Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley

We stayed here recently but weren't impressed unfortunately. This review is only about the accommodation. The restaurant was fantastic and I'll review it separately. The view was lovely, the room was clean, but there were 3 issues that mean we won't be back. First, pillows were tall and firm, which is a bad pairing with a soft bed, we both woke up with sore necks. Bed preferences are of course personal. If you like tall firm pillows and a soft bed you might like it here. Second, the bathroom amenities are a lovely brand but the products in our room were empty, I couldn't wash my hair. A good shower and a good night's sleep is kind of the basic expectation for a hotel and I don't think we got what we paid for here. Third, the service. I left some property in the room, and phoned after we left to ask if someone could go to the room and hold it at reception for me to come back. Although I believe no-one had checked into the room yet, they said we had to wait until housekeeping finished for the day and brought lost property to reception, they couldn't spare anyone to go by the room and get it, and wouldn't call housekeeping to ask. Of course, it turned out later that housekeeping hadn't found it (understandable, since they weren't told to look for it) and by the time this was discovered, someone had of course checked into the room. They said they'd ask housekeeping to check the next day and call me back, but of course no-one did, by then probably my stuff was gone. Of course I wish I hadn't left it, but people do leave stuff at hotels occasionally, and it's really not too much to ask at a hotel charging this much for someone to take 2 minutes to check. For the price, the whole experience was really disappointing. As I mentioned above, the restaurant was lovely and we really enjoyed that, this is a review about the accommodation. Service: 1

We were given a gift of an overnight stay with dinner and breakfast. The room was spacious, well equipped and spotlessly clean. The staff are very welcoming and friendly and catered to all our needs. The restaurant had great views of the Yarra Valley, and the food was delicious. The restaurant staff were very efficient and very friendly. We had a great experience. Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5

I always give a good review where appropriate and this was very, very appropriate. If I could give the experience of our stay here it would not be limited to 5 stars. Service was first class and so friendly. Food was excellent; the steak I had was at the very top of its class. Location is picturesque. Views from both our room and the restaurant were amazing. Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Great view, Romantic

Exceptional service, especially the lady hosting wine tasting. Stayed in the newly renovated rooms, it was OK. The taps drove me nuts especially the shower, and you can hear people talking outside downstairs even with everything closed. Rooms were generally clean but could do with a broom to the cobwebs outside. Dining at 1309 was superb, from service to food for both dinner and breakfast. Would I return? Maybe. There's not many higher end accommodation at Yarra unfortunately and the overall Yarra standards are lower than Melbourne city. Between here and Chateau Yering I would still pick here. All in all we had a pleasant stay, thank you. Rooms: 4 Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Romantic

We booked a buffet breakfast for 2 adults and our toddler. We're local to the valley and just wanted to do something different, and we love hotel buffets! Great range of food, smoothies, pancakes, chia pudding. $35 a head is definitely reasonable, especially given toddlers are free (he ate 2 pancakes and a chipolata). Staff we're lovely and everything was very clean. Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Great view, Kid-friendly