Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

This is not a review, it's a warning! Firstly I do not blame the staff working for this hotel one bit, they are simply doing a job in an environment where something is seriously rotten. This hotel I would say is expensive ($2750 x 2 rooms for 2 nights) for the disappointing product that they deliver. Where is all the revenue going, none of it can be going back to the facility! The rooms are dated, worn out and dirty. Everyone in the good reviews, stated the location, but there are many other higher quality options that are not so expensive within a few mins drive. But look even if it was $200 per night I would have still left, which is what we did, LEAVE! immediately after checking in and seeing the rooms. We did get a full refund, and I i truly appreciated this, it allowed us to book a beautiful hotel within stones throw from this sadly disappointing establishment. If more people speak up and show that this standard is unacceptable, management/owners will have no choice but to upgrade and bring a hotel that has so much potential in line with its local competitors. I really don't think this is about perspective either, I have stayed all over Australia in many different level accommodations, I've been to far flug places in remote locations. This truly is just about pride of ownership in an establishment, about really caring about customer experience and understanding that word of mouth is such a powerful tool. Please use your due diligence before making a booking here.

There is little doubt that this resort has a fantastic location on the doorstep of a World Heritage National Park. The cabins are carefully placed within the natural landscape and the main 'Pencil pine lodge', with dining room and Tavern have a great atmosphere. However, one significant negative is the cost. We had a 'spa cabin' costing an eye watering $600 per night (including buffet breakfast x2). The room was nice and cosy with balcony, remote controlled gas fireplace, en-suite, 'wet room' at entrance, bar fridge, kettle and teas and coffee stuff, couch and 2 arm chairs. However, water leaked from the bottom of the shower and with heavy rain water dripped from the bathroom light. The dining room is nicely set up, with views and a lovely open fireplace. We didn't have an evening meal there, but the buffet breakfast was adequate if unchanging. The tavern was excellent in all respects; good value, quality food and prompt friendly service ; a nice open space to take a load off and refuel! Generally the staff in the dining room and reception were friendly and helpful, but very young and perhaps lacked the professionalism and experience of this type of establishment (I speculate that management dont pay great wages and this attracts young folk wishing an intereating workplace and why not). Overall a positive experience, but would think twice before shelling out this amount again...although would definitely return to the tavern! PS - Reading many other reviews and responses going back 6 months it is clear many guests were unhappy with either the rooms (for the price) or the service or the food. Yet nothing has changed. It's time management paid attention....

We had an amazing stay at Cradle Mountain Lodge. The location is perfect — surrounded by nature, right next to the National Park entrance, with beautiful trails and plenty of wildlife. The staff were fantastic. Thank you Marie, Bryan and Julio for taking such great care of us. Our cabin was a dream: a cozy indoor fireplace, well equipped with glasses, plates and everything we needed, and it also comes with great complimentary stuff — including a bottle of Brut for our anniversary and a lovely Penfolds bottle, which made the experience even more special. The food was great too — the pizzas were delicious. A wonderful stay. 100% recommended.

Very tired. Food pretty bad. Gelatinous gravies and powdered eggs. Pizza was only thing worth eating. Lighting in guest lounge way too bright. Like a police interrogation. In the morning staff left guests waiting outside in the cold until exactly 7am before unlocking front door. They could see the guests and were just chatting waiting for that magic 7am. Incredible. Like a Boxing Day sale. The saving grace was the location. Fabulous. The walks around the hotel are wonderful.

Beautiful location and staff were so friendly and accommodating. Breakfast was a combination of hot and cold selections. Rooms were warm and cozy. Complimentary laundry and loved all the fire places in the lodge and rooms. Excellent experience worth the drive even in wet conditions. The walks are easy to follow and scenery is absolutely spectacular. Overall couldn't find a fault with the entire experience.

