Spicers Tamarind Retreat & Spa

I stayed on the 7th of Jan and ate at the restaurant too. The villa was excellent and the grounds were lovely, with gardens, rainforest, paths, ponds, and plenty of nice walks. Better signposting would have helped, though. The food was okay overall, with good flavours, and the asparagus was the strongest dish. The cauliflower arrived cold and stodgy. Service was the main problem, especially for the price. I called reception four times and nobody answered. Our breakfast room service order never arrived, so we waited and wasted time. When I went to the restaurant, they apologized and said they hadn’t known about it. It took a while, but the breakfast was pretty tasty. Dinner tasted good, but the service let the meal down. Dishes were cleared before we’d finished, even after we asked for them to stay. Prosecco was spilled on the table. We were given oysters and immediately asked if we were enjoying them. The dinner plates were still there when dessert came, and a staff member awkwardly tried to stack the plates on top of the dirty dishes. I shouldn’t have to stack plates to make room or be asked about food I’ve only just received. How was my hand-delivered breakfast order missed? The service and sophistication weren’t up to scratch for this price point. Staff were pleasant and kind to us and our children, though, and Michelle at the restaurant deserves a special mention. Thank you. Some processes clearly need tightening up.

The restaurant food was superb, especially the Japanese pancake at breakfast. We stayed two nights with a friend at Spicers Tamarind and found the property quiet, with lovely landscaping and a boardwalk through the bush to nearby Gardners Falls. Our spacious two-bedroom luxury villa felt very private. The beds were comfy, and the fireplace was great on winter evenings. Well worth a stay.

Breakfast service at the restaurant was great, and the villa was comfortable in a quiet bush setting. There was no reception in the villa, though, and the open-plan shower sent water everywhere. There was also an incident involving a personal data breach through the online booking system.

The spa was wonderful, and the waterfall is well worth the walk, though the track was difficult to find and wasn’t maintained. Beyond that, our two-night stay at Tamarind felt underwhelming for the money. It was okay, but didn’t match the standard we’ve experienced at another Spicers resort, Hidden Vale. The staff tried hard but seemed undertrained. We waited ages between courses and were eventually asked which course we were on. They also struggled with basics like clearing a table properly and setting knives and forks. The food was disappointing, no better than a good takeaway, overcomplicated but still lacking care. Breakfast was underseasoned and looked like it had just been thrown on the plate. The pineapple wasn’t quite ripe and was cut so large it was messy to eat. There wasn’t much to do at the retreat: no lounge, games room, or other activities beyond the pool and fire pit. Our studio room was fine, but not exciting or private. The fan was loud and the fridge barely kept things cold. It was an okay weekend, but we probably could have got more for our money elsewhere.