Heathcote Inn

Tina was fantastic to deal with when our group had a long-weekend booking at Heathcote Inn. After we booked, she called to let us know the kitchen and restaurant would be closed during our stay and kindly offered the option to cancel. I appreciated that, though it was a significant inconvenience for us, since we prefer dining at on-site restaurants when travelling rather than relying on fast food or delivery. We had to look for other accommodation, which wasn’t ideal. I told Tina I’d check with the group and get back to her in a few days. Even though it took me a few days to confirm, she was understanding and helpful, and sorting out the cancellation was easy, with no hassle or issues. Five stars for her excellent, customer-first service. Four stars overall because we had to find somewhere else in the area after learning the restaurant, kitchen, and possibly the bar would be closed.

The website and booking.com gave a misleading impression. The pool was green and unswimmable, and despite the photos suggesting food and drinks were available, they weren’t. The cafe area looked old and dilapidated, like it hadn’t been used for years.

We were lucky to find this lovely place just before the Heathcote wine and food festival. Although we stayed only one night, the spacious room was clean, quiet, and well equipped, and was super cheap for a weekend when accommodation usually gets price-gouged. Tina kindly let us and others check in early because our rooms were ready, so we could leave our things and walk over to the showgrounds for the festival. Great stay.

It’s a basic two-bedroom place with one living area and one bathroom, and it was very clean. Service is by text, with no onsite reception. The pool is currently broken, which I’d have preferred to know beforehand. They did grant us a late checkout, which was good.