The entire experience was satisfactory, not what I thought nearly $500/night at a 4.5star hotel promised. The spa cabin was fine, everything worked/was clean but it was quite basic and dated. Staff were a mixed bag of helpful, lovely and disinterested. The Tavern was full of raucous kids, average but expensive food. The Highland restaurant was nice and the food was good, but a bottle of wine was 3x the bottle shop price meaning dinner for 2 with 1 bottle was $300+. Also please stop with all the emails, one receipt and confirmation will do. Emails to check-in, emails trying to up sell add ons, emails confirming dinner reservations after it was already booked, it feels a bit like a budget airline and does not replace service. A wonderful location, close to the Park and lovely walks from the lodge were the saving grace and the best reason to stay. We had a great time up at Cradle Mountain, I actually really enjoyed the experience. There was nothing wrong with the accommodation as such. But if you went there expecting a 4.5star hotel (as advertised and charged), you'll likely be disappointed. If you want a comfy stay in a nice family hotel in a magic part of the world, you'll be happy. But the cost does not reflect this.

Great location and lovely walking trails. The afternoon person at reception seemed bored and said we had to book a time for breakfast; we said 7 am. Got to breakfast the next day and they said we were booked for 8.30 am and had not been booked for the following day. The breakfast buffet was weak. No egg station. No granola that i could find. My room was fine. Heated by a gas fire which was ok. The rest of the amenities in the room were fine with the exception that there was no Wi-Fi in the room only in the main building. And could not get into the main building to use the Wi-Fi until the breakfast service opened at 7 am! Stayed two nights and was pleased that the room was serviced in between, that was appreciated. Ate one dinner in the bar which was quite good and in the breakfast restaurant for dinner which we had to book. Dinner in the restaurant was ok but i did not feel worth the cost.

Overall we were happy with our stay - it's a stunning location. The staff were all lovely and friendly. The premises themselves are losing their shine though, and a few things were below par for a 4 - 5 star experience. Needs an update to match the iconic standing of the Lodge and its surroundings.

We had stayed here before, but this time I brought my best friend to see some of the most amazing scenery on the planet. The lodge itself looks rustic but it is very modern with Wi-Fi and all amenities; however, there is no Wi-Fi at the cabins you stay in nor is there any TV. So if you need this type of technology, probably not the best bet for you. With bonuses such as hot chocolate kits with marshmallows and other wonderful things like a wood fireplace? This place is heaven. I will say it is the one place on the planet where you can sit on your deck and see pademelons, wombats, possums, and other wildlife walk right past your door. Rooms include a very lavish breakfast. The restaurant's okay at best. It's kind of mediocre but they try very hard and that makes a difference. You can do a variety of very lovely walks to waterfalls and other features without getting a pass into the national reserve. Or you can get a pass and go in and do other more extensive hikes.

The Lodge is a franchise of the Peppers group and seen better days. The facility is acceptable however the food and drink is below par and overpriced. The pub food was poor and only one pizza variety on the menu was available some wines on the menu were unavailable. Staff were working hard however they seemed constrained by what was available and management choices.

What a beautiful place! The rooms were gorgeous and the arrangement of space so relaxing. There was a gas fireplace in the room with a couple of comfortable chairs and a small table facing the warming flames. The view out of the large window provided a picture of a natural forest scene, lush and green. The room was modern, clean and quiet. It was cold up there on Cradle Mountain in the early spring and the snow and then freezing rains came sporadically, but they provided large umbrellas to help us keep dry. The lodge was built of wood and stone and provided all meals, again in a beautiful setting. The food was excellent with a variety of choices. There were also reading/gathering rooms within the lodge for quiet discussions or maybe to just curl up with a good book. There were some hiking trails right around the site itself and native animals showed up to graze. This is an out of the way place, and in fact, most of the staff lives there during their work weeks to avoid a long commute. This hotel was well worth the trip!

The photos online make the lodge look a lot more luxurious than it actually is. I still think it is a great lodge but it does not match up with how much it is per night. Be wary that there is no wifi or tvs in the cabins, only in the main lounge. You are paying for the location as it is walking distance from the entrance to the park. The service was very subpar. I had to pester the lady at reception to get a map back to the airport which was outrageous seeing as we were stuck in the middle of nowhere with no mobile phone reception. Nonetheless, it is still a great hotel but you've been warned that money will fall from your pockets without you even noticing. Cradle Mountain is a tourist trap but you just have to grin and bear it.