33 Lomond Lodge

We had a lovely stay and would happily come back. The room had nice views, and the place felt quiet and peaceful, even though town was just a short walk away. We could easily head in for food, wander by the lake, or visit the botanical gardens. The owners made us feel welcome right from arrival. The beds were especially comfortable, and the accommodation overall was a relaxing place to stay. Thanks for having us, we’d love to return.

The room was expensive and left us feeling misled. It was advertised as a “studio” and the listing said every room had a kitchenette, but ours had no real kitchenette. There was only a tiny fridge on the floor, with a kettle on a plastic tray. The fridge door was open when we arrived, so it wasn’t even cold. We couldn’t fill the kettle in the bathroom because the sink and faucet were too small. We called the manager at check-in, since no staff are on site after 4pm. They told us the fridge and kettle counted as the kitchenette, and that Booking.com had suggested “studio” as the room name. There is a small guest kitchen, but it isn’t well equipped and has no place to sit. The property says it has AC, but there was none in our room or in the guest kitchen. So where are guests meant to enjoy that AC? We definitely don’t recommend booking here.

I cancelled my reservation within the allowed period, but my card was still wrongly charged 9,964.5 NZD, equal to 351,458 Philippine pesos. That’s a huge amount. I had to call twice before the issue was acknowledged. The refund came the following day, but only 348,062 PHP was returned, leaving me short 3,396 PHP, about 96 NZD, because of their mistake. After several emails, I was told they were “waiting for the owner’s decision.” A full week went by without a resolution. I first posted a review, and they called me “mean” for writing it while they waited for the owner. I removed it in good faith. The owner has now confirmed I won’t be repaid for the amount I lost, even though the charge was entirely their human error. Mistakes happen. What isn’t acceptable is making a customer absorb the cost of your error and refusing to take responsibility. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone: a large incorrect card charge, time spent chasing the refund, and still losing money because of the property’s inefficiency.

We’d been extremely happy here on a stay about two years ago, which is why we chose to return. This time, after cancelling our reservation in full accordance with the policy, 9,964.5 NZD was wrongly charged to our credit card, or 351,458 Philippine pesos. It’s a huge amount to have taken by mistake. We called the property twice. The issue was corrected and the refund processed in 2 days, but only 348,062 PHP came back. We were left short 3,396 PHP, around 96 NZD. That loss happened solely because the property made the incorrect charge. Without it, there would have been no conversion and no financial loss. Despite that, we were told the missing amount would not be reimbursed. The charge was the property’s error, and we were left with its consequences. To clarify the reply, there is no private resolution still underway. The matter ended by email when we were told the exchange rate loss would not be repaid. We cancelled well in advance, yet a large amount was taken from my card. I contacted the property as soon as the bank notification arrived, because nearly NZD 10,000 had been charged. On that call I was initially told the charge was valid, which was understandably alarming. The money wasn’t returned immediately, and I had to follow up again. The delay in reversing an incorrect charge caused a real loss through exchange rates. Human error happens, but a customer shouldn’t lose a single euro or dollar because a business made a mistake. I’ve run my own hospitality business for ten years and have never passed the cost of my own mistake to a guest. That’s the issue here. We tried repeatedly and in good faith to resolve this directly through multiple emails before leaving a review. We wrote it only after it became clear we were expected to absorb a loss caused entirely by your error. Criticizing reviews seems less useful than reflecting on how this was handled. Mistakes happen, but customers shouldn’t have to pay for them.