Binna Burra Lodge — Hotel in Binna Burra

I've been coming here on and off since I was a kid, and just completed another stay here with my own kid this time.

You should come to Binna Burra if: you like big trees. Really big! And great views. Lamington national park is world heritage listed for good reason. your idea of a good holiday involves spending most of the day outdoors, mostly hiking on marked trails, then coming back for a hot shower, substantial but not fancy meal, and a real bed. you're craving a break from the big city, or want a change of pace from the gold coast fake-tan vibe, and you don't want to look at a screen (or have the kids ask for one) for several days you like a place with a bit of history to it, not something that got thrown up by a developer yesterday.

The main lodge itself consists of about 30 rooms ('cabins'). The nicest are Acacia, Banksia in the middle and then Casuarina is cheaper and has shared bathrooms. There's a communal lounge with an open fire (it gets chilly!), a dining room with a lovely view and a small bar, a terrace that's nice for watching the sunset, and a gift shop. Some other reviewers rated rooms as ''dated" but many of the buildings at Binna Binna are actually heritage listed and so "dated" is kinda the point! They were built over 80 years ago in a log cabin kind of style, and there's laws about how much the owners can actually change them. If you prefer a more modern look try the Acacia rooms, not Banksia.

Then a bit further away there are also the newer built self-contained "sky lodges" (apartments, quite modern inside), a campground with some safari tents, and a bunkhouse you can use with large groups, plus a small conference centre. There's a 'nature play' playground which my 3yo loves, some grassy lawns where the Paddymelons (mini wallabys) come out in the evening, and lots of hiking trails.

The lodge runs a varying activity program every day, some guided hikes, a big flying fox (zipline), abseiling, spotlight night walks, nature talks, yoga, campfire etc. You can get a massage but there isn't a day spa. There's a lot of weekend long special events e.g. astromomy, photography yoga but you have to book early. Most people are mainly here for hiking/birdwatching/free ranging the kids.

I wouldn't come here if your idea of an 'eco lodge' is basically a day spa with fancy food and a view. This place has been an eco lodge since waaay before the word was even invented, guests used to come in by horse and cart! But it played a founding role in the Australian environmental movement and so it's green credentials are legit. We found the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly (thanks for encouraging my kid to eat her veggies!) but there's not loads of staff so had to wait a little bit at check in this time.

The food is OK, but not amazing, but you get a lot of it after (or before) a big days walk and it's all buffet so something even for my picky kid. If you are staying in the sky lodges and bringing your own food there's a handy Woolworth's in Nerang, about 40 mins from the Lodge on the way in.

Some other reviewers mentioned the road in has potholes. They were doing roadworks as we came in and I didn't see any potholes, so may be now fixed. The 1.15 hr drive from the Gold Coast does include some narrow, windy road for 30 mins so go slow and careful and stop frequently 'cause the views are awesome!

Overall, great stay and...

Well, where to begin. The place gets two stars for the shower's water pressure, and the water was perhaps surprisingly warm considering the state of the rest of the place... and the bed was reasonably comfy. But that’s where the fun ends.

We stayed in room 34 of the Acacia units. Our room was a dump to be honest and very cold – it was colder inside than outside, even in November. The bathroom existed in this weird transient space as an afterthought, feeling outside but technically inside and even colder than the rest of the room. The walls are also very thin; you can learn a lot about your neighbours through them. Our view was of a neighbouring roof.

The heater in the room also seemed to have suffered an electrical fault so we unplugged it from the wall and brought the issue up with reception to be met with a flippant response as if they didn’t care about their guests’ comfort or the fact that it easily could have burnt the place to the ground.

You can also retain the authenticity of a 1930s-built place without subjecting your guests to Depression-era downfalls. The room was small enough for two people, can’t imagine how a family would fare. The accommodation is incredibly basic for the price, and everything just needs an update; things are falling apart.

Real estate agents would like to use the terms ‘rustic’ and ‘cozy’ – in real terms, that means ‘run down’ and ‘in need of a refurb.’ But why would you spend money doing that when you don’t need to? The place is obviously very popular with a captive market and if you’re spending literally all day hiking and only need a place to crash then you probably don’t care what the place looks like.

I booked this place as a weekend getaway type of deal with a bit of hiking involved. But the main aim was relaxation. Word of advice, the prices are hard to swallow, but try to spring for the Sky Lodges if you can – when we asked to upgrade it was an extra $170-something a night, which was unpalatable. Activities within the ‘resort’ are also pricey for what they seemed, so we spent our time on Tamborine Mountain instead.

The restaurant was perhaps the worst aspect of the resort, with bain marie slop served up by ‘lunchlady’ types, and with a stiff price of $45 a head. The food was lukewarm and lacked any real flavour, as well as having rubbery texture. Luckily breakfast was included in our package, but it, too, would have been about $30 a head for much the same deal. Service is bang average, resembling more Fawlty Towers than a reputable company.

Would definitely not stay here again, and would advise if you're looking to do walks in the area to simply do them, then drive somewhere else to rest your head in the hinterland. There are many great places to stay in the Scenic Rim and for Binna Burra to survive it will have to pick...

With 3 nights and 3 dinners it cost us nearly $1000 to stay in hostel like conditions We watched 4 different people come to reception and complain their room was dirty and atrocious, they wanted another room. They were told it was full but they could upgrade and pay $150 more a night for the sky lodge which was the advertised pictures. Otherwise too bad. Despite having consecutive people complain at the hostel-like conditions for their expensive room, staff responded in a derisive manner asking "have you even SEEN the room?" No Duvet covers. They wrap the naked duvet in 2 sheets with an army blanket on top Housekeeping do not change sheets or towels even when you follow directions and leave them in the shower. Bed was barely made, sheets not tucked in, looked like pillows thrown at bed. The towels were left wet in the bottom of the shower. The bed was uncomfortable and small, a double with thin pillows. Smelled like it had been sprayed with bug spray, my lips and nose were tingling and I couldn't stop sneezing No microwave or facilities aside from a tiny fridge and jug in the room No restaurant or cafe open before 9:30am or past 3:30pm except for the one on site, the rest are an hour away. Obviously no room service. If you miss a meal time you're on your own, and they don't serve lunch. The onsite shop has 2 cans of soup No air flow through the room, the carpet was and remained wet the entire 4 day stay No supermarket within 45 minutes drive Restaurant onsite is $45 a person for dinner which is 3 course buffet, it is average food and not worth it but there's no alternative. Soup entree didn't even come one night and buffet is portion control served to you It is $30 a person for breakfast- the closest cafe doesn't open till 9:30am No overhead fan or air con First room we were in was above the men's shower and shared onsite toilets, and had no bathroom-asked to be moved and was reluctantly moved to a smaller room but with it's own toilet. No option for partial or full refund Room exorbitant price and not advertised with actual photos, photos advertised were sky lodges. No parking near rooms "Free afternoon tea and morning tea" a small plate of biscuits quickly gone The safari tents in the camping area were very similar to our accommodation except they were $95 cheaper and supplied cooking equipment Full disclosure on what you need to bring and proper pictures of what you were getting with the rooms would have been better. Views were stunning. Staff were friendly and were helpful as best they could. Lamington cafe at the bottom of the hill had standard prices with good food and excellent coffee National parks and walks...