Hepburn Springs Escape Villa 7

These stylish, self-contained units are just a stone’s throw from the Hepburn Springs bathhouse and have everything you need for a quiet getaway, including a full kitchen. The king bed sits on casters, which makes it a little unsteady. The gas fireplace dividing the great room was temperamental, and we couldn’t get it relit ourselves. Housekeeping is only available by special request and was a little slow, as it’s organised through the bathhouse reception. It’s on the expensive side, but worth it. I think we’d return.

Quiet, modern, spacious villas within walking distance of the spa baths. Ours had a full kitchen and utensils, a hot tub, two TVs, a king bed and a balcony with views. There was a fireplace too. No streaming service, though. Very nice.

We were told the cleaner had finished, but the sheets were stained and there was dust when we arrived. I’m not sure what the cleaners had actually done. We were in Room 11, above the penthouse, and the stomping and walking overhead was so loud we couldn’t sleep. Reception said those guests had left, but the same noise happened the next night. At over $500 a night for a four-star luxury escape, I expected a much higher standard of cleanliness. It didn’t come close, and the price didn’t match what we got. I wouldn’t recommend it. I asked reception for a refund and was told the manager would call the next day. That didn’t happen for a couple of days, and we eventually got half our money back three weeks later. Do yourself a favour and skip it to save money and time.

The bath was lovely and comfortable, but on closer inspection we found black mould all along the bottom of the curtain beside it. When we first entered the villa, we’d noticed a funky smell. My partner sent a photo of the mould to the staff at hepburn escape and was left on read. We’d gone away for our anniversary and the facilities looked wonderful in the pictures, but were very different in person. For the top-dollar price of a complete luxury experience, we found broken fixtures and exposed wires on the heated towel rail. The door chain came right off when we tried to lock the door, and the fireplace wouldn’t turn on. You want to use the amenities when you pay that much, but we couldn’t. These businesses cash in on the area’s name and charge top dollar without offering top service. We won’t be back.