Lilianfels Resort & Spa - Blue Mountains

After years of coming to Lilianfels, starting in 2001, we had three rooms on this visit and the air conditioning failed in two of them. The soft sheets and other little touches we used to love are gone too. The lounge, once a good place for the family to gather, was taken up with tables and plates, and the billiard room has become another function space. On a chilly evening, we finally got one of the two fireplaces going. They let us stay once they realised we were going to have champagne and other drinks. The bar drinks seemed to be made by someone without much bartending experience, and the once-great milkshakes now seem like cheap ice cream with cheap syrup. Dinner at Darleys cost $275 per person, but nobody serving us seemed experienced enough to explain the menu. It was a nice room, but the meal wasn’t even a three-star dining experience and fell well short of what we’d come to expect from Darleys. We went to Leura for breakfast instead, and that was our best decision. The basic hotel is good, but plan to eat and spend your lounge time outside it. Since GIC, the Singapore government, bought the hotel through a local investment company, it’s been seriously downgraded. It’s upsetting to see an iconic Sydney venue lose the local charm we expected in the Blue Mountains. I’d suggest finding somewhere else until it’s sold back to local owners.

The dining was the last straw on my latest stay. The atmosphere and service were so poor that we left the hotel to have dinner elsewhere. I’ve been a regular guest at Lilianfels for years, but after the recent refurbishment, the attention to detail and character that kept me returning seem to have disappeared. The welcome on arrival was pleasant, but the rooms have lost their old-world warmth and luxury. The quality carpet has been replaced with bare wooden floors and just one small rug, which makes the space feel cold, stark and uninviting. I was also saddened to find the billiard and snooker table gone. It was a hallmark of the Lilianfels experience and one of the reasons I came back. As a long-time supporter, it’s heartbreaking to see the hotel go this way. Until the service and atmosphere return to the standards I remember, I can’t justify another visit.

The setting is fantastic, close to beautiful, easy walks with incredible views, but I wouldn’t return to Lilianfels. We splurged on two nights and left disappointed. The rooms were dated, the bath was so tiny that a couples bath was a horrible experience, and the service was just so-so. We knew renovations were happening only because a small paragraph after booking mentioned exciting works and said a small number of rooms would be affected. In reality, we couldn’t use the health centre, billiards or Darleys, where we’d planned our 10th anniversary dinner. The day spa we tried to book was also closed, so they booked us into another hotel 18 minutes away without providing a complimentary taxi. Other guests said drilling above their room woke them at 7:30 am. There was duck poo around the outdoor pool, and no deck chairs, just uncomfortable seats. For a stay that cost a small fortune, this was nowhere near a five-star experience. We’ll go back to Katoomba, but not Lilianfels after this.

Renovation noise made it hard to relax in the room, with hammer drills echoing through the hotel for hours during the day. We knew work was underway, but nothing had prepared us for that level of disruption. A clear explanation of its scale and impact before booking would have helped. We chose Lilianfels Blue Mountains because friends and online reviews spoke so highly of it, but the stay didn’t match the advertised standard. Our room had a damp, musty smell that was unpleasant and suggested poor ventilation or deeper maintenance problems. The linen was below what I expected at this level, and the pillows were flat and uncomfortable for a hotel charging luxury rates. For the price, the comfort and peace fell far short of even basic expectations. I hope management takes this seriously and is more transparent with future guests.