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The Circa 1902 restaurant and wine bar is located within the beautiful building that was formally, The Queenscliff Inn, on the main St. The Hotel provides refurbished accommodation, with freshly laid carpet and TV's in each room as well. The business is owned and operated by Chris Dinneen and Sally Denahy who certainly know how to provide a delicious, welcoming and friendly dining experience! The wine bar offers occasional live music and an ambiente experience. The owners pride themselves on first impressions, lasting memories. The menu features fresh local seafood as well as home-style cooking that are inspired by the beautiful flavours found along the Mediterranean. The restaurant also offers an all day TAPAS menu. The menu is always changing and developing. Specialty nights are also on offer from a taste of India to Paella. The extensive wine and beer list highlights some of what the local region has to offer. The restaurant is open Wednesday- Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Trendy
Languages Spoken
English
Location
59 Hesse Street Main Street of Queenscliff, Queenscliff, Victoria 3225 Australia
Circa 1902 Queenscliff
117 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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It was lovely to meet Sally and Chris - we were thankful that they left the key with a note in an envelope at the front desk as we weren't sure what time we'd arrive. The convenience was nice and we later met Sally who is amasing. We also spoke to Chris and were pleased to meet the other half who gave us lots of tips for the area as we had never been to Queenscliff before. We loved the room as it was massive and had a fridge along with teas, coffee, water and a kettle. There was a fan and a lovely breeze through the window. A heater and t.v. if we needed it. The beds were clean and there was a lot of accents as the space is well loved. The bathroom is down the hall but we didn't mind - a few steps and we had access to the showers and toilets.
The hotel/restaurant is absolutely gorgeous and we felt so lucky to be there. The sea ferry is 4 mts away as is the Bellarine train who does the Polar Express during December. The town is absolutely bustling with the cutest vintage vibes and shops from an era long passed. There are roof tops bars that allow you to see the whole of the area and you can't not see water so if you're a water lover this is place is for you.
The hospitality was exactly what we needed - we had never been here before and never been to Queenscliff but pleasantly surprised by the hospitality and the welcoming energy. These two are clearly working so hard and i can't imagine the effort they put in. It's def. now one of our favourite spots - this is a business privately run and its easy to feel like part of the extended fam when you're here. It's just the vibe of this place and it was so wonderful to be a part of that :)
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ok for overnight stay. A room where the double bed needs to be against the wall is too small for that double bed! Owners would do well to review the amenities listed on the various booking platforms, eg Trip Advisor. We wandered around the building trying to locate the non existent guest kitchen on the ground floor. Having said all that it is a beautiful old building on the main street within walking distance to many of Queenscliff’s attractions. I would recommend it as a budget accommodation option .
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So nice to see Sally and Chris back at Circa. Had a wonderful family dinner. Great service. Wonderful Food. Pumpkin Arancini are the best. The Slow Cooked sticky Beef in Bourbon sauce was so delicious. Fish and chips were Fathead tails and so beautifully cooked. We will be back.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â On a warm day beautiful seating outside. In the middle of the Main Street.
Beautiful Dining room...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Disappointing. Circa 1902 rooms are very poorly appointed and maintained.... similar to a very basic youth hostel but with the charm of an old historic building that is unfortunately not being sufficiently looked after. The shared kitchen is a tiny room with very few facilities, no plates nor cutlery, no sink nor running water. No laundry facilities. The shared bathrooms are also very poorly appointed and shabby. The front desk is rarely manned and cleaners do a very basic job. The upstairs balcony was the best feature of the hotel accommodation with nice views of the main street. The restaurant at ground level is quite lovely and has a good chef and staff.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â Poorly appointed accommodation - overpriced for what it offers.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saturday night Australia Day long weekend booking was simply bad with no excuses. Food and wine received very ordinary and over-priced - tho two out of five dishes had to be cancelled as not received over an hour after ordering. Followed up twice and eventually advised there was a trainee in the kitchen!? One of our party ending up not dining at all as their vegan dish was one that never arrived. Young and keen (but inexperienced) staff were genuinely doing their best but needed a leader to manage the service over a busy Australia Day weekend. Owners clearly more focussed on their advertised new gifts and candle business. Thankfully other local options have been great. (Not surprised to find business closed now until Wednesday).
