Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley

Had a 2 night stay & dinner one night, breakfast on 2 mornings. Absolutely beautiful accommodation & surrounds. Room was luxurious & catered for every need. The staff were amazing, so helpful, friendly tho still professional. From Sky in reception when arrived, all the wait staff at breakfast, Mikael in the tasting room & everyone at dinner, especially our waitress, Ruby, to the ladies on reception when we checked out were exceptional. Breakfast & dinner were fantastic, could ask for better. Highly recommend the experience

We were beyond happy during our 4 days stay at the Balgownie for our wedding + guests. Service + Location: The staff is fantastic and is the driver of all of our positive experience. The property is located ~1hr outside of Melbourne - we are from out of town and first time visiting here. Area is very quiet and a great getaway from the city. We had a group booking with ~10 rooms and the staff took care of each one of us during our stay. The staff is friendly, professional, and accommodating of our group - often recommending arrangements that would improve our experience proactively. We had the opportunity to use one of the group rooms as well for an event and it was very well catered. Food: Food is fantastic but wish the portion is slightly smaller so we don't waste so much food! Room: Property is in a modern condition, very clean and I thought was quite family friendly too. I particularly enjoyed the aesthetics of the hotel which combined modern design with some retro style - all worked well together. Facilities: Complete with gym, a small indoor pool and spa (plus outdoor balcony in some rooms + restaurant) - couldn't ask for more. If you are looking for a weekend getaway or somewhere to visit near Melbourne, I highly recommend staying at Balgownie to make a special experience!

My sister booked 2 queen rooms for our girls weekend away through Luxury Escape. Our packages include a 2 course dinner, dining credit and wine tasting. When we checked in, we were allocated 2 rooms in 2 separate buildings even though the rooms were booked together . Before arrival we were advised the pool was closed for renovations. That was disappointing because we were looking forward to spending some relaxing time by the pool and spa considering the weather was not great for exploring the area. I asked if they would provide a voucher for either a massage or facial but instead we were given a free pass to the local pool which was 15 minutes drive. We did not use the free pass as going to a public pool was not our idea of relaxation. My friend called up about moving rooms so at least we were in the same building but was advised there were no availability. My sister previously made booking for dinner as it was part of our package deal. When we asked for the bill, we were charged over $300. We told the writer that we booked through Luxury Escape and our package includes a 2 course dinner. Apparently Luxury Escapes dinner was separate from the 2 course menu that we had. We worked out the difference and we had to pay about $20 extra at check out even though the restaurant gave us the wrong menu to order from. The food was average in my opinion. The room itself was very small. There were no extra hangers to hang our jacket as there were only 2 for the bathrobes. The water pressure was terrible in the shower. One minute it was hot, the next minute it was cold. When checking out we were advised we owed $50 extra for the dinner. We asked for the invoice and items were duplicated. The receptionist could not explain about the extra charges. She couldn't speak with her manager so in the end the $20 that was changed for dinner was waived. Our booking also had late check out at 12pm. We received a knock on the door from house keeping at around 10:30am asking if we were leaving soon. Our room was not made up for the 2 nights we stayed. The communications between hotel staff from dinner and being given the wrong menu, to not allocating rooms close or next to each other, to our check out time could use improvements. The only positive experience we received was from one of the breakfast chef with dark skin. He was extremely helpful and friendly each morning. The 2 stars are for him. We will not be returning.