Blue Cliffs Retreat

We stayed at the Dreaming Villa, the place was neat and clean when we arrived with no issues. Paul had mentioned a few rules such as being cautious with water and electricity which were reasonable and understandable given the remoteness of the area.
Our villa had a nice spacious spa bath and a sauna inside the room. There was no reception inside the room at all, but we found this to be a good addition to our honeymoon. There were plenty of CDs in the room for entertainment so we were never bored.
There are plenty of stuff to do nearby in Hepburn Springs and Daylesford, our personal favourite was watching the sunset and seeing kangaroos.

Fantastic trip to the Blue Cliffs Retreat in Hepburn. The owners were incredibly helpful beforehand providing us with details of places to eat and things to do. We stayed in the hideaway villa which was just perfect. The photos on the website really don't do it justice, with a really secluded feel, and great views from the balcony and bath/Jacuzzi. There are only 3 or 4 properties on the whole complex so younreslly do feel like you have sufficient space. Already planning our next trip back! 10/10!

My second stay there was absolutely AMAZING! I wish I could go back & stay there forever. Everything was clean, serene and beautiful. I'm happy with the improvements they've made since my previous trip.

Here's what I said previously and gave it a 2 star:
Nice looking place, beautiful artwork and great location. But questionable hygiene and safety standards. Screws on the bed, dirty blankets, water heating-cooling issues. Not a good experience if you want a glitch free, peaceful getaway as you'll be questioning yourself constantly as to what is clean and what is not. :(

It you’re looking to feel like in heaven and escape and really feel secluded ! This is the right place for you !
There’s literally no one there , it’s private , the location is just amazing you feel connected to the nature and right away you feel Zen!

The place could use a little cleaning to be honest but we are in the forest , and a welcome kit or little something in the kitchen waiting for us would’ve been nice as well but than again !
It’s an escape from reality , far from everyone , u get ur own chalet ! You’re in the middle of nature ! The spa bath and outside shower are just superb !

Just perfect, everything we could’ve possibly asked for. So beautiful, secluded and relaxing, had an absolutely perfect weekend here. Everything was clean, and there were so many facilities like spa, sauna, heater, fireplace, electric blankets, kitchenette, we will definitely be back.

Fantastic getaway stay. No reception at the villa but bring your own movies to stay entertained. Cute kangaroos as your neighbours

Beautiful secluded cabins with heaps of light and great views. super comfy bed and all one needs to relax and unwind.

Great

Secluded location and intimate, yet spacious space. We had the entire retreat to ourselves (visited midweek). Would visit again. Only complaint is that the firewood was damp and there wasn't an axe to cut it in smaller chucks.

Cosy, private, pretty with a spa and sauna. We had a wonderful anniversary weekend here!

Very secluded and peaceful. Really lovely villa and the bath was incredible. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to our friends.
The problem I had was for the amount of money it cost and that blue cliffs retreat is described as 'luxury' I really felt it was missing a lot of nice touches. The texts and emails we received were very negative and a lot about rules and things we can't do. Again on arrival, there was no welcome message in the villa, just more rules. To make this 'luxury' then the owners really should add some nice touches e.g. something on arrival, more provisions in the kitchen etc.

Nice place, just thought the cleanliness could have been much better.. spa was nice, bed was comfy. Would probably return if cleanliness addressed. Nice area and very quiet.

Accidentally deleted my own review, so this was from back in late 2018.

The location is peaceful, the surroundings are beautiful, but the luxury villa needed a makeover. For $375 per night, we expected a little more than a saggy couch with cushions that had seen better days, plates from Kmart and only one wine glass from the same store. When we called the owner he dropped another glass around 36 hours later! We also didn’t expect to provide our own firewood and to have to use instant coffee sachets. Our experience of other properties at a similar price have coffee machines or French presses. And on leaving the property, we discovered we had to take our own rubbish! At the time we were there, COVID restrictions were pretty minimal, so we called the owner and he agreed that we could leave our rubbish at the property.

Stayed in the hideaway villa. This would probably suit naturalists more than the regular person looking for a getaway. To me, a place should have at least one bathroom with the ability to secure complete privacy, but there was no curtain or blinds or anything that can be put up against the room sized windows in the only bathroom available. The water was yellow so it wasn't inviting once filled out so we didn't end up using the spa. It's also probably more suited for winter as we arrived on a really hot day, but we couldn't open the windows to air the bathroom for some fresh air due to the hundreds of insects swarming right outside. We were constantly battling insects, and in fact 2 palm sized spiders (was only there for a weekend) but luckily they provided insect sprays to assist, and you quickly realise that the netting around the bed is a need instead of a decorative. Placing of things are a little inconsistent, for example the microwave was placed for tall people (I'm 5' 2" and I could not see the food once placed inside even if I tiptoed) yet the shower head was made for shorter people as I was not able to pull it above my shoulders so we had to kneel down to shower. But then there's a shower head with decent height on the outside of the house. Other minor things were that the fan was noisy and we were promised a morning snack but didn't get it (though we also didn't bother asking once arrived since it wasn't that big a deal). The good things are that it was very clean, has a HDMI cable so we could use their TV to Netflix over 4G through my laptop (I was using Optus, but Vodafone had no service) and we had a lovely sun time on the deck on the morning of departure with the 12pm late check-out. You'll also likely see wild rabbits and kangaroos (be careful when driving in at night) so overall ok, and quite unique, but it wasn't what the pictures suggested and I wouldn't come back as there was more work than play required to stay here, especially unexpected considering the price.

