Sanctuary House Resort Motel — Restaurant in Melbourne

We decided to have a last minute night away with our child to visit the healsville sanctuary. We got the twin room and it was fair priced at $160 for a Saturday night. The room was as I expected after viewing some photo's online. It was small & dated but very clean and tidy. There was no foxtel as advertised. It was also difficult to log into wifi as no password was available. We used the clean swimming pool as it was a hot day and it was a wonderful afternoon. The pool wasn't heated but it didn't matter on the hot day. We got chatting to other families and had an enjoyable time. We decided to dine in the restaurant and was asked to notify staff by 4pm what we would be ordering. By 7pm we were seated in the restaurant which had a very old school summer camp feel. It was clean & well presented and the new management were trying hard to accommodate however the food was below standard. We ordered calamari salad, crumbed barramundi and a bowl of chips & seasonal vegetables with a garlic bread for entree. As there was no kids menu our child had to have chips as they are fussy so luckily we had packed other food. The garlic bread was cold & the butter not melted. The calamari salad was missing ingredients and basically was a pile of wilted lettuce and soggy bread. The only meal we could eat was the barramundi which very much looked like store brought crumbed fish as it was a triangle shape. During our stay we met some people that had been coming to stay for 10 years. They couldn't recommend sanctuary house enough and raved about the meals but they too were left shocked at the service & quality so it became clear that the standard had slipped. The new management staff were very friendly, keen to help and even gave me a free bottle of wine & didnt make us pay for the food not eaten. The beer on tap was unfortunately warm too. All this said we still had a great time. We can see the potential and still loved the scenery & general feel of the place. Yes, some things need updating but it was exactly as i expected after viewing photo's online, so i wasnt disappointed on arrival. The only thing letting it down was the restaurant. We would definitely return however we wouldn't dine in unless things had improved. Im assuming it was teething issues of new management & communication with chef. Overall a stay for a young family is ideal and affordable. There is even a playground but the bush walk needs some maintenance too. We still had a great time and...

We have been coming to Sanctuary House for many years and have always had a wonderful stay. Unfortunately a year is a long time in the hospitality business and our experience this year was nothing short of terrible. Sam & Helen still own Sanctuary House but it is now managed by a family who, quite frankly, have no idea of what they're doing. We requested help in getting to the races and Bobby very generously offered to drive us there & pick us up. He also charged us $120 for the privilege ($40 per couple) and insisted on cash, which I assume went into his pocket. In previous years Sam has taken us in the courtesy bus which used to be there, and we paid at the end of our stay via card - no mention of cash. We had booked at the restaurant for dinner as always. Bobby asked us to put our order in prior to arriving so that we wouldn't have to wait long. Myself and another friend got our meals within a reasonable time, but the other 4 members of our party had to wait 45-50 mins. One friend had ordered calamari only to be told about 40 mins after arriving that they had run out. Then probably 10 minutes after she ordered a substitute, Bobby came out and said they had 'found' some calamari, 'try it and if you don't like it you can have something else'. This doesn't even touch on the comedy of errors that surrounded the rest of the meals. Four of us stayed for a 2nd night & what happened that day was just ridiculous. To be completely honest, Fawlty Towers will have nothing on this once beautiful motel if the current management continues. I hope Sam & Helen read these reviews because what I've mentioned here is just a snippet of what happened during our weekend. We unfortunately will not return unless something...

We were attending a wedding and found that most closer accommodation was booked out.||The motel has a lengthy driveway and overall is dated, probably having been built in the mid to late 1960s or very early 1970s.||The tariff of more than A$200 was expensive given it wasn't two bedrooms. However it was Saturday night, peak period for accommodation. ||Our standalone unit had a Queen bed in a bedroom (with a step up from ground level) and a camp bed in the general living area. Bedding was OK. The heating was just enough: not 21st century standard, and for instance not wonderful natural gas to which I'm acquainted. ||The grounds are attractive with many trees. No doubt there's wildlife abounding, such as Crimson or perhaps Eastern Rosellas. ||The kitchen was well stocked, but like the rest of the place, could do with a major renovation to bring it up to 21st century standards. Like many Australian motels, the fixtures and fittings remain as original.||There was no noise during the night, a bonus.||The shower was basic but worked fine. The mini bathroom was similarly just with the necessities and nothing more. From memory the amount of shelf space was poor.||There was no undercover parking for our vehicle. ||We had minimal interaction with the lady but she was pleasant.||It wasn't clear if the breakfast was free but I assumed not, as that's normal for Oz motels. It was available in the main building on the first floor if I recall, but we did not avail.||Overall, adequate but not sufficient, something shared with many other motels because it doesn't seem economic to upgrade them, unlike say city hotels in Australia and many...