T 3
Having read reviews in Gourmet Travellor and Conde Nast we decided it would be worth making a detour in the hopes of experiencing the expected luxury boutique, relaxing wilderness experience. Although what was delivered could be classed as okay, nothing was exceptional and a collection of small disappointments added up to a failed experience.
Having contacted management and being assured that these are features rather than failings we feel it best to write this review in public so that others may not be similarly ill surprised.
We were promised a quiet space to relax and unwind, rather what we discovered was a lodge at maximum capacity, poorly designed to cater for guests when full. Rather than finding quiet, relaxing shared spaces for reflection, what was delivered was noisy unsupervised children and no suitable space for a couple to enjoy a quite read in front of the fire. The shared spaces seemed to be better suited to a lodge at half capacity.
Experiences. The lodge writes of unrivalled fly fishing, walking and biking. Be prepared to book experiences in advance which can be costly (such as E-bike experience at $85 a head ) or come prepared with fishing equipment as the lodge was unable to provide beyond just the basics. Rod hire comes with the expectation that you purchase a basic box kit of flies, which we found to be vastly overpriced, coupled with a rod that wasn't up to scratch in its unprepared state. I would expect more from a lodge that speaks of fly fishing as it's main attraction. Although staff were friendly and made a great attempt, it was clear that their knowledge on fly fishing and the area was limited and were unable to provide any help. If you are expecting to go walking in the area ensure that you are well prepared as none of the trails are marked. It is the expectation that guests know their way around as this is a "free-walking park" with no designated paths.
Food. The lodge site write up, promises a larder, stocked with a local selection of meats, cheeses and preserves. We arrived at 2:00pm not having had a chance to eat on the road, expecting to sample the larder for lunch only to find none of this selection available, your typical bar snacks (chocolate, chips and nuts) were on hand, with the only other lunch option available being toasties or a few other frozen options prepared by the lodge. Management were unable to confirm whether this was due to the lodge being full or just a simple oversight. Breakfast again, was equally disappointing, there was no selection of meats or cheeses as the expectation is for a continental breakfast. The only options available were cereals, yoghurt, fruits and toast. None of this was exceptional but all fairly basic. We understand there is was a hot option to be pre ordered the night before, be it beans or eggs which we did not try. Dinner was adequate and tasty considering they are prepared off site. Given its location there are no options to dine elsewhere, nor are there self catering options, so be prepared to spend between $55 and $65 a meal.
Some of the other smaller issues worth noting particularly because this is an off the grid experience. There are no power hungry facilities such as kettles, fridges, hairdryers or second bedside lamps in the rooms as they are solar. When they are at capacity they are forced to run generators which presents its own issues for the guests staying above the generators, as we did. Generators were switched on at 6:00am - 8:00am and when batteries are low, which may happen fairly regularly when cold or when the lodge is full.
In summary we were quite disappointed with our experience. The lodge can be better compared to a high end motel in a unique location but fails to deliver on the luxury boutique experience it is trying to deliver.
Again this was a review based off a single nights experience and should management feel that they have addressed any of the above issues we will be happy to retract aspects of this review but we feel it is an honest opinion amongst the number of positive reviews.
