glass of wine and see her film of the week which is shown in the lounge for locals and guests. When we were there Maggie introduced the film and then facilitated a lively discussion after it. The hotel is around the corner from the Mill and is a 15 minute stroll into town.

I can fully understand that things change and sometimes bookings need to be cancelled. However, the call you just made to me Maggie was completely lacking in any empathy or understanding. We were looking forward to staying at your hotel to attend our long time friends wedding in a couple of weeks time, but were extremely disappointed to have our booking rudely and abruptly cancelled this morning. You did not seek to soften your message, explain the reason, genuinely apologise, or mention that you would love to see us another time and would do your best to accommodate us and maybe even look after us a little with a special deal next time. Instead, you were cold and clinical and went straight to telling me that you were cancelling the booking. And to suggest that we will find alternative accommodation easily this close to travel time is ludicrous. Terrible reflection on your business. I will not consider staying with you again or recommending your business to any of our friends or family.

We arrived at the Northern Arts Hotel in Barker Street and simply opening the door to the main room was a delight. A grand piano on the right, a small cinema on the left and knick-knacks everywhere, Margie Fooke chatting with a new staff member and I felt I was at home. Well, I was. Margie used to run the Brooklyn Arts Hotel in Fitzroy. We carried the bags upstairs (no lift, so reduce your baggage) cleaned up, changed into lighter clothing and went for a walk through Castlemaine. (Pronunciation guide: Castlemaine is pronounced like Newcastle, with a short initial “a” Cassel not Carssel, but locals call it The Main, like Ballarat is called The Rat.) Despite the hype about Central Victoria country towns being over-run by tourists, Castlemaine is delightful. Nothing ever was what it used to be - a line I wrote about Carlton in 1989. (That said, the crush of tourists in Daylesford the next day – Sunday – was overwhelming. But they go away during the week.) We had lunch with friends and explored the centre of 'The Main' and sauntered back to the hotel for a rest. While my partner snoozed I went onto the veranda overlooking the street and re-tuned my 12-string guitar and practiced some scales and songs. Idyllic ! We had dinner at the Phamily Kitchen Vietnamese Restaurant (see separate review) and returning to the Northern Artists Hotel, I realised that their film night was presented by John Flaus of 3RRR-FM fame; and Margie knew friends of mine in Melbourne. We had a glass of wine with Margie and Frank and more guests returned and we spent an hour or so nattering about arts and politics. I felt at home. Beware the front rooms. They overlook the Midland Highway and it wasn’t engine noise that woke me but the woosh of tyres passing by. That said, our room was great with bedside tables, a modern bathroom and in the hallway an urn and birko with tea and instant coffee. Downstairs were more facilities for a light continental breakfast. Just $165 for the night. Highly recommended.