Woodman Estate - Lakeside Luxury Accommodation — Hotel in Melbourne

"We booked a two night package in Dec. 2020. We arrived as requested at 2.20pm. The Receptionist was on the phone and after 15 minutes waiting for some attention, we were shown to our room. Our package included High Tea which started at 3pm and we had been traveling since 6am, so we just freshened up and dashed to the restaurant 10 minutes late. High tea was lovely, the staff were professional and the food good, it was relaxing and enjoyable.||We returned to our room and looked around. Oh Dear, this was the smallest hotel room we had experienced, ever. The only place to open a small suitcase was an expanding rack. When this was open and had a suitcase on it we had to squeeze between it and the bed resulting in a grazed shin and several stubbed toes. To get to the tea making facilities we had to make this journey several times, as these facilities were in the wardrobe, our poor toes!||The bathroom was spacious but a little shabby. Two 'white' bathrobes on the back of the door were decidedly grey and needed replacing.||There was no fan or air conditioning and one small window so the bedroom was stuffy.||One of the cups was chipped and particularly in times of Covid this is not good!||On the second day the bed was not made, tea, coffee and toilet paper were not replenished, nor were the rubbish bins emptied.||However, the best was yet to come. In the morning when we got up there was NO HOT WATER for a shower!. We went down to the reception at 9 am. to ask that this be fixed. There was no one there,... anywhere! I rang the front door bell in and effort to attract attention and a helpful young waiter came from the dining room. He could not have been more polite or helpful but all he could offer was a phone call to the manager. We had breakfast which we enjoyed and returned to reception, still no one there!||We finally met Rick as we were about to go out and he agreed that the water was indeed cold but it would be fixed immediately. However, after returning from sight seeing, and looking forward to our first hot shower of the day we discovered we now had NO water. We were informed that WHEN there was a problem with the hot water they chose mid afternoon to turn the water off so the plumber could fix it. How many times does the hot water go off then????? Finally we had showers and a lovely dinner,||Next morning we went to reception about 9.45pm to pay our final bill for dinner the previous night. Well, you have probably guessed, there no one there, I should add that we were not the only guests waiting for assistance on these visits to reception. After waiting ten minutes I found the waiter again and explained we were to catch the ferry from Sorrento and couldn't wait much longer. I also wanted to speak to Rick regarding our disappointing stay. We arranged that the waiter would explain we had to leave and that the amount owing would be charged to our credit card. He asked if we had used anything from the bar fridge. We laughed, what bar fridge? There was a small empty fridge in the room but that was as close as we got!||Was that the final episode? Well no.. We waited and waited for the money to be charged. Finally on 15th of Feb 2021, two months later the amount was charged to our credit card. No invoice was received, no reminder that the deduction was to be made.||Would we recommend Woodman Estate, absolutely not, unless you just wanted to use the restaurant. Would we ever go back, NO! There are too many well run places to stay, which is a pity because it could have been so nice , with beautiful gardens, a small lake and good food but it was promoted as luxurious and worth the higher price and it certainly...

I was at Woodman's Estate 7 nights for the rejuvenation package after my mom passed away. The experience here was amazing. I stayed in one of the three lakeside chalets, and found it recharging and relaxing. I felt so cared for by the staff.

The grounds are simply lovely, with roses and lavender in the garden, a herb patch and big trees cocooning you. A bird watcher dream with many assorted ducks, egrets, eagles and wader birds in the lake. Pesky cows in nearby pastures. There is a short lakeside walk which takes you through native trees and crunching over pine needles... Room amenities are great, with a comfy wingback armchair and stool, suitably squishy couch, luxury mattress which has a Sealy topper for comfort, the Yarra coffee available in room was delicious, and yes, I love the new Sonos system (Wireless speakers!!) --so cool; gotta get those at home! Minibar is also well-stocked for those who are wondering.

Woodman's also has a wellness centre onsite, a short stroll from the chalet. My massages and facials were very good-- thanx Elizabeth. My TCM acupuncture therapy helped me process emotions and calm my mind-- thanx Dr. Stephanie. My personal trainer was wholistic, leading me with long walks, pilates and mindfulness. She was kind and knew her stuff! She also provided grief counselling (she's qualified to do so) which got me back in touch with my body space-- thanx Jeanette.

The food service was remarkable, not only attention to detail, but considering alternate diets, and yummy as well. Woodman's catered to my lactose-free needs with loving kindness. In food, I want to say a big thanks to George for your thoughtfulness and brilliant evening service, and to Ian for your attentiveness on my first night here. Thanks Chef David for making up such delicious meals always, and especially for crafting the chocolate muffins, and the various strawberry platters-- love hearts! Thanks to the servers as well-- Harry, keep at the wine knowledge; you'll get it and shine. Amy, for your helpfulness and divine coffee-making skills. Anyone else in the kitchen who I've missed-- many thanks!

Thanks also to Jen who does a little bit of everything on site, from serving breakfast to cleaning, to getting mozzies out of my room and general everyone's go-to --she's a gift!! Thanx Jen so much for making my bed up amost every day and our lovely chats over breakfast.   Last of all, Rick Woodman-- thank you for making my stay so perfect and being the ultimate host.

Room to improve? I think Woodman's is a beautiful place. I'd love to see flyscreen doors in the chalets, a chance to purchase your fluffy robes, and the option for art therapy, or an onsite painting experience with a local artist.

Notes for guests? Make sure to bring a camera. The estate, as well as the nearby parks and wineries are picturesque. Also, you'll probably spend a bit more than your prepared package, if you visit here. It's not that there are hidden costs per se, but that the products and services made available at Woodman's are quite tempting-- Extra wine? Yes please! Room service? Yep! Lavish spa products for takehome? Definitely. Woodman's jams and chutney? Oh, yes! ...it adds up.

Well, a long review from me. I hope others really give this place a go. It's worth it.

A big 5 stars from me, for a 5 star retreat. I hope to visit again very soon for a shorter experience, just to continue this act of self love. Highly recommend!!

-Autumn

P.S. I took so many photos, but will only add a few here. You deserve to discover all the treasures at Woodman's Estate...

Arrived on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm checking in for a couple of days of hot springs action with the lovely wife for her birthday. At the time high tea was in full swing and we were greeted by Rick who offered us a cup of tea or coffee which we appreciated after our drive. He took us to the reading room to fill in the paperwork and returned with our coffee but also a tray of cakes. Once we had finished he took us on a tour of the main house and then surprised us when he took us to our room which was the spa suite. I had booked the garden suite but they had upgraded us for Maggies birthday. There was quite a bit of difference in the cost of the 2 options around $450 for the 2 nights. We had booked the 7 course degustation dinner in the dining room. The wine list was fantastic with some wines there quite difficult to find anywhere, so we chose a bottle and the food started coming awesome had a great dining experience and being a Sunday night there was only 1 other table. Breakfast the next morning, whatever you want and its fresh and beautiful and well cooked then a day at the springs and back to woodman estate for dinner in the other restaurant where you can order the dishes we had sampled at the degustation or try something different. Again the service and food were faultless we were the only ones in there but it was Monday night. When I booked I asked if the restaurant was open they told me not usually but they would open it for us which they did. Above and beyond the entire experience. Accommodation was spacious and very clean & the food fresh and the best produce from around the Mornington...