Glenview Retreat Luxury Bed & Breakfast

The setting is lovely and quiet, but the place needs an overhaul. I expected a stand-alone cabin and found a room beside another one, where you could hear everything. The fan was loud, the bed was so uncomfortable I ended up sleeping on the trundle, and the broken flyscreen meant we had to keep the back door shut. The yard was overgrown, and I had to clean the furniture before we could use it. The freezer was packed with ice, so our frozen food went to waste. Aggressive dogs on site scared our dog, so sitting on the verandah wasn't an option, and the Wi-Fi kept dropping out. Not a pleasant stay.

The hosts were easy to deal with when we needed to change our dates, and we had a great couple of nights here over Easter with our dog. It's a lovely little cottage in the hills, small but plenty of room for a couple and a dog. The kitchen is basic, as expected for a holiday retreat. We especially enjoyed the spa bath and gas log heater, which warmed the whole house quickly. The breakfast provisions were generous: ingredients for a full English breakfast, pancakes and cereal, plus chocolates and a bottle of wine. The backyard felt secure enough for our dog, though a very small, clever one like a Daschund might find one of the few gaps. Wi-Fi was patchy, which wasn't surprising deep in the forest. We used phone data or a hotspot for the laptop, so bring a backup if you need reliable internet. Great stay, and we'd come back.

The room was lovely, and arriving in cold, rainy weather made having the woodfire especially nice. There's a huge spa bath, and the owners had left us a complimentary bottle of bubbly, which we appreciated. They'd also stocked bacon, eggs and pancake mix. The room has a fridge and microwave, plus a private, enclosed backyard that's dog friendly. It's a beautiful spot in Emerald, close to pleasant walks and the small towns around the Dandenongs.

It feels like a country mountain retreat, though it's really quite close to Melbourne. The place is peaceful, and breakfast has been thought through, with a full kitchen, warm gas fire, aircon and a big LCD TV. We didn't bring our dog this time, but it's pet friendly.