Peppers Weymouth, Adelaide

             

        Peppers Gallery Hotel, Canberra              Peppers Blue on Blue, Magnetic Island

I have always held the name Peppers synonymous with iconic establishments of accommodation, starting with The Convent in the Hunter Valley. Peppers thus represented accommodation I aspired to experience but I could never justify the expense. That was until a few years ago when, with my family, I stayed at Peppers Magnetic Island and had a lovely time there. More recently we stayed at Peppers Canberra in an apartment block behind the main hotel which felt a little cold and removed from what I perceived the genuine Peppers experience to be.

About 18 months ago Peppers took over the Rendezvous Hotel in Adelaide. I visit Adelaide regularly and have found Peppers’ tempting but the prices a little out of reach. This trip, however, Qantas were offering Peppers at a comparatively reasonable price, with the added bonus of Qantas points, which I strongly desire at the moment.

I was upgraded from a guest room to a deluxe room on the top (18th) floor at check-in. It was spacious with a view down to a construction site and across to Adelaide Hills. A fairly ordinary cityscape occupied the space between. Noisy nightlife from the street reached the room above. The room had nearly all one expects from a five star hotel, including black-out curtains, a dry-cleaning service and spacious wardrobe space (no dressing-gown though). I couldn’t find a compendium in the room or on the TV to tell me about the gym and pool so downloaded the app. However, the information available on the app is scant. It had the opening times but I didn’t know if towels were available by the pool (they are).

It was at breakfast that I really felt Peppers Waymouth became sub-standard. I pre-booked a buffet breakfast at the Essay Kitchen on the first floor for a 25% discount the night before. An alternative would have been to eat a la carte at Barketta on the Ground Floor. I was the first to arrive at opening time and could not find any staff in attendance. In fact, I waited at least 5 minutes but it felt longer. The selection of food was adequate but instead of hash browns there were potato gems that tasted like they had been deep fried and then reheated. I selected cappuccino on the coffee machine and placed it on my table while I was waiting for my toast to cook. Once I sat down I noticed how white the cappuccino was and upon drinking discovered it had no coffee in the cup, just frothed milk. The worst part of the breakfast experience though was the sticky floor. As already mentioned, I was the first customer to arrive, so when I looked at the floor to see what was making it sticky I didn’t expect to see the imprints of 100s of steps. Obviously the floor hadn’t been cleaned between close of service the day before and that morning.

When I left for the day, I found the doorman personable (actually a human being instead of a programmed robot) and he arranged a taxi for me but unlike some of the grander hotels of similar price, they weren’t just down the street to be hailed. The driveway out the front (on the side street rather than the actual street address of the hotel) is small and was jammed by three cars when my taxi arrived so the driver parked illegally for me to climb in.

I arrived back late that night and became confused by the room service menu with a section stating “Always Peppers” 10am-6am which at first I thought should have been 10pm-6am since the menu above it ceased at 10pm but the “Always” might mean “Always except during breakfast time”. The website said they offered 24 hour room service but it appears that unless you do the old-fashioned breakfast order on the door handle by 1am, there is no room service between 6 and 10am.

The pool turned out to be the highlight of the hotel. Despite finishing a book after 1am, I woke at 6am and spent over half an hour doing laps alone in the pool. I mainly do breaststroke with my head above the water but upon the first of my freestyle laps I found four portholes in the floor, looking at the ground floor beneath. It was too early to spy anyone or more pertinent, for anyone to spy me, thank goodness. I had a quick dip in the spa and left just as three people arrived.

Due to the disappointing breakfast the day before I went to Barketta, the a la carte option on the ground floor, on the second day. Only one other table was occupied. The cafe was a rather dated motel style decor but my omelette and coffee were perfect and at a reasonable price, promptly served. I checked-out and had a lovely chat with the man who had ordered me the taxi outside as I waited for my lift.

All up, Peppers Waymouth is a lovely hotel but doesn’t reach a real five star experience due to the shortfalls mentioned. I couldn't even be bothered taking a photo, thus the previous two Peppers pictured at the top of this post. Peppers Waymouth won’t be my first hotel choice when I next visit Adelaide, even if a bargain is on offer again.