Ferntree Rainforest Lodge — Hotel in Cape Tribulation

Mold! Mildew! Bugs! Yes, it's all part of the experience of staying somewhere in a rainforest.

We are avid travellers who enjoy visiting places that are "off the beaten path" and we are not fussy, so things rarely bother us. We've slept in under the stars, and in tents, RVs & a variety of hotels.

Based on many reviews, staying in a cabin at the Ferntree Lodge sounded like a perfect adventure. It turned out to be an adventure, for sure, but not a positive one.

Sadly, the Ferntree Lodge is in a state of serious disrepair, and they (& apparently some guests who have written recent glowing reviews) are using the rainforest climate as an excuse for a lack of proper maintenance.

The mold and mildew in our cabin had obviously been there for some time (check out the photo of the ceiling fan😳), and while most of the bugs were alive, some of them had been squished on the wall by previous visitors (or possibly the housekeeping staff) and left there (check out the photo of the squished bugs). Yuck!

But wait, there's more! How about the ripped and torn cover on the box spring hanging down from the bed? (Yup, there's photo.) The massive amount of mildew on the curtains? The orange water from an unknown origin that showed up on the bathroom floor during the night? (We will spare you a photo of this one...) The shower that constantly dripped. The curtains that were covered in cobwebs...except for the upstairs windows, which had no curtains. The lack of screens on the windows meant that we couldn't open the windows without letting even more bugs (and maybe an occasional bat) in. Oh, and the smell. We know what mildew smells like, and we were prepared. We aren't exactly sure what the smell was in our cabin, but we are guessing it was an attempt to use some sort of cleaning solution to mask the mildew odor. It failed, and made it worse. (An added bonus was this smell followed us home, as every piece of clothing that was in the cabin absorbed the "delightful" odor.) On a positive note, the sheets seemed to be clean (if slightly damp), although all of the blankets had several holes in them.

But wait! The grounds are beautiful, you say. Yes, they are lovely and the reception area is intriguing. The pool area looks inviting (except for the surrounding rooms that look as though they haven't been occupied for years). Fancy a game of pool? You're in luck! There is a pool table. But...there are so many rips and tears in the felt on the table that it's not usable (indeed, we have a photo). Need to visit the public toilet while strolling the grounds or eating at the on-site restaurant? They are conveniently located just a few steps away! Too bad that no one has cleaned them for years, if not decades (the photo of the disgusting door covered with black is from inside one of the stalls).

We had seen previous reviews and took both the good ones and bad ones with a grain of salt (as always). We had high hopes that this would be a great adventure and a positive experience. We were ready for the mold, mildew and bugs. We weren't ready for the other "bonuses" Ferntree offered. Unless someone is used to camping...in the rain...in a years' old tent that is filled with holes, has never been cleaned & smells horrible, we aren't sure how anyone could rate this place higher than a 1 (& that's being generous).

Perhaps, at some point in the past, the Ferntree Lodge was a "luxury" resort, as it says on the restaurant's menu. Today however, it's far from a luxury resort, and clearly does not match many of the photos posted on several of the booking sites.

If you want a relaxing stay in a simple, clean location, consider going elsewhere. The only good thing about our experience at the Ferntree Lodge was when we saw it in the...

This was the second time we have stayed but this time in family unit #54/55 (2 bedrooms) with 18 and 17 yo granddaughters at $300 PN Allowances must be made by travellers coming to this beautiful, remote, difficult-to-service, cottage complex. Be aware this place offers only BASIC and spartan accommodation that I would rate at barely 3 stars . With obvious remote area delivery difficulties in a short-staffed post pandemic stay our two rooms were well cleaned and kitchen utensils etc all in v good condition ( though lacking any milk, a coffee plunger or teapot), good fridge, 2 toilets/showers, good air con and squeezy veranda table with good Weber BBQ (the only cooker apart from Microwave).

