Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge — Hotel in Tasmania

Think Peppers, instantly think style, comfort, class and a sense of welcome - then note the hype & location of the CMR site you could reasonably assume that your are in for an amazing first class experience in the wilderness! And there is the first mistake - making an assumption. @peppers international really need to see how this site is representing their brand! Despite promising an experience that according to their website states "provides the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable holiday stay. With sweeping views and thoughtfully decorated pine cabins, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge draws limitless inspiration from the area, encompassing every element of the natural wonder that surrounds" the only inspiration we noticed was that mother nature is and should continue to reclaim the resort space. From the moment you try to step out of the car in the poorly signposted car park and roll an ankle in one of the pot holes you know this experience is going to be next level! Head into the reception area only to be greeted by internationals with English as a 2nd language and none of the confidence needed to work on the front line so therefore you receive some poor directions to your room but that's ok - they have marked out the pathway in highlighter on a stained A4 map sheet for you to try and follow..... Eventually locate the "cabin" using the map and car park signage only to be confused even further.... have we some how taken a time loop back to 1985 and am i on school camp again, nope cause the reality hits when i double check our bank account and confirm that we are $700 lighter for this one night experience. None the less the stale musty smell of the room invites you in and the first thing to do is lay your self down on the inviting double bed, this is short lived though as it appears the old blue and white stripped mattress made by Sealy in the 80's is suffering some spring sag. The mission of discovery starts early as we search for the thoughtful decorations as advertised but are yet again let down as the only thoughtful decoration was the toilet paper stuffed into a hole in the ceiling to block up either an old fire alarm of light point. It was also very thoughtful that the in room bar fridge was also turned off meaning nice warm beverages - guess its off to the Tavern then! Well now things get interesting! More internationals across the front line meant more room for interpretation, end result = guests getting the wrong things. Order off the sticky and thrashed out menu lists for there specified cocktails @ $25 a glass, get something totally different so decide to move on to food at the tavern. Overhear another barman mention that kitchen staff "dont know what they are in for tonight" which raises another concern but hey - only ordering a Schnitzel so how hard can it be? Haha - wrong again, until this "meal" i did not believe it possible to char grille something in a deep fryer. Worth complaining about? Yep so take my story to the bar and guy that served us looks all dazed and confused, no offer of to replace meal just takes another customer drinks order instead. Decide to order another beverage, this time off the "specials blackboard" being a Cranberry Cocktail - met with an even more confused look and question - what is this? Its, um, what you have listed on the board over there ..bud. Then finally ol mate with a beard comes up, good guy, appears to be local and he apologizes and helps get us sorted! Management needs, must stand up and accept responsibility for the lack of maintenance, training and false expectations that are placed in front of its guests. This is not 4 or 5 stars - its not even 3, the reality is it borders at that level. If it not for the location and lack of suitable options this "lodge" would have checked...

Review: The room was beautiful - we were in a King Billy Suite and it was lovely. The fire was wonderful to fall asleep to, and it was great to have a soak in the hot tub after a long walk.

From our first interaction when we checked in our experience with staff was off-putting - most were unhelpful, and all seemed to lack training in that they struggled to answer basic questions and gave inconsistent answers and service. The exception was the lady at the store who is delightful.

The breakfast buffet at Highlands was particularly disappointing. The food was poorly cooked and there was an extremely limited range. It was reminiscent of what you would receive on a school camp. On our first morning the scrambled eggs were essentially a block of eggs with the appearance and texture of a large omelette.

The bistro food was serviceable but over priced for what it is. Despite having a pizza oven, the pizza was unpleasant and the base lacked the scorched, crispness which you expect a pizza oven to produce.

The food in the Highland restaurant is average, but certainly not fine dining. We waited about 40 mins between starter and main despite ordering within 5 minutes of being seated. My husband had to order dessert twice as both times staff advised perhaps 10mins after ordering that the choice was unavailable. Then, despite advising he had a nut allergy when booking, and advising the waitress when trying to select a new dessert (where he was told none had nuts) he was served a dessert which contained peanuts. Thankfully he doesn’t experience anaphylaxis, but we left immediately because his reaction manifests as slightly swelling to the mouth and an upset stomach. The waitress told us she thought the nuts were honeycomb and when we were told kitchen staff had confirmed they were nuts, and we enquired what type, the answer was ‘they don’t know but probably peanuts’. Difficult to assume anything other than that the dessert is not made on-site. We were not charged for the desserts but were still charged almost $200 for a disappointing meal that made my husband ill for the rest of the night.

