A review tour of Australia’s far north-eastern coastline landed us in Townsville, a Queensland city considered by the locals to be the regional capital.

And, for the first time, we decided to base ourselves at the Gulls Apartments, in Townsville’s North Ward.

It was a smart move.

Gulls Apartments were recommended by colleagues as being well priced, well located, well managed and well equipped.

And these testimonials proved the value of genuine first hand recommendations.

Here’s our opinion

Q: Was the booking process simple and problem free?

A: Yes. We used several comparision websites to find the best price, then booked online with one of the sites. The process was straight-forward and easy.

Q: Did Gulls Apartments communicate after the booking?

A: Gulls sent a confirmation email when we booked.

Q: Does Gulls Apartments have street appeal?

A: The apartments are a hidden gem. The block of 12 is located in a quiet street, about 200 metres or less from the waters of Rowe’s Bay and within easy walking distance of the seafront attractions along The Strand. The apartments look sedate from the street, but deliver superbly – ultra comfortable, clean and convenient.

Q: How did check-in go?

A: Smoothly. We arrived from the airport late in the afternoon on a hot day and found our two-bedroom unit prepared and ready for us – with air conditioners and fans running. We checked-in later and the staff member on reception was friendly, helpful and highly professional in appearance and manner. The process went smoothly indeed.

Q: How was accessibility, particularly for senior travellers.

A: Excellent. In our apartment, there was only a small step at both the front and back door. The unit was on one level with a sole step in the bathroom, probably to allow families to use the shower as a bath for children. The bathroom was equipped with railings to help with balance should they be needed. The off-street parking was only metres from the apartment.

Q: Were the bedrooms big enough?

A: There was plenty of space in each room. One room contained a Queen-sized bed and a single bed – and the other room had two single beds. Each had bedside units and built-in wardrobes,

There was also complimentary high speed wifi, tea and coffee-making facilities and individually controlled air conditioning in all areas.

Q: Was the bed comfortable?

A: Extremely. The rooms were quiet and we slept soundly.

Q: Were other facilities adequate?

A: The apartment was fully self-contained, with good sized refrigerator, electric stove and oven, microwave oven, wide-screen television, DVD player, cutlery and crockery, cooking pans, a toaster, an iron, ironing board and washing machine.

Gulls apartments are set amid gardens, manicured lawns, a large bar-b-que area and a tiled above-ground swimming pool.

Q: Did the room have adequate charging points?

A: Gulls apartments easily catered for our 12 electronic devices. There were plenty of charging points, including some on either side of the bed, ideal for using mobile phones as alarm clocks.

Q: Was the bathroom to the expected standard?

A: There was an adequately-sized, serviced bathroom with an overhead shower. The bathroom featured fluffy towels, hairdryer and toiletries.

Although there were four people in our party, there was no shortage of hot water.

During our stay, the apartment was serviced and kept spotlessly clean. We were also offered fresh linen and bed sheets.

Q: Were there any problems with the apartments?

A: No. Gulls Apartments offers well-priced, clean and comfortable accommodation close to Townsville’s beaches, harbour and waterfront shops and entertainment.

The apartments are modern, fully-equipped, and secure, with off-street parking, free wifi, television, adequate air-conditioning and an outdoor swimming pool.

A highlight of the Gulls apartments is the high quality of customer service provided by the owners, Paul and Caroline and their staff.

They treated us like part of the family – and their hospitality made our stay at Gulls apartments memorable indeed.

Duration of stay: seven nights

Location: Gulls apartments are located in Rose Street, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Age-friendly rating

9/10 – From our experience, it is our opinion that Gulls Apartments, Townsville, is extremely suited to people of all ages.