Gumleaf Cottage Farmstay — Local services in Hovea

If you're looking for a place that is near to the city and you want to experience the nature closer, then Gumleaf Cottage would be your choice.

The Manor was a good fit for 3A2C (5yo and 18mth). The rooms are cleaned, refreshed and refilled. There is an induction cooker and microwave which you could dish up simple meals. The beds are on the softer side but good enough for a couple of nights. There are toys, books to keep the kids entertained. The water heater was stable and toiletries, fresh linen, hair dryer were also provided. More importantly, we are thankful to Cathy for providing us with a baby tub so that our littlest could have her soak in this chilly winter.

The overall farm experience was great. My girls both went on the pony ride, with my eldest on Missy and youngest on Mickey. All the animals on the ground are very friendly towards both adults and young children - especially their dogs Teddy and Lara. Feeding is usually done in the day and we had Evie who brought us around (Good luck in your future endeavors if you ever see this!). We also managed to lit up the "campfire" bucket and bbq some mashmellow and corn cobs. Witnessing the stars in total darkness is something you'd never experience in Singapore. So that was really cool as an adult.

We would recommend that you head to Midland Gate in the day time or drive up to Mondo Nougats or House of Honey during your visit there. You could also take your time to explore the farm more. We were here during winter period, so the citrus fruits bloomed and we had the opportunity to "pluck" 2 from the lemon and Orange/Tangerine trees. So that was something cool for the kids too, to see how fruits grow in reality.

This trip is a lot more for the kids than the adult. Both of them can't forget the experience they had on the horse. Thanks for...

Extremely disappointed. Nothing like the 'luxurious apartment' that was advertised. We booked and paid for 4 nights but left after 1. Very cramped, dirty and smelly. A very untidy property in general.

Zero privacy. The only window to the bedroom/ living area is a full length window, looking on the main front driveway/ porch. We were told to just pull the curtains if we wanted privacy. The windowsill was filthy and full of dead flies.

We were told on arrival to read some papers which included a long list of 'DONT'S!' This included 'don't sleep under the ' luxurious duvet covers' and only sleep between the sheets. This immediately made me question if the bedding was actually washed between guests.

There was a constant foul smell in the bedroom/ kitchen area. We were told the dogs like to come in to the room and mark their territory if the doors aren't closed.

Kitchen cupboard where our food was to be stored was dirty and had several dead flies in it.

Cooking facilities included 1 small convection cooker and a frying pan. Not suitable for a family of 4. I went to make tea and the cup had dried food residue stuck to it.

Bathroom door was a sliding door which would not close even half way.

We were told to sit at the bed room door entrance if we wanted privacy or a view. This looked out on to the side of the family home which had a 'KEEP OUT' sign. It didn't feel private or relaxing.

There was a small fire pit outside but it was right beside a large shed that looked like it was for storage and scrap.

The owner failed to appreciate our disappointment and has not responded to our 2 emails.

I grew up on a farm and have stayed in many farm stays over the years which have all been clean, tidy and very enjoyable. I cannot express my disappointment...

We had a 4 night stay at Gumleaf Cottage. My kids (5 plus and turning 3) enjoyed their room which had 2 bunk beds and toys, the daily tractor ride and animal feeds, playground and trampoline.

The cottage was well maintained and equipped on a whole. However, being 100 years old, the floor and toilet door made creaking sounds as we walked / opened the door. Part of the floorboard is also on a downward slope , which was slightly disorienting initially.

Cottage is well located , with Woolsworth and John Forrest National Park a short drive away, and several gift stores (margaret river chocolate factory, house of honey) and good restaurants further out. This made the stay more worth it , as the animal feeds part is abt 45 mins.

Cathy was a warm and friendly host who chatted with us and the kids. She brought our kids to see possums at night, which they enjoyed. She and the farm assistants seem to take good care of the farm animals, though they were mostly old.

However, a few things that disappointed us were the weak/intermittent wifi connection even near the router, and the possums that made quite some noise. They lived just outside our cottage and ran on the chimney. Being nocturnal creatures, this disrupted our sleep on the first night.

The pony ride pricing could also have been more clearly communicated. We were told $40 per child per hour, including grooming and ride. However, my son had abt 15 mins while my daughter had abt 5 mins on the horse, after about 10 mins of grooming. We ended up paying $50, $10 of which was said to be given to the farm assistant who helped with the grooming and ride. Given the halved duration vs what was communicated, we feel like we should have paid less than...