Tower Lodge

“Pampered”

The Tower Lodge is open for group bookings only, so this review reflects that; I stayed here as a guest of a carmaker for a regional event. On arrival, the very charming owner of the estate, Michael Hope, met us at the driveway and hosted us for lunch. We were later brought on his helicopter for... more

The Tower Lodge is open for group bookings only, so this review reflects that; I stayed here as a guest of a carmaker for a regional event. On arrival, the very charming owner of the estate, Michael Hope, met us at the driveway and hosted us for lunch. We were later brought on his helicopter for a stunning aerial tour of the vineyards in the area. Dinner was at the lodge's dining room, with superb wine pairings from Hope Estate, again hosted by Michael. The food, which included duck breast and wagyu chateaubriand, rivals the best of Sydney's restaurants. I was allocated room #3, a huge suite with a private terrace. The furnishings are antique, not my style but objectively speaking well maintained and comfortable. My only complaint is that the water pressure for the bath tub was too low (never managed to fill it) but those for the shower and sink were good. Toiletries are by L'occitane. Service was excellent throughout, very attentive and you'd feel like you'd never need to lift a finger to get anything done. As we departed, Michael appeared again with complimentary four-packs of beer brewed on site as farewell gifts. All in all, an amazing experience here.

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“A classy and peaceful retreat”

I have stayed at Tower Lodge several times and it has always delivered what I needed: A classy, peaceful retreat from the stresses of city life. The service is discreet but intensely personal. The abundance of precious antiques occasionally made me nervous I might break something, but most of the... more

I have stayed at Tower Lodge several times and it has always delivered what I needed: A classy, peaceful retreat from the stresses of city life. The service is discreet but intensely personal. The abundance of precious antiques occasionally made me nervous I might break something, but most of the time it made me respect the handpicked quality of the interiors. The beds were insanely comfortable. I loved sitting fireside with a glass of Tower pinot noir, or just going for a peaceful walk, swimming in the pool (which didn't seem to be used much, and I'm not complaining about that, it meant I often had the pool to myself which was a treat), or wine tasting next door or down the road. I have always felt rejuvenated after a few days of staying there. The breakfasts were brilliant.

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“Disappointed”

I stayed at the Tower Lodge late last year, after many years of hearing great things about it - it was simply somewhere I had to stay. It's a beautiful property, and in a great location at the Hunter. I must say I was extremely disappointed when we were shown to the room. I must take some respo... more

I stayed at the Tower Lodge late last year, after many years of hearing great things about it - it was simply somewhere I had to stay. It's a beautiful property, and in a great location at the Hunter. I must say I was extremely disappointed when we were shown to the room. I must take some responsibility, as the 'classic style' room is not something I'm usually a fan of - I much prefer modern. Although, I have stayed in hotels that had a classic style (Observatory Hotel, Sydney), and were very pleasant. The main issue I have with Tower Lodge is that the rooms (or at least room I stayed in) is getting tired and old. The furniture is mostly antique, but does not appear to have been maintained. There is an urgent requirement to reupholster a number of the items, and give them some general TLC. The room was also not cleaned properly on our arrival. Bathroom floors were dirty (although this later appeared to be permanent stains), and the flyscreens on the windows were torn and in generally bad condition. The the exterior of the window was full of dirt and dead insects, so the cleaning staff did their best to clean it up - but the flyscreens were never repaired. Not the best into for a hotel you're paying close to $700/night for. If I'm paying for what is likely the most expensive accommodation on the Hunter, I have every right to expect the absolute best. Aside from my disappointment with the room, I really did enjoy the stay. The staff were friendly, and the breakfast was fantastic. It really is a unique establishment. I'm sure there are many people out there (well there must, given all the positive reviews) that would think the furnishing are a feature, but for the money, the room could have been given some assistance to age a bit more gracefully. Unfortunately I won't be returning to Tower, too expensive for what I felt to be a sub-par room. Although, I must say in general, the quality of accommodation on the Hunter appears to leave a lot to be desired.

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