Grand Mercure Hunter Valley Gardens

Even on a very hot couple of days, the air conditioners kept working through the night and pumping out cold air, which isn't always the case in hotels. The rooms are spacious, the beds comfortable, the pool is nice, and breakfast was wonderful. It's also a perfect base for wineries and restaurants, though we were just as happy spending time at the hotel.

The area around the hotel is lovely, but you can hear noise between the rooms, basically everything. There's no front office staff after 11pm to help with anything. I wouldn't recommend staying here if you're trying to sleep.

The hotel's in a good spot for exploring the HV wine region, and the pool is nice. I couldn't work out why a hose with an attachment was left in the pool for four hours on the morning we wanted to use it. The bigger problem was the air-con leaking badly during heavy rain at about 10pm. Water got into my half-full suitcase, so we switched the unit off and put a bin underneath to catch what we could. Two people from reception came up and said they couldn't fix it, but offered us another room. At that hour, already in bed in our PJs, moving meant packing up before morning. They brought extra towels for the wet carpet and told us not to turn the air-con back on. It was a muggy night, and the room got so warm we couldn't sleep. At checkout, the receptionist asked about my stay. I mentioned the terrible night's sleep and the unexpected water feature, and she just laughed. In my fairly extensive travel experience, hotels usually offer a voucher, a discount on a future visit, or some money off the bill after something like that. Nothing was offered, and I'm disappointed. Accor, please do better with customer service.

We stayed at the Mercure for NYE for the second year in a row. The comfortable bed, nice room and reasonable breakfast were positives, and the reception staff were lovely at both check-in and check-out. The grounds are well kept, the pool is a good size, and the sauna was good without being too busy. The location works well for walking to the fireworks and the HV gardens lights and fireworks. They also allow a one-night booking on NYE, which is handy. The room felt tired and neglected, though not filthy. There was no soap or shower gel, and no cutlery despite there being a plate and glasses. The lounge fabrics, especially the cushions, had stains on both sides. When I looked for a spare pillow, I found an old, tattered blanket that looked bloodstained. The pool room and lounge behind reception could be lovely, but seemed to be used for storage, like a dumping ground. It's a missed opportunity. I'd stay again for convenience, but for me this is a three-star experience, carried by the grounds and great staff and let down by tired rooms.