Ardour Milton Park Bowral

Hotel Review: Not a 5-Star or Luxury Experience Warning: this is not a 5-star or luxury hotel. We were shocked upon entering our room. The furniture, carpets, and walls were either stained or in visibly poor condition. Most alarming was the state of the chairs— the armrests were broken, exposing the wooden frame beneath where the cushions should have been. The cushions themselves were stained and unhygienic. There was no air conditioning, leaving the room with a stagnant, musty smell that desperately needed airing. The carpets in the hall leading to our room were equally rundown, showing years of neglect. Initially, we thought this might be due to the hotel recovering from the challenges of COVID lockdowns. However, upon further research, we found similar complaints dating back to 2019, complete with photos showing nearly identical issues! We feel obligated to write this review to warn other travelers. Until the management invests in significant renovations, we strongly recommend avoiding this property. While the gardens are undeniably picturesque, they do not make up for the poor state of the accommodations. We have stayed in 3- or 4-star hotels that were in far better condition. Calling this property “luxury” or “5-star” is misleading and disappointing. Unfortunately, this was an experience we wouldn’t wish on anyone looking for a comfortable, quality stay.

A great staycation in the Southern Highlands. Lovely staff and beautiful grounds to walk around in.

Disappointed Stay - Needs Urgent Attention to Service & Facilities We were really looking forward to our stay at Milton Park, but unfortunately, it fell well short of expectations. The room was very tired and poorly maintained. Paint was peeling off the walls right at the entrance to the rooms, setting a bad first impression. The bath was small, chipped, and barely bigger than a kitchen sink — definitely not what you expect from a premium hotel. Dinner at Hordern’s was a huge disappointment in terms of service. While the food itself was very good, the experience was let down by extremely slow and moody service. With infant kids, a 2.5-hour dinner is far from ideal. A simple request for an extra high chair was met with attitude — the waitress practically threw it into a corner. Water was barely topped up, and mains were only called 15 minutes after we had finished entrees, leading to a long 30-minute wait. It took asking three separate waiters and 30 minutes just to confirm whether we could use a drink voucher for a glass of wine — by the time we got an answer, we had already finished our mains. When we asked about desserts at 9:30 pm, we were told to hurry because the kitchen was closing, despite no prior warning. Breakfast the next morning was no better. Despite being told they’d have a large table ready for us, we had to sit on separate tables as no preparations were made. The buffet was bare when we arrived at 8:30 am, and though it was slowly topped up, what was available (cold hash browns and scrambled eggs) was disappointing. We ordered poached eggs for our group — after 30 minutes, 6 eggs came out in a single bowl for us to share out ourselves, like in a canteen. The remaining 4 eggs for the other half of our group took another 30 minutes and multiple follow-ups. What really left a sour taste was a staff member telling my wife she should “take better care of our baby” because some small food scraps (bananas, eggs) had fallen on the floor. This was a normal occurrence with toddlers, yet no other families were approached despite similar messes. It felt discriminatory and entirely unnecessary. Overall, the hotel seriously lacks in service standards, maintenance, and basic hospitality. This was by far the worst buffet experience we’ve had. We left disappointed and won’t be returning.

We left after one night of a two night stay because my wife needed medical attention. The hotel made no attempt to enquire about her illness nor made any effort to make some kind of redress or compensation. Parking was almost impossibly and roads around the hotel muddy. Overall an experience not to be repeated!!

An amazing majestic place with fantastic views, gardens and staff were polite and eager to assist with every request.

Great hideaway for relaxing but the prices for food and beverages are over the top. Especially when the place needs a good overhaul and it run down.