Rydges Mount Panorama Bathurst

The restaurant dinner was fantastic, with one of the best steaks I’ve had. The staff were all welcoming and friendly. Special thanks to Elle, our waitress, who went above and beyond to make the trip special. Her kindness and generosity are the sort of service that brings customers back. We stopped on our way to Sydney so my husband and son could drive the Mount Panorama track, something they’ll remember forever. Our two-bedroom apartment was clean, modern and amazing, with a huge balcony overlooking the track and five-star facilities. I couldn’t fault the stay. Well done!

I’m shocked that a night at Rydges Bathurst cost over $500 and came with this experience. I’ve stayed at hotels all over the world. The only thing I could compare it with was a stay in the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean 17 years ago, and this one is definitely the runner-up for worst. Our first room was dirty, with dust and stains everywhere. While I was unpacking on the sofa, something fell from the ceiling and hit my head. Jess from reception came up and said it was the fire intercom. It looked to me like poor maintenance had caused it to fall. She moved us to another room right away and offered drink vouchers, which we didn’t want. She seemed genuine when she said this wasn’t normal, so I’ll take her word for it. In the new room, the towels looked like they had blood stains, so I avoided them and everything else. The bathroom also smelled of drain stench. Ridges takes your credit card for incidentals, but things like the table were damaged and other things weren’t up to scratch. I’d suggest taking photos if you have to stay a night between trips. Luckily it’s only one night for me. Hopefully nothing else falls before then.

Our 10th anniversary was ruined, even though I’d planned it for months. I confirmed the restaurant booking three times, and nobody mentioned that we wouldn’t get the menu we expected. Nobody seemed to care. They gave us a bottle of cheap wine for the ruined night and offered a meal in our room, which didn’t feel special. Since this is Bathurst, we feel trapped here. I arrived smiling and hopeful for a great weekend, but ended up disappointed and in tears. I’ve worked in customer service for years, and the Maitre d showed no compassion. He made us feel stupid and unworthy. Many of the staff are lovely, but definitely not him. The bowls and glasses in our room were dirty too, when we tried to make an exciting popcorn dinner because we were hungry. I’d been organising this for over a year, and my partner had seen all the ups and downs of getting the room. We’d planned a family trip with my daughter and grandkids, who were excited for us. The toilet and curtain also gave us trouble, but the wonderful Toni was the best part, she fixed them. xx

The location was perfect, but the rest of the stay was a letdown. I’d expected much more from this hotel. The room carpet was filthy, with dead bugs scattered around, and the balcony was dirty. None of the kitchen cutlery, bowls or plates were clean enough to use. The shower and tap water smelled strongly of something like chlorine, and my skin reacted badly to it.