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon for a 4 night stay, and we were advised when we checked in and enquired that the spa was completely booked but they may be able to fit one person in Sunday afternoon. We were also advised that there would be no activities for the following two days, but possibly something Sunday, but they would let us know. On Friday we enquired about Sunday activities again and were advised the internet was down but reception would would once again be in touch. We still didn’t hear back and on Saturday morning when we followed-up were told there were no activities at all on the Sunday.

We are extremely sympathetic to the staffing difficulties all industries are experiencing, however it is frustrating to pay top dollar and and have a sub par experience. If the lodge is not able to provide a level of service and amenity to guests commensurate with the price and rating, I question why those prices are still being charged?

The one shining positive of our time was the breathtaking natural scenery and wildlife of the area, which unfortunately only makes the disappointing experience at the Lodge even more jarring. Every day we would return from an extraordinary day walking in the national park which is exquisite and beautifully maintained by TAS Parks and Rec, and there would be some issue or interaction with staff at the Lodge to weigh against that.

We will not be back and would not recommend the Lodge to others. There are numerous other accommodation options in the Cradle Mountain region which are more affordable, and in circumstances where the guest experience was so poor I’m not sure how the extra cost of the Lodge can possibly...

What a HUGE disappointment this hotel is. The room was $627 a night and is extremely overpriced. We stayed in cabin 22 which overlooks a lake. Not long after arrival an echidna appeared on a log looking for ants. That was a thrill to see and the highlight of the visit. The checkin was a disaster, there were two attendants, one was with another guest and the other doing what looked like paperwork. He (paperwork guy) saw us standing there and said the other attendant would be with us in a minute. After around 10 minutes, he called us over and said he didn’t realise the other attendant would take so long and he needed to do something. Customer service rating is zero. The attendant spoke so quickly about the facilities that neither me nor my partner could understand what he said. He asked us what time we would like to reserve for breakfast (bookings here are essential apparently) and we said 9am (more on this later), and directed us off with a map in hand. The room has NO WIFI & NO TV. My partner was shocked that there was neither in a room for this price. In my opinion this hotel is price gouging because of the location, the bathroom was a shower, toilet and vanity that hasn’t been renovated for a very long time and has a door that won’t stay closed. As much as I love my partner, I don’t want to hear him peeing with the door open. The gas log fire in the room was charming but impractical for people who are light sleepers. The curtains were falling off the rail and did not touch the floor (reminds me of a motel!) and the room furniture was dated and has obvious signs of wear and tear. Dinner at the bistro was a disgrace. Totally disorganised, overpriced (eg. $34 for a barely average chicken schnitzel with an absolutely horrible salad) and service was terrible. However the bistro dinner was five star when compared to the abomination that this hotel calls breakfast. Upon arrival at breakfast, we waited in a line for around 5-10 minutes before telling the attendant that we had a 9am reservation. Guess what? No record of our reservation. I was not shocked nor surprised as the incompetence was very evident by this time. I don’t even know where to start when explaining the disaster that is breakfast. There are no reserved tables so I’m puzzled why a reservation is needed. There is one table that has gluten free options however not all of the items on this table are gluten free - the porridge had a hand written message in black texta that says “not gluten free” - part of the message was rubbed away. Not five star! The rest of the buffet breakfast looked like carnage. It reminded me of those post apocalyptic supermarkets where every shelf has been raided. One lonely piece of honeydew melon left on the fruit plate, pastries strewn about like a wild animal had gotten in. The tables were messy and people were everywhere. Oh, but you do get ONE free coffee. Fortunately I don’t drink coffee. The major downside to this dislike is that I drink tea and the tea in this establishment is the WORST TEA I HAVE EVER HAD. Dishwater tastes better. My partner and I could not get out of there quickly enough. Checkout was equally awful. We had the same attendant who checked us in. This was a really terrible experience. This hotel is 3...