Wilderness House — Hotel in Margaret River

I have not stayed at Wilderness House but recently went through the site Airbnb to book two nights in November (since cancelled). It’s a cautionary tale for others and one I wish to share. Others seem to have good things to say about host Gayle Cornould’s amenities, the cleanliness of the property and its facilities so I am happy to give the benefit of the doubt here. My experience with her lays elsewhere:||||1. The misrepresentation of her accommodation on the Airbnb site||||My requirement when searching for accommodation was for two separate bedrooms, single occupancy for each. At the time I booked, the Wilderness House Airbnb site clearly stated that the accommodation was for “entire house, two bedrooms, two beds”. I have screen grabs of the site outlining this and it was on this basis that I booked. Host Gayle Cornould confirmed my booking with an email saying, however, that the accommodation was only for two people in a suite. When I queried this and said that I had booked on the basis of two bedrooms, she said it was stated “clearly” on the Airbnb website that only a suite was available with another bed available for the room if I wanted. In an attempt to try and settle this, I then offered to take the other suite but she said she didn’t offer single occupancy, that I should “book at Quality Inn” and I could take it up with Airbnb if I wanted – oh, and this was her final email on the matter. She said I could cancel the booking at no cost to myself. I had no alternative but to do so.||||On 1 August 2017, several hours after the confusion she caused with my booking due to her inaccurate and misleading website, she changed the description of her site. I took this as a clear admission that her original description was inaccurate. ||||If anyone wants the full transcript of emails between Ms Cournould and myself, as well as fuller screen grabs, I’m happy to provide them. ||||2. The refund of my deposit||||When it became clear that Ms Cornould would not accommodate my attempts at a settlement, as mentioned above she said in email correspondence that I could get my deposit back at no cost to myself. When I went to do this, I discovered that only 50% would be refunded. I referred this to her and she did not reply. I emailed again and her answer was “You have to cancel the booking directly with Airbnb I can't”. This was patently untrue as the Airbnb site said that the 50% deposit refund was with agreement with the host, ie her. Again, I emailed her and reminded her that she had undertaken to refund my deposit to me at no cost to myself. It was only then that she contacted Airbnb, which is what she should have done in the first place. Airbnb immediately contacted me to arrange for my entire deposit to be refunded. It took four attempts I should not have had to make in the first place before she acted. Her actions were stalling, blocking and deceptive - at best. ||||3. Her conduct||||When she realised that this transaction was not straightforward, ie I had booked on the premise of two bedrooms, her manners deserted her. For example, rather than try to reach a resolution with me or accommodate me, her solution was to tell me “Use quality inn if you want an alternative option”. She was curt in her dealings. For example, “This is my final reply on this issue and you can consult directly with Airbnb if you wish”. She lacked integrity. For example, the way she dealt with the refund of my deposit. And, she failed to take any responsibility for this matter by not apologising or even being the slightest bit courteous. I might not have been a customer this time but I might have come back and recommended...

LOCATION: a tranquil bushland setting, the house was easy enough to find, and is located five minutes to Prevally Beach one way, and about ten minutes to Margaret River CBD. We had a regular kangaroo mum and her joey each morning, plus lots of birdlife. Whether you're in your room, or the communal lounge room, you've always got windows full of nature.||||ROOMS: Gayle has done a lovely job with the interior styling, and it feels very relaxing. The north-facing room had a high peaked ceiling, huge bed, TV, side tables, wardrobe, sitting chair. The blue-tiled bathroom was beautiful and large, complete with hairdryer (and scales?!) and large towels. The shower had a trio of shampoo/conditioner/shower gel, and unlike many hotels where you wouldn't touch the cheap hair products, these ones were good. You have your own private little outdoor setting too. Our only complaint with the room was that the curtains didn't cover the whole large window out to the garden. For many people, this 400mm wide strip offers a beautiful window to nature, a bonus where you can see the birds feed on the nuts and nectar. For us it meant we were waking up at 5am every morning, and pillows over the head didn't seem to do enough to block out the light. Make your own choice as to what's important to you – a sleep-in, or a light-filled window to nature.||||AMENITIES: There is a communal lounge room to chill out in, with books/brochures about the area, along with tables inside and out. A little kitchenette has a toaster, kettle, sink, mini-fridge. Later, after our day out and wanting an afternoon tea, I found that there were no clean cups, and only two dirty cups (from the other guests' breakfast/morning tea) – I found it odd that there wouldn't be more cups available other than for breakfast. There was washing-up liquid and a tea towel available however. The next day though, there were four clean cups later in the day, so just an oversight that day it seems.||||FOOD: breakfast options include mini-cereals and milk, muesli and yoghurt, bananas or berries, orange juice, tea and coffee (instant or percolated), croisants, multigrain or white bread, the usual toppings (vegemite, honey etc). Poached eggs on toast are available on request. We certainly didn't leave hungry!||||Would we stay here again? ||Probably not due to the window/light/sleep issue being important to us. For 5am early risers, this would be a bonus not an issue.||||Would we recommend others to...

My partner and I stayed at Wilderness House for 2 nights, but truly wished we could have stayed longer. Gayle was a friendly and welcoming host, who went out of her way to ensure we had everything we wanted, including giving us some advice on where to eat in town. The house is stylishly decorated, and the bed was wonderfully comfortable to sink into after a long day of winery tours. The bathroom is big enough to hold a party, with a fantastic rainfall shower too. Breakfast was plentiful and fresh, and if you aren't eating out in town, I highly recommend an evening of your own-cooked dinner on the back verandah, where you can listen to the sounds of the Aussie bush. Wilderness House is also only a few minutes' drive from Prevelly Beach, a stunning example of Australia's crystal clear waters and a great nearby place to watch the sun go down into the ocean. The directions were explained well by Gayle, but it was quite easy to find. If you're wanting somewhere that's in walking distance to amenities like shops and bars, then this place will not suit, however if you're wanting a bit of luxury in the peaceful surrounds of the beautiful bushland, then this is perfect. With only 2 rooms, you will never be crowded by other guests, a big bonus in my book!||I can't recommend this wonderful place enough, and will definitely be staying here when I next return to...