Bubbletent Australia — Hotel in Running Stream

We stayed in the Virgo Bubbletent in early Feb 2021. Our two night stay was absolutely perfect and had everything.

The bubble tent itself was surprisingly large. It was clean and well equipped, even having its own bathroom with toilet and basin. The bed and linen were clean and comfortable. The air conditioning was a Godsend, and I recommend paying extra for the Virgo tent with its air conditioning versus the other bubble tents. The outdoor kitchen / barbecue area was also well equipped. To be honest though, we didn't even fire up the fire pit as we spent the entirety of each night in the Swedish hot tub!

Our first night had a clear, moonless sky, and the stars were magnificent. We spent about 4 hours in the hot tub just laying back looking in awe at the Milky Way and spotting satellites and shooting stars. Our second night we had a series of storms around us. So we spent about 4 hours in the hot tub watching lighting and storms out across the valley in front of us, as well as rolling in behind us.

Before dawn the mist and clouds were settled in the valley below, but as soon as the sun hit the mist and started warming them the situation changed rapidly. We went from still, pre-dawn mist to a crisp clear sunrise, to being engulfed in fog rolling up the hill and over the bubble tent, then back to clear skies all in about 1 hour. So don't sleep too long or you'll miss it!

Our caretaker, Brendan, was very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. He messaged to check on us as the storms rolled through.

Since we stayed 2 nights we had a full day to hike around the area and see the sights. This was a lovely hike, which included seeing plenty of Kangaroos and a lizard or two.

Overall, we highly recommend Bubbletent Australia. It is a "must visit" experience. Below are some tips to help you maximise your experience.

TIPS: -HOT TUB: The moment you arrive, start the fire for the hot tub and be sure to use the provided foam cover to cover the hot tub water. The water will warm up much faster and be ready for the early evening. Also, if you are staying in Virgo with air conditioning, turn up your air con temp when heading up to the hot tub so that your bubble tent is toasty warm when you return. The evenings were quite chilly for us even in early Feb, so you'll be cold after making the dash from the hot tub to the tent.

-Take you head lamp torches and footwear with you up to the hot tub so that you can see where you are walking when you make your way back to the bubble tent once it's dark. There are some creepy crawlies around once it's dark (just going about their business), so wear some footwear and use your lamps to get around in the dark. We didn't have any issues with creepy crawlies inside the tent though.

-HIKING: If you are staying for 2 nights we highly recommend hiking to all the lookout points. It took us about 4 hours, however, we did miss the track down toward lookout 5 and ended up having to double back. To find the track down toward lookouts 5, 6 and 7, head to the large water tank on top of the hill. The track is on the far side and runs below the water tank. Wear long pants if visiting all the lookouts as the path is quite overgrown at some points (namely heading down to Face Rock). It is a tough hike down to lookouts 5, 6 and 7 as there are lots of steep hills. So take plenty of water, sun block cream and a packed lunch.

-If you do go hiking, you and your partner should check each other for ticks. This is good practice whenever doing any bushland hiking.

-If you're looking for a great location to propose to your partner, this is it!

-If you're tossing up between 1 or 2 nights, we recommend going for 2 as you'll get to relax and enjoy your stay more. The weather is highly dynamic, and we had two completely different experiences across the two nights.

-If you want to maximise the view of the stars, check the lunar cycle then try to book your stay on nights...

What an incredible experience! We were lucky enough to go to Virgo and it felt like we had the entire Capertee National Park at our doorstep. Coming from Sydney, it isn't very often that you get to feel completely isolated from civilisation. Bubbletent provides exactly that, with truly breathtaking views and hints of luxury.

Bubbletent provides the perfect mix of luxury and nature - taking the concept of glamping to the highest levels. And that's important to remember, that this is glamping after all. There are plenty of insects, we had cows come into our site multiple times (and leave nasty surprises!), there is a bucket (with mulch) to use as a lavatory and the cooking equipment is nothing flash. If you're one for 5-Star Hotel minimum luxury, this will NOT be the experience for you.

