Under different weather circumstances this might have been a fine stay but in our experience, this accommodation does not at all hold up to the rain. Obviously I am aware of the unusual weather that NSW has been experiencing this year but my partner and I have stayed in glamping tents before that haven't leaked and we assumed it would be fine. But at 11:30pm we had a huge down pour of rain which was very loud and woke us up so we decided to just have a quick look around the tent to make sure everything was fine, good thing we got up because the tent had completely flooded and there was a huge amount of water coming in from the ceiling and floors.
I have read other reviews mentioning that there wasn't any ventilation for the smoke from the fire pit (which we experienced as well) and he response from the host saying that the "smoke flaps" needed to be open but there were no instructions given to us about how to even open or close them or indicting that they needed to be closed when it rains.
after trying to call the host a number of times at 11:30pm (understandably they were probably asleep and didn't answer) we had no choice but to try and pack up all of our stuff in the pouring rain, get back in the car and drive 30 minutes to find emergency alternative accommodation to sleep somewhere dry or the night.
Maybe in nicer weather this would have been a pleasant stay but with how much rain we have had this year, I find it hard to believe that this is the first time it's happened. I would be cancelling all future bookings until a suitable solution has been made to fix this issue.
When we were leaving there was basically a mote of mud and water around the tent and by the time we reached a new accommodation, we were covered in mud.
I hate to imagine how we would have attempted to go to the bathroom if we had needed it in the night, we would have had to wade through the mud and water. But there is not way we would have made it up the steep hill to the eco toilet. It was incredibly slippery and very dark. There are a couple of stone pavers up the hill but they were all over groan with moss and were incredibly slippery, we had to walk on the grass which was slightly less slippery but not much better.
We didn't get a chance to use the shower or toilet at all but had a look during the day and slipped getting up there. The toilet was a bit scary looking, when we opened the door a lot of flies and insects came out but maybe that a result of all the rain?
There were torches left inside the tent which we tried to use when packing the car at midnight to leave but all the batteries were dead and neither torch worked. There were no replacement batteries.
Lastly I just want to mention that the dogs were super cute and friendly, and there was mention of them in the welcome message but the smaller one has no obedience and there was no one around to recall it.
Now my partner and I are dog people so it wasn't a deal breaker for us but I will say that when we first arrive and we were trying to unload our stuff from the car, it didn't help having this tiny, over excited dog jumping all over us.
And because of all the mud, my jeans were absolutely saturated in mud as a result of it jumping all over me.
There was also a note in the welcome message saying to please not invite them into the tent and that they've been trained to stay outside. But this same dog did not seem to have that training. We had zipped up the front fly screen but it was throwing itself at the door trying to come in and since the fly screen was held up by Velcro, it almost succeeded in bringing the entire door down. If it had been a bigger dog, it would have gotten through.
Look I empathise that weather had a big part in making this a bad stay for us. But if i was going to make suggestions it would be this:
1. There needs to be something done about the flooding issue. The positioning of the tent in a small depression in the ground at the base of a little hill lends itself to be susceptible to flooding especially in the crazy amounts of rain that NSW has seen this year. To make it a safe stay for guests, there needs to be some sort of drainage or water catch to guide the flow of water elsewhere. Maybe there can be a little bridge of something just outside the mouth of the tent to allow guests to exit the tent without standing in mud and a pool of water, particularly if they need to go to the bathroom at night.
2. There needs to be clear instructions on how to operate the smoke flaps and I do believe that the host needs to be there in person to physically show the guests how to operate them because this is not common knowledge for most.
3. I think some steps and maybe even hand railing would help the pathway up the hill to the bathroom facilities
4. The dogs should either be trained to be calmer around guests or there should be someone with the more excitable one to recall it if it becomes too much for guests.
I will commend the host for acting quickly to give us a full refund upon request with no fuss. Thank you for that.
Though I will say that if it was me, if i woke up to several missed