Toorongo Valley Estate

Place was nice, the fire very cosy and views of the river were lovely too. The facilities were mostly good - modern kitchen and bathroom. There was also both a gas fire and air con, so you can be comfortable whatever the weather. Though looks like someone ordered the wrong shower door as its is too small for the hole and doesnt close? The main kitchen blind was also broken giving us a fright when it shot to the ground.

A big off put for us was the yellow/brownish water. There were signs saying the water is drinkable, but its not the nicest thing seeing off colour water in your glass. Also filling up the hot tub made this very noticeable and was very off putting to see it so brown. Sad when this was a key reason we booked this place. The place was presented messily - a few cobwebs and needed a vacuum. Also note that although listed as fully equipped kitchen, there’s no oil/salt/sugar/tin foil provided - disappointing as this has always been provided in similar cheaper properties we’ve stayed at. The hot tub was also dirty and we had to clean it before use as there was sediment/dirt at the bottom. Also dirt came out of the jets when we turned it on. There were a few things that could change to make this experience a bit more comfortable. There could have been better instruction as to how to work the gas heater. The booklet says to simply use the controller to turn it on - though you actually need to light the pilot light and heater yourself. As it’s gas I imagine some might not be comfortable doing this blind, (still not sure what the remote actually does). The wifi code on the booking email was different to that at the property, so I suspect the documents just need some updating. Also the listing had out of date pictures, the room was a different configuration with bunkbeds in it for some reason. Also the bedside lamps weren’t plugged in - one was impossible to plug in as the furniture was wall to wall, meaning there was no room to get to the wall socket - and the other didnt have a bulb (nothing a quick bulb swap didnt fix, but felt like that should have been an easy find for the hosts). Similarly, there was no soap in the bathroom soap dispensers, and the bedding used also had a burn mark in it.

Great location

Not enough clean hot water. The tank water is yellow, The spa tub is so dirty, can't use.

You could not find a more idyllic location for a restful, relaxing holiday. The view from our chalet and the expansive grounds was to die for! A babbling creek, bird life and open woodland on our doorstep. The room itself was well configured with a wall of windows to enjoy the view.

The chalet came with a fully equipped kitchen and outdoor barbecue but I felt the items in the kitchen were lacking. For e.g. no steak knifes for eating our steak, no bowls for salad etc.,no tea cups only mugs. As for condiments, apart from a handful of coffee, tea, sugar and creamer sachets, there was no oil, milk, salt and pepper, sauce, butter etc. You basically need to bring everything with you if you plan to prepare own meals. My partner found it annoying that lights outside the front door were on all night (unable to be switched off) as it disrupted his sleep.

Chalet that I booked months in advance for 2 nights was cancelled last minute by vendors

I'm sure we would have loved our Chalet but unfortunately we did not get to stay there.

Upon arrival at the booked accommodation, we were met with a shocking and disheartening situation. There were already occupants in the chalet, claiming that they too had booked the same accommodation through your platform. This blatant double booking left us stranded and dismayed, as our well-planned holiday had suddenly turned into a chaotic mess. The host, to his credit, tried to remedy the situation by offering an alternative place - his own house. Unfortunately, this alternative did not live up to the standards we had originally booked and paid for. We were provided with a house with only 3 available bedrooms, even though there were 4 families in our group. The host then presented us with a makeshift room, originally a storage area, as a solution. This room was dusty and infested with spiders, with an ensuite bathroom that was far from sanitary. Our initial booking was for a 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom chalet with a jacuzzi. Instead, we were forced into a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house with inadequate amenities. The main house had a non-functioning TV, no WiFi, and on the second day, we discovered there was no hot water when we returned from our activities, leaving us unable to shower. Moreover, the promised jacuzzi was nowhere to be found. We entrusted Booking.com, a renowned and trustworthy platform, with our holiday plans, never anticipating such a distressing situation. The owner himself confirmed that such an incident had never occurred before. This only amplifies our disappointment and frustration, as we placed our trust in your platform and feel severely let down. The owner was not the problem. He told us that he only received one payment. We expected Booking.com to be responsible and provide us compensation for all the inconvenience. But its been over a month and no resolution has been reached.

It was in a perfect location so peaceful and relaxing. Very private and so much space for us to just have a walk and my 2 year old surely enjoyed running around the area by the river.

It would be better if basic cooking needs provided in the kitchen i.e salt pepper oil.