We were a group of 9, including 3 children, surprising a family member for their 70th birthday.
The location was great and the house is large enough, with a good layout, for us to spend a long weekend together without feeling cramped. There was plenty of outdoor space and parking. One of the families was continuing on holidays after the weekend and were able to easily park their caravan on the property.
The horses were a big hit with the kids but we didn’t appreciate the large dogs that kept turning up on the back verandah. The pool table is a great provision and we all enjoyed a few games together. The fire pit was nice to sit around in the afternoons.
We think this would be better for a Summer rental as the house was freezing in late June. The only heat source was a fireplace in the kitchen/dining area. We were provided with a small amount of firewood after asking the host but in the end purchased around $120 worth of firewood in order to try to keep us warm. The lack of window coverings in that area didn’t help to keep the warmth inside and only that part of the house could be warmed, meaning the bedrooms and pool room were uncomfortably cold in the evenings. There are also no window coverings in the upstairs ensuite and the coverings in the downstairs ensuite are sheer and do not provide complete privacy. This is something the hosts should seriously consider fixing.
Whilst the basics were clean upon arrival (sheets, towels, bathroom vanities, toilets, kitchen benches) the overall cleanliness of the property leaves a lot to be desired. The house is overdue for a thorough cleaning, with mould in the bathrooms, cobwebs hanging from light fixtures and dead spiders and flies stuck to walls and the blind in the main bathroom. Windows need cleaning, flyscreens need fixing and the couch in the dining room area needs to be either replaced or the legs fixed instead of it being propped up on rocks. We honestly feel this property would fail a health and safety inspection. The spiral staircase leading to the main bedroom would be unmanageable for some people. Whilst the location is mostly quiet, the neighbours had a party on the Saturday night, playing extremely loud music the entire night and keeping most of us awake.
Because we were 3 families who had travelled at least 4 hours each to get there in the school holidays, we were not in a position to find appropriate alternative accommodation and decided to just put up with it as it wasn’t something the hosts could have rectified while we were there. It did mar the celebration however and should definitely be dealt with by the hosts before they have any more guests pay to stay.