We had a lovely stay at Hidden Valley. There were a few things that could be done to make it even nicer, have provided some insights below. Hope this review helps fellow travellers :-)
Location: The location is about 13 mins to Byron & the same to Bangalow. Owners house is seperate (but next to) Guesthouse. Accomodation was mostly private however it is on a shared road and we did have cars a few times a day using the road to get to the property next door. No big deal, but probably wouldn’t recommend walking around your accomodation naked 😉
Accomodation:
The set up is two seperate cabins & it is important to note that there is no bathroom in the dining quarter - you need to go outside and into your bedroom to get to the bathroom. It’s only a 3 metre or so walk, just something to note.
The pool was great and the highlight of the accomodation - it is definitely the best thing about Hidden Valley. Private, relaxing and a real feature.
There were tonnes of wasps when we were staying (height of summer) so found ourselves dodging them on both front & back verandahs and whilst in the pool. Also saw a Diamond Python just chilling next to the pool (totally harmless) which is to be expected given rural location. Neither of these are things to worry about, just things to be aware of.
The other thing to note is that you cannot lock the doors to either cabins. The host assured us it was completely safe (and it felt safe) but it meant we took our wallets etc everywhere we went & it did feel weird not being able to lock the doors when we went out or particularly when we went to sleep at night. There was a bolt type internal lock on the bedroom door however this was not functioning.
Value:
Whilst the breakfast is included, it was the same for all 5 days we were there (muesli, fruit, yoghurt & cold pressed juice). We ended up eating breakfast out a couple times for some variety.
We ordered the cheeseboard which was lovely, but at $38 felt steep. The Rose we ordered was $45 and delish - not sure what it retails for. We also ordered a “veg box” from the owners garden. It was $25 and for the really small amount felt it was overpriced. I understand organic fruit & veg has a high price tag, but given its grown on the property it felt a little much.
We stayed for 5 nights and at no point had towels changed/refreshed which would have been awesome & something that at this price point we expected.
Place was overall clean and tidy - I dropped some jewellery and had to go looking under the bed which was really dirty & had an old sandal under it from a previous guest. Under the lounge was also really dusty but all visible surfaces were cleaned well.
Overall, a nice stay for couples at the higher price point for the area.