Although it's a lovely location and it is well built with some nice features, the furniture and bed (saggy) are old and need an upgrade. The facilities are lacking for a luxury getaway. No wifi, no decent coffee making, a DVD player with limited choices of movies. LOTS of stingy rules and regulations ie: buy your own fire wood, one shower a day, take your own rubbish away with you ??
This place is not cheap and all the details above do not make it good value!
Maybe the owners have had enough of servicing guests ?

Dirty and Disappointing

The pictures on the website show a beautiful lake with a paddle boat in it. THESE DO NOT REPRESENT THE STATE OF BLUE CLIFFS RETREAT.

In reality, the grounds are overgrown, the gazebo is corroded, the pond is dirty.

Hideaway villa, where we stayed was full of dust and cobwebs. The dishes were dirty. The place hadn't been cleaned at all as shown in my pictures. The host states that you should call within 2 hrs of arriving if you have any issues. We got in at 930pm and the state of the place was such that we would have had to leave.

The jacuzzi tub, which is the major selling feature of the property, was dirty and surrounded in a layer of dust. We cleaned it out and tried to fill it, but the water was yellow and as soon as we turned the jets on it blew a bunch of chunky brown stuff into the water. It is so disgusting that we didn't even shower while we were here.

And no wonder the dishes were dirty. The host asks you to do your own dishes before you leave, but the cleaning supplies are just as disgusting as the rest of the place.

We travelled all over Australia and New Zealand and this is by far the most disgusting place we've ever stayed. Holiday Parks and Hostels are cleaner than this. And at $250/night, anticipating a romantic getaway, I can't even communicate how disappointing it is.

We poked around the property and the other places are just as gross. From the photos on the website, they used to look amazing. But this is a false representation.

Would not recommend.

We stayed in the Hideaway Villa! WE WOULD NEVER COME BACK!

This property has all the makings of being amazing but falls completely flat due to missing out on all the little details! I would not recommend this property to anyone at the current prices being charged.

The spa bath is the only claim to luxury in the entire villa. The bed is beyond old (I have a picture of the mattress if anyone wants proof) and is so uncomfortable we woke up sore each morning. It's a shame the owner's don't invest in their property to make it look as nice as their pictures do. The lock on the front door is so fiddly and needs replacing.......a small amount of money could be spent and many of the issues would go away!

We spent almost $365 per night on this property and it represents terrible value for money.......for this kind of money I would expect a LOT more. A $20 French press would be a simple way for guests to have a decent cup of coffee in the morning, but we had expired sachets of instant coffee that were provided in the villa. Be aware that the only shower is an outdoor shower so if you are not a naturalist it might not suit you.

The owner's had a great idea to put little buddha's, pagodas, etc. across the property.....the real problem is that the property has not been kept up. The pagodas are rusted out and no attention to keep up the details has been made throughout the property. The lake hahaha (complete with boat) is multiple feet below the old water line and looks like a mosquito infested swamp......images need updating.

I find it appalling that the owners try to say that if something is not up to standard that they must be texted within 2 hours of arrival to be made aware..........one should not need to do this when the owners portray their property as a luxury accommodation . What a joke!

Guests should have the expectation that the details have been taken care of at this price point and they should not have to complain to have things done properly. We had multiple dishes that were not properly cleaned (I have pictures of these as well) and overall you could tell that the cleaning had been subpar at the property! I feel they use this ploy to try to discredit bad reviews. The tv stand was full of dust and had not been wiped down. ......READ the most recent other review and it is a fair assessment of the property.

We complained that there were not 2 x chaise lounges on the deck like in the picture so we could watch the stars. The owner said that he would have the picture removed, as it had been replaced with a single chaise lounge. Seems to respond with ways to try and justify bad reviews. He also is trying to blame COVID for the cleaners, etc......what a joke!

THERE ARE MANY BETTER PLACES TO STAY IN THE AREA SO DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE.

Time to properly read the reviews of your property........take note......and implement changes because you are living in an alternate reality if you think everyone thought so much of the property!