A visit to Margaret River is a must for all travellers to Perth and Western Australia. I am happy to check this off my list. I wanted to have more time exploring the little towns and cities along the way. Furthermore, taking the time to visit the wineries. I decided to stay for a couple of nights in the area and take some time out of my days planned in Perth City. Hotels are rather lacking in this part of the world and this applies towards chain brands too. It is more towards bed and breakfasts or airbnbs. The Pullman Bunker Bay caught my eye and I have decided to base myself here. It is a great choice and in one of the nicest locations. This is the best option and the most luxurious and fancy hotel or resort in the area of Margaret River. I went for this place despite not holding any Accor status. It will also be great getting out of Perth as the hotels there skyrocketed due to an event in town.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked via an OTA for this stay since it is much cheaper than booking directly with Accor. The OTA rate also included breakfast. I even managed to stack some vouchers on Trip.com. I got the base level King Studio Villa for 734.78 SGD. This is for two nights and includes taxes. I reached out to the hotel before to get some information on the property and to arrange for an early breakfast on the day of departure since I had to head off to Mandurah. They prepared some breakfast bentos for me. Pullman Bunker Bay Resort Margaret River Region features 143 villas spread across 5 categories. You can find the breakdown below.
| Villas | Bathtub | Room Size | No.of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Yes | 45 – 50 Sqm | 78 |
| Studio with Lake View | Yes | 45 – 50 Sqm | 13 |
| One Bedroom Lake View | Yes | 81 Sqm | 6 |
| Two Bedroom Villa | Yes | 82 – 83 Sqm | 45 |
| Three Bedroom Villa | Yes | 128 Sqm | 1 |
Checking In
I arrive at the Bunker Bay area after about a 3-hour drive. We took some time as we stopped in a couple of areas and only arrived shortly after 1 pm. The Pullman Bunker Bay have a very rustic area and the decor blends into the surroundings. You can find the driveway reliable from Google Maps and it is along the route to the lighthouse. There are clear directions and complimentary parking around the property. Do drive up to the main building and the reception first. Do not upload your baggage for such properties first. You can always park nearer to the villas that you are assigned to and upload them to make it easier. For villas that are further away from the main building and the carparks, they have a golf buggy available. Golf buggies are offered for guests as transportation.
The reception area is very gorgeous and comes with high ceilings. It comes with seating by the side of the lobby and a gorgeous view of the region and ocean. We waited for a little since only one person was working the counters. I was helped by a friendly associate who proceeded to check me in and offered to check if a villa was available since we already had a long day of travellers. I was provided with all the information and given information on the breakfast. There is also a priority line here for elite members.
You can find a map of the property here. We drove to the lot nearer to our villa and unloaded our bags.
Studio King Villa
I was assigned a villa on the right side of the property, Villa 110 to be exact. This is the base-level Studio King Villa. It does not come with any views. The location is rather central and right next to the parking which makes it very convenient. It is about a 5 mins stroll to the main building with the restaurant and facilities. All of the villas here are designed to be individually located.
The villas come with an entranceway before you enter the actual villa itself. The Studio King Villa measures from 45 to 50 Sqm. The entrance lets you into the middle of the villa, The layout is designed with the living area to the right and the bedroom area to the left. This villa is spacious and can fit up to 3 people. Right ahead, you have a small dining table with seating for two.
The living area consists of a couch and coffee table. The couch can be a bed for the little ones. It is a cosy set-up with a high-quality smart TV. It does come with a good number of both local and international cable channels. You can also cast content from your devices.
The villa comes with a fully equipped kitchenette with all sorts of equipment and a wet bar over here. In the cabinets, you can find cooking utensils and cooking equipment. There is an electric kettle, a bread toaster, and a Nespresso coffee machine. This comes with a huge fridge that will be handy for stocking up on fresh produce. Self-cooking is a norm over here in this part of the world. Multiple packets of tea and complimentary drinking water are provided too. Housekeeping isn’t great as there are some stinking mouldy leftovers in the cabinets from the previous guests. They did come immediately after a call to the reception.
There isn’t any view from the villa as it simply faces the surrounding grounds. I kept the curtains drawn the entire time. You can find a table and two chairs outside.
Moving on to the bedroom area, you can find the king-sized bed in the middle with nightstands on either side. Controls for the lighting are within reach. It is worth mentioning that there is no power plug located over here which makes it inconvenient. On one side of the bed, they did have an alarm clock with a Wi-Fi charger. The bedding was high quality and came with plenty of pillows. You can also get some additional blankets and pillows in the wardrobe.
