Ruffles Lodge & Spa

The reception area is tiny, almost like a home office, and doesn't make the first impression you'd expect from somewhere claiming 5 stars. The reception staff didn't help that impression either. Everything else we used, including the room, restaurant, and spa, was amazing. We booked the treehouse villa package through Luxury Escapes. The restaurant service was very good, and the chef made an amazing vegetarian meal off-menu when we asked. We thoroughly enjoyed the couples treatment at the day spa. My partner, a qualified massage therapist, said his massage was the best he'd had. Mine was good too, especially the facial and hair treatment.

The room was beautiful, the food outstanding, and the staff were so welcoming. We felt like we had the place to ourselves, and the attention to detail was incredible. Our mini honeymoon was amazing, thank you for making it so special.

The location is spectacular and the rooms were very clean, but the service for our wedding group of 40 was extremely poor. There was only one cook, so about half the food we'd agreed on never made it to the buffet, and the salads were limited and not replenished. Management didn't seem capable of handling a group that size, so I don't know why they market the place for weddings. They also charged the bride and groom a premium for the partly delivered BBQ without agreeing with them first. Such a shame. I wouldn't recommend booking an event here for a group.

The voucher cost $1090.00 and included a one-night stay with breakfast, a $200.00 dinner voucher, and spa treatment for two. I gave it to an outstanding employee, but his wife became very ill and was expected to need three months to recover. We didn't know there was a six-month expiry in the fine print. Over the past five weeks I've left more than six messages asking the manager to call and discuss it, but got no reply. Where's the customer service? Poor form, Ruffles.