Panorama Retreat & Resort

This was a ‘scoopon’ booking gifted to us by family. We were excited to spend time in the Dandenong ranges and explore the area. We were actually the only occupied room in the hotel !! - rather spooky and really not too security conscious.We had hoped to have a meal in the restaurant rather than travel by car to a restaurant but the restaurant was closed - this should have been indicated on the web site. On arrival for breakfast the first morning we were obviously not expected, there was nothing there !! The housekeeper and her staff were excellent in sorting some coffee and other continental breakfast items - all credit to them, the hotel is lucky to have them. A phone conversation with the manager Melinda explaining our disappointment ensured and we were assured that this wouldn’t happen the second morning. True to her word on day two breakfast was available and the gas fire was lit to welcome us to the restaurant. We were also given a nice bottle of red as an apology. Mistakes happens so well done Melinda for turning it round. I do feel that the hotel is dated and could do with an upgrade. Do they really need restaurant awards from the 90’s on the wall !! Would I visit again - maybe not as we’ve already seen the area. If you are thinking of booking do check first with the hotel that the facilities you want to use are available. The grounds were beautiful.

There are parts that are wonderful ie the location, the all in one facility, the amount of nature and the ambience. The bad - the continual Penny pinching ie you have a conference they don’t supply paper and pens You get with ridiculous cleaning charges - $50 because I had dribbled in my sleep…..wouldn’t they have to clean the sheets anyway?? Water that should be chilled - served at room temperature…..Percolated coffee free but a small barista coffee you pay for…. The place must be struggling with this sort of attitude I have suggested we stop attending the premises each year. I won’t be back

Perhaps the giveaway to what lay in store at Country Place should have been the website's effusive language, which promised a haven too wonderful to be true. "Step into a world of tranquility and sophistication as you enter our inviting accommodations." What we actually stepped into was a dusty relic. It's advertised as a hotel, but on arrival we gradually realised it's actually a corporate retreat venue. On the walls are displayed hospitality medals from the late nineties and mid-2000s, giving the sense that the whole property is frozen in time. The feeling that you're intruding on the past continues when you start to explore the property: There's a gas fireplace in the lounge but the gas line is off; there's a ropes course on the grounds but an earnest request in the room booklet that you not use it without supervision; you are allotted one pillow per person on the bed, and there's one spare pillow and blanket in the closet, but it's resting on a thick layer of dust. "Each of our stylishly appointed rooms and suites is meticulously designed to provide you with the utmost comfort and relaxation." For $359, the room is a shoebox with no shelf or table to put belongings. We dug an ironing board out of the closet which we set up to put our bags on. The bedroom door and windowsill had clearly visible handprints in several places, and the ceiling corners are coated in spiderwebs which are scattered with insects. Lying on the bed gives you a direct view of the bathroom, which only becomes private if you can manage to haul the accordion door closed. The bathroom is so small that the toiletries need a little trolley that sits in the bedroom. The bathroom has no extraction fan or an option to open a window, which explains the mould in the shower grout. The water pressure only ever works itself up to a weak trickle, and the trickle only runs burning hot or freezing cold without ever landing on a comfortable in-between temperature. "let Panorama Retreat & Resort be your haven for unforgettable moments." Our stay was certainly unforgettable due to how bizarre and disappointing it was.