However, if you're looking to experience all of the perks of camping and solitude as comfortably as possible this will be right up your alley! It is very expensive, but is the perfect experience to treat yourself and your partner to.

Highlights: The view. It will truly take your breath away. It is simply so vast and picturesque that it's worth the price of admission.

The stars. The most common reason people come, being able to fall asleep under stars (in the comfort of an air conditioned tent) is a truly unforgettable experience. Unfortunately the stars aren't as clear as you would hope from inside the tent because of tiny creases in the plastic material.

The shower. I love alfresco showers but this is truly the epitome of alfresco showers! Showering nude with an entire National Park in front of you is quite the experience.

The solitude. Not having another human within cooee (apart from the other possible tent guests hundreds of metres away) is incredibly nice. It almost feels like it's just you (and your partner) alone on the earth.

Lowlights: The LACK OF SHADE. There may be a reason behind why they don't put up a small sunshade on the property, but the lack of shaded area is something that needs to be addressed. The tent is far too hot to stay in during sunny days even with the aircon on, and with many guests simply wanting to stay on the property instead of driving or hiking, there needs to be more shade provided to escape the harsh rays of the sun.

The cleanliness. Everything needs a thorough clean. Yes this is glamping, but when guests are paying $700+ per night, you need to make sure that everything is well cleaned and sanitised between guests. The bubble interior surfaces, cooking equipment and mess kit just weren't as clean as we would have hoped.

The poo. Having the cows come by for a visit was nice at first, but their constant presence was getting annoying - and then they left some really horrible surprises that sullied the whole experience. To their credit, the staff offered to remove the cows and poo but it was all a bit late.

Top Tips: Bring an SUV or Sedan at the least. The driveway is a killer with potholes and undulated, unsealed road. Do not bring a hatchback!

Check the weather before you come. Luckily we did, and packed very warm clothes for the night (even in November!).

You'll need less clothes and less food than you think. But bring enough to make sure you don't run out.

Watch the instructional videos if you run into trouble. They help a lot. Figuring things out by yourself can also be fun ... it's almost like an outdoor...

Filing an official complain to NSW trading for breach of Australian consumer law under duty of care (S60) ||There are many five stars review and i can understand them but thats once something goes south its all bust. (take a look at the number of 1 star reviews before spending close to a grand!) This company is dismissive and unapologetic in their responses. There are many picture perfect hotels in this beautiful country. But i am sure none with this level of entitlement. I have stayed in so many different airbnb, hotels, hostels but never have i fell so compelled to warn people so badly.||Heating not working on a night of 4 degrees left us shivering at night. Told us to prove temperature of the tent, anyone carries a room temperature around? Under tncs of “Sunshields and Features” of the booking if the heating fails it not their problem.||We paid 900AUD for a “luxury accommodation” in the Ophiuchus and as the website put it, it had a geothermal system at 20celsius. There was no indicator of temperature in tent and it just stopped functioning some point at night. (This heating system does not indicate anyway if its functioning or if its working like a regular AC)||At around 11pm, i went to bed with four layers of clothes (2X inner wear, hiking pants,down jacket, scarf), 2x layers of blanket. It was still bearably cold but at around 3am, we woke up FREEZING the weather was 4 degree outside and feel like temperature was -4. It was so cold that i was chattering and we had to call the caretaker if we could check if the system is working, he told us to use the extra blankets (which we were already using) and he can only check in the morning. We were never warned to be prepared for a night out in close to freezing temperatures and from the lack of items found in the room neither were they. If 20degree is what they promise and they cant deliver there should be backup items to prevent guest from freezing.||Guy came down at 8.30am, checked and confirmed that the system is spoilt and they had to call the technician down. We checked out at 10am and the heating never recovered.||We wrote in to officially request a refund for this terrible ordeal which i believe to be fair and even generous considering the circumstances. we simply asked to be compensated for a service that was not delivered as promised. Especially after enduring a freezing night and giving the property a chance to respond before posting this. A $50 refund for a $900 stay is not just insulting — it’s a complete disregard of guest welfare and their own advertised standards. I even wrote in a month earlier to check on the heating and nothing is highlighted in their reply||Please think twice before supporting a...