Caves House

Caves House made our wedding day wonderful. We could hold the ceremony, sundowner and reception in the same place, and getting ready and staying overnight there was a huge bonus. The gardens and hotel are beautiful, full of character, with lots of lovely photo spots. The food and drinks packages made catering easy, and everything tasted delicious. Joyce, the Functions Manager, kept the whole day running smoothly. She was easy to communicate with, happy to answer questions and coordinate with our other vendors. She was organised and genuinely kind, which made planning much more enjoyable. The staff at the sundowner and reception were also amazing, and carefully packed up our belongings at the end of the night. We’re thrilled with how it all turned out and so grateful to Caves House for such a perfect day.

The setting is gorgeous, and my room is a great size, but I was really disappointed by the food. I ordered the tuna poke bowl first. The tuna tasted frozen, even with a slight sear, and was so cold that I couldn’t taste much. The manager said it wasn’t frozen and offered to arrange something else, suggesting the barramundi. I chose it, then found out there was an extra $10 charge, which I wasn’t happy about. It looked good when it arrived, but the fish was overcooked and flavourless. The prices for this quality are insane. The location is lovely, so I’d just have a drink and skip the food. I’m writing this before staying the night, so I hope I don’t have to amend the review.

The venue and location are amazing, the building and atmosphere are beautiful, and the staff were nice. But our medium-sized group was disappointed with the kitchen. The kids’ sushi was barely edible, like frozen, compressed rice. The parmi was soggy and tasted like a McCains frozen meal. The BBQ mushroom sat in a puddle of soy sauce mixed with mayo. The pizza bases were tough, seemed to have started frozen, and had far too much cheese. They need Gordon Ramsay in there to sort things out. I wouldn’t pay for food there again. Maybe have a picnic at the beach, then come here for a couple of beers.

The garden is worth visiting, but I wouldn’t eat here. I remember the food being quite nice when I stayed at Caves House many years ago, so this time was a big disappointment. The prices suggest a next-level experience, but our meal was a lackluster shemozzle. They got our order wrong, brought dishes out separately with long gaps between them, and we had to ask for plates. The chilled drinks were only lukewarm. The share board was great, but the mains were bad: a $60 steak that was barely warm, and my chicken Parma was extremely dry and salty, as if someone had spilled half a salt shaker on it. I booked well in advance and was really let down.