Facing the bed, you can find another large television. It is similar to the one in the living room. The platform also acts as a working desk.
Next to it is some storage area as well as the luggage rack. It can fit a mid-size suitcase nicely. It would be nice if they preemptively provided some additional portable racks for the bigger suitcases.
The wardrobe comes with all that you might need for your stay. There is an ironing kit, bathrobes, bath slippers, extra pillows and blankets. I would have loved for them to provide more hangers.
The bathroom is found at the far end of the villa. It is huge but this is one of the most disappointing aspects of the villa. The decor was just out of place. Furthermore, it is badly designed and the space was under-utilised. It looks like a hospital toilet. The bathroom comes with a single sink and a separate freestanding bathtub.
There is also an open-concept standing shower. I have no idea why it is being set up like this. There is more than enough space for double sinks, a countertop and even a nice standing shower. All sorts of amenities are provided and they are extensive. Toiletries are from C.O. Bigelow in large pump-size bottles. The standing shower only comes with a handheld showerhead. Water pressure and temperature control is week.
I would prefer if the main door comes with an additional ledge for security. Housekeeping can be improved. Besides the leftover rubbish issue, the TV remote is also missing. They should do something about the bathroom.
Fitness Centre
The fitness centre is located in the main building. It is located by the pool area, one level below the restaurant. You can find it easily. It comes with a view of the pool and the surrounding area. The facility isn’t huge but comes fully equipped with treadmills, cross trainers, exercise bikes, a weights machine, a leg press machine, exercise balls, step boards, medicine balls and a free weights/weights bench. It was quite crowded when I visited and I didn’t feel comfortable taking a picture of it. The facility is open 24 hours.
Pool
The pool is absolutely beautiful and glisters under the sun. It comes with flexible opening hours and they are generally open during daylight hours. It is incorporated nicely into the lush greeneries and the ocean in the background. This is one of the nicest spots in the resort. The pool is heated to 26 degrees year-round which makes it perfect for any time of the year.
Surrounding the pool is the deck with pool loungers and umbrellas. This is a great spot to soak up some of that amazing Western Australian sun and relax by the pool. You can also order drinks and food by the side of the pool. Towels are provided.
Tennis Court
The hotel also comes with two tennis courts for guests usage. If required, guests can approach the reception for some racquets and tennis balls.
Breakfast at Other Side Of The Moon
Breakfast is served at Other Side Of The Moon Restaurant which is located in the main building just by the reception area. What a quirky name for the restaurant. Breakfast is buffet style from 7 am to 10:30am. Breakfast costs 34 AUD if not included in your rate or membership. The restaurant gets plenty of natural light which makes it a welcoming space. It comes with a great view of the surrounding area and the ocean. The high ceilings and airy vibes are so fitting with Bunker Bay. When the weather is great, you can also choose to sit outdoors. I wasn’t a fan of those annoying summer flies and chose to sit indoors instead.
Breakfast is popular and the guests here are sure early people. I was down for breakfast at around 7am and the place is already busy. Let me share some of the pictures of the breakfast. There is quite a good selection.
You can also order eggs from the staff and they are lovely. I do have to point out that you only get coffee from the Nespresso coffee machines by the buffet line. These are pretty good and above your usual machine coffee. Barista coffees are available and they come at an extra cost. This is common in Australia and New Zealand. I always feel properties are so stingy in this aspect. They could have included 1 brew per customer at the very least. I love the fresh juice station and enjoyed multiple fresh juices to kick-start my day. We checked out rather early on the day of departure and the staff very nicely did up some breakfast boxes for us to enjoy on the road.
Conclusion
I had a comfortable stay over here. There isn’t much in the surrounding area for other options. Most of the accommodations in the area are Airbnb or bed and breakfast which I do not fancy. Due to the last minute booking, it is slightly more expensive than what I would like to pay. We also didn’t make full use of the facilities since we were out mostly. The staff were good and the hardware was comfy. It does feel like it could use a makeover soon. Housekeeping can do with some improvement. The sheer space of the villa and ensuite kitchenette will come in handy for guests in this area. The bathroom can be better designed as this felt like one in a hospital. The fittings were poor and the space was underutilised. Breakfast is pretty good. Pullman to me isn’t a true luxurious brand. It’s more of a 4-star or 4.5 to me.
You must be logged in to post a comment.