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sally Denahy, Owner at Circa 1902 Queenscliff
Responded 5 Apr 2021
We are disappointed that your experience was not satisfactory. The most challenging services are public holidays and long weekends and we do the very best we can with the dedicated staff available to us. Given that you are obviously extremely knowledgeable about running restaurants and everything that happens behind the scenes perhaps you would consider sharing this knowledge with us. Your assumptions however are way off the mark. Thankfully you have found other local options more appealing and we encourage you to keep patronising them and allow us to focus on our loyal and strong following.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We were just in for one night to go on the Blues Train. Next time we will stay a couple and try the restaurant. The 1902 feel is strong so stairs, no lift and shared bathroom facilities. Bring a dressing gown and slippers. The atmosphere is great and the hosts friendly & helpful.
The room was smallish with very limited clothes hanging (a couple of hooks) room. It was clean and bright with views across the balcony to the main street. We slept well.
There is a common room with fridge, microwave and tea-making facility so self catering is an option. They serve lunch & dinner but not breakfast in the dining rooms. The FB page needs to be updated re breakfast. There are plenty of good breakfast options within a short walk.
Recommended.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I usually read the fine print carefully but somehow I missed where it said '' shared bathroom and showers'' (see attached photo). At $175 this was the most overpriced guesthouse I have ever come across. Upon walking into our room, and I use the word room loosely, because it was so small the bed was literally the first thing you bumped into as you opened the door. I was very shocked to find that there was no bathroom and that these were indeed shared with other guests. Not what one would describe as value for money at over $170 a pop. I went to speak to the owner who was extremely unapologetic and rude. Basically.. '' Not my problem and no u can't have a refund''. Sir, Â you are in the service industry" learn to be amenable.Â
Let's get back to the box.. I mean bedroom. The bedside lights did not work (and yes I did crawl under th bed to make they were plugged in:)). The main light gave no light. So basic was the roo., and it didn't have a mirror not to mention no air con, and nowhere to hang clothes.This was more like a storage cupboard and not a room. Public showers: Ladies do to wash your hair, and very hard to rinse shampoo out with a trickle. All in all unless u feel a nostalgic urge to return to the 1920's and rough it up. Avoid this place at all cost. Totally and shamelessly overpriced.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband, son & I stayed in a comfortable 2BR suite & found it to be spotless & perfect for our overnight stay. It's old-fashioned, quaint & reasonably priced. The amenities are shared but beautifully clean with pleasing scents. The owners & staff were all very friendly.
We also ate our evening meal in their restaurant & thoroughly enjoyed the tapas style food. The mussels were particularly delicious! We'd certainly go there again when in Queenscliff.
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Date of stay: December 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The food here is amazing but we waited 40 mins for it. Also waited 20 mins for a lemonade. What was going to be a light lunch stop off was a long torturous hangry-causing visit. Need a better system. Seafood paella was incredible once it arrived
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Booked to sit outside. Arrived and we were told a table wasn’t available. When questioned b/c outside had plentiful empty tables we were seated outside. Aperol spritz tasted like soda water. Wine we ordered wasn’t available and were given an alternative despite we had ordered sav Blanc and a Pinot Gris arrived. Overall disappointing.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sally Denahy, Owner at Circa 1902 Queenscliff
Responded 5 Apr 2021
Thank you for your feedback - we acknowledge the deficits in our service to you. We also acknowledged this with you when you stridently made your opinion known to us, we didn't think it was necessary for you to advise that you will be telling everyone you knew not to eat with us. Staffing is a major challenge in hospitality at the moment, especially in regional areas, and we are supporting and guiding our young staff members through this covid era. We are incredibly grateful for the patronage we re receiving currently and will strive to manage the influx, particularly during peak times such as Easter and public holidays wen you visited us. Again we would like to thank our grateful and supportive patrons who continue to regularly dine with us
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Queenscliff area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$108 - AU$143 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
The Queenscliff Inn
LOCATION
AustraliaVictoriaQueenscliff
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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