Ramada Resort Kooralbyn Valley

Rooms were clean and tidy, and the staff were great. The building and grounds are tired, but the place is relaxing, with multiple pools, one heated, and a pro shop bar for drinks. You can hire a golf cart after 4pm to tour the course, which takes about 45 minutes and costs $25. Not all the activities are fully available. Pavilion Tavern is just a two-minute walk from the Resort, and takeaway alcohol is available. The golf course must have been a really great, challenging course in its day, and the surroundings are still beautiful.

The staff were amazing, the food was lovely, and the bed was comfortable during my industry conference. It may not be at its best compared with its prime, but I still had a fantastic time. We had plenty of rain, yet managed to get out and play. The course is a real challenge for any golfer.

The recent weather threw our original agenda off during a three-day conference, but the staff, especially Kaela, went out of their way to handle our late daily changes without a fuss. Kaela is extremely professional at her job. We also played the course after two days of heavy rain. It was very wet, but enjoyable for everyone and still a great, challenging layout. KV remains a great conference location, and we'll be back next year. Highly recommend.

The biggest problems were the buffet lunch and the stargazing tour, and we didn't feel valued as guests. We booked and paid for the buffet in advance, and were offered a deck table so we could have our dog with us. When we arrived, our table was marked outside, with no cutlery or decorations, while the indoor tables were nicely set up. Staff questioned us as if we were lying when we asked for cutlery and said nobody should be sitting outside. We eventually ate, and the food was decent, but the experience wasn't worth the premium price. On Christmas night, we were told to arrive at reception at 6:45 for a 7pm stargazing tour and that the rest of the group would meet us there. At 7:10 nobody had arrived. By 7:15 the receptionist said she didn't know what had happened, had called the tour organiser, and couldn't reach her. We went back to our room to wait for news, but heard nothing. I raised both issues at checkout; the staff member took down the details and said we'd hear back early in the new year. It's been nearly a month, and still nothing. The organisation is poor, and nobody seems to know what's going on. We paid nearly $750 for two nights and the buffet lunch, which wasn't worth it. The room was dated but clean, and the pool was nice for relaxing over Christmas. We brought our pup, and it was nice to have the place as it was. Still, the place had backpacker vibes, and the staff all seemed to be international and none seemed to have been there very long.