Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

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....

Stunning location, absolutely beautiful surroundings… BUT Be aware there is no phone service (well - not Vodafone or Optus), and no wifi in any of the cabins. There’s not even TV’s in the rooms. You can’t check tomorrows weather, book a bus, watch the news, read an email, check your flight, - or post your stunning photos to social media to brag to your mates. Furthermore - they have two TV’s in the main bar -but if you want to watch any live sport before 12 (like the Ashes cricket) you are given a resounding “no” by the Manager. I was not even permitted to watch in reception - where the TV stayed on “random world photographs” mode… What a joke! So thanks for nothing Manager Kim Barnes - who refused all of my reasonable requests to watch my favourite sport… (Not in person mind you - she didn’t leave her office - leaving her lovely staff to pass on the news). My request to watch a TV were not immoral, not illegal, or not even slightly difficult. I was offered no reason - other than Kim refused to use her discretion in order that a long term Diamond guest could enjoy some sport while his wife and friends did some nature walks! (Sadly I am unable to join them due to a back injury). Seriously - what the hell has happened to friendly hospitality????

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.

We had a couple of meals here, the dining room is warm and welcoming. It's good that they take walkings and they are open all day while most other places around close between lunch and dinner or close early anyway. The food is simple but generous and there is good flavour in the pasta dishes. On the negative side, I paid $12 for a double espresso, which is just ridiculous and the coffee was average. Can be greatly improved but overall was fine.

We booked somewhat last minute and are so glad that we did. So well located to explore Cradle Mountain but also a beautiful place in its own right. The cabin was beautifully appointed - we particularly appreciated the small touches such as the biscuits. The most unexpected joy was the wildlife we saw, echidnas, wombats and even platypus. We would love to come back in all the seasons.

The location of the lodge is ideal, and our spa suite was lovely. There are many walking paths and trails that can be accessed from the lodge, and a shuttle bus is available nearby for transportation to Dove Lake. The lodge is in the wilderness so animals such as pademelons, wallabies, and wombats roam freely. It is wonderful. The Tavern Bar and Bistro was fine for dining, and the quality of the food was good overall. Breakfast at the Highland Restaurant was also fine for a fixed price buffet. We did not have dinner at this restaurant as the the fixed price was quite expensive for two courses. We ended up going to a nearby hotel with a restaurant providing an a la carte menu. The only negative experience at the lodge was witnessing an employee being repeatedly rude to a guest in line ahead of us while checking in for breakfast. Overall, our experience at the lodge was great, including the wildlife spotlighting safari.

The cabin is very spacious and comfortable with a warm fake log fire. The location is great right on the edge of the park. However there is no wifi or phone coverage. Then the restaurant is over priced particularly $40 for breakfast is a bit of a rip off

The lodge is in an excellent location just on the edge of the national park. It has lovely grounds with some very nice short walks. Staff are friendly. The cabins are comfortable and warm. The food is perfectly satisfactory although we felt the breakfast was sub-standard and dishes such as fruit and scrambled eggs were not regularly refreshed.

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.