We had issues: Wooden floors and roller wheels on beds with no furniture cups meant beds roll each direction; there are just 3 double beds (2 in one room, 1 in the other, no queens or kings) and were too small for us as a larger couple and there was only one pillow on each; 2 extra pillows in cupboard had no pillow slip; no other bedroom furniture…no bedside tables, no reading lights; no suitcase stand; no wall decorations anywhere, 2 bedrooms but no lounge room furniture beyond a 2 seater sofa, a good TV, a coffee table and 2 stools against kitchen bench,. There is no in-room wifi and a clutch of backpackers were lounging in the reception area where service is available…not in restaurant. We were able to stream using our own Apple TV and hot-spotting from our Telstra phones, an improvement on last year. There was a ceiling fan in our lounge room blowing a gale but no apparent means to turn it down or off...though we found this later behind a curtain. The lighting throughout was interrogation-intensity non-dimmable white light. The bar in the restaurant opened for service at 4pm but no snack option ( not even a bag of crisps) available, Open Table app use was requested prior to arrival to book for dinner and breakfast…an unsuitable and annoying app for in-house bookings. We could not make the Breakfast part of it work but no problem with walk-up breakfast/coffee.

The restaurant area is beautifully set in the rainforest and we were warned meal service would be slow (it was) and deliveries by inexperienced staff were late so one of our party got her meal after the rest had finished. Main meal prices $35- $40 . Three options had croc included. I had the barramundi which was nice and well cooked but it sat on a bed of cold, flowing, dressing-heavy coleslaw and luke warm crushed potato . It was OK, just.

As a long time hospitality industry operator I appreciate the many post-pandemic staffing and servicing difficulties this (and many businesses are facing) at a period of extremely high demand following 2 years of lockdowns. The owners are to be admired for their efforts to present a memorable eco-experience in what is one of the most challenging natural environments imaginable but I think the in-cottage experience for guests should be very substantially improved for me to rate the overall experience above 4 stars. It’s good value for money but not as pleasurable as...

The location and style of Ferntrees is beautiful, with easy access to the beach and walks, and the check-in experience was friendly and informative. However, I have stayed in hundreds of hotels, some of which cost less than $20 per night in SE Asia, and have never given a rating this low. The Triple Room my wife and I had at Ferntrees for $170 per night was dirty and so poorly maintained that things just didn’t function. We chose this room as it was for just one night and all we needed was a clean environment and a hot shower, neither of which we got.

We live in Cairns so we accept that keeping up with the damp and mould in the tropics and rainforest is a challenge, and understand that Ferntrees power and water is produced “off-grid”; that is no excuse for grime build-up. It appears that any cleaning of these cabins is a sweep or a vacuum only as there were cobwebs on the walls, dirt build up in and out of the shower, the doors including cupboard doors had a dirty film over them that would easily clean off if given even a basic wipe over. The floor could do with a decent wash as our feet became dirty from walking on it meaning we had to clean our feet to get into bed. Thankfully the bedding was clean though.

In terms of maintenance, when we turned on the shower taps nothing came out at all. After my wife saying to just leave them on for a few minutes and see what happens, water finally began to trickle and then flow. However, despite all my efforts at balancing the hot and cold, it would of its own accord run dangerously hot and then just switch after a minute or so to stone cold! There was no in between. So we weren’t able to shower properly for dinner and by that time of the day reception had closed for us to express our complaint.

One bedside lamp did not work, the windows couldn’t be opened as they had no screens despite the insects in the tropics, the bathroom door creaked loudly when opened, disturbing partner sleep, and the towel rail kept falling off the wall despite being very careful placing your towel there. The inside of the vanity cupboard leaked dark dirty water when the sink was used which prevented storing our bathroom needs in there. The freezer part of the mini fridge was also iced up, stopping us from having our own freezer blocks cooled for when we departed. I understand that we were staying in 3 star accommodation but that should not mean a dirty and poorly maintained room that left us feeling disappointed in our experience at Ferntrees.

The on-site Cassowary Restaurant was a lovely setting amongst the rainforest, the food was good without being exceptional, and the staff were friendly. However, the cleanliness again left a lot to be desired. We saw several occasions where tables were cleared after people finished, yet the tables were not wiped down before the next couple or group arrived. Our table also felt like it had not been wiped down before we sat there and we had to wipe it over ourselves. We also saw other people wiping down the table with their serviettes after they sat down.

We won’t be back...