Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge - Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Compass34564045930

This was my second visit to the lodge. ||First of all, the location and setting are superb. You had merely to set foot outside to encounter all sorts of interesting animals, and the short walking paths easily accessible from the property made it very easy to explore if time didn't allow to go deep into the park. ||The rooms are cabin style - I appreciated the heating system, which features a gas fireplace that is easily controlled with a thermostat. It was getting down to 0 degrees C outside yet the fireplace kept the room comfortable all night long. ||The only minor drawback is the squeaky floor. If you need to get up in the middle of the night to use the facilities, you can't walk quietly and risk waking up anyone in the room with you. At some point it would be great if the Lodge could look into this because it was the same last year. ||We dined at the Lodge twice and appreciated the attentive, friendly service as well as the good food. Our last night was at the higher end restaurant which did a great job in food presentation and flavor, and took good care of us, making it a great end to the visit. ||I should call out the front desk staff who were kind enough to assist my wife in purchasing the body lotion that she had found in our room and liked very much. One of the staff went out of his way to procure some in time for our departure. ||I look forward to my next visit! Warm thanks to the staff who made our stay very, very special!

Zak W.

We had a fantastic stay at Cradle Mountain lodge in a pencil pine room. We almost didn't book based on the negative reviews, but glad we did. The staff were great and helped with local walks and explained the process for the bus to Dove lake and the national park.
The room was very good, well maintained, clean, peaceful and no tv, which was great to actually relax. Fully stocked mini bar and lovely gas fireplace. While the room didn't look newly renovated, it was very comfortable, modern and fits with the style of the whole complex.
We had an excellent dinner at the restaurant, with the 2 course set menu also including complementary bread, a side and petit fours. We didn't need desert. The wine list was superb and open fire going in both the restaurant and tavern next door.
Breakfast was included which we didn't realise when booking which included a barista coffee, cooked options, pastries, fruit and cereal.
Overall an excellent experience.

Jet13200383967

A mixed bag. |The positives first. A wonderful location with lovely local walks. Also some of the staff were charming. We also greatly enjoyed the one experience of the restaurant dining. The food was good and the staff were friendly and attentive.|On the negative side. The breakfasts were poorly run. Some of the hot food items and milk were not replenished quickly, and we had to chase up some cutlery and bowls. Also the bread and toast counter should have been kept more tidy. We made the mistake of eating in the bistro on a busy Saturday evening and spent a good 20 minutes queuing to be served at a bar tended by two staff who were taking both drinks and food orders. One more person just taking drinks orders would have worked better. |When we asked to raise these issues with a manager we were informed that the manager was not in and would not be available until later in the day!! Surely on a busy holiday weekend a senior manager should be onsite through the day and evening to ensure the smooth running of all the services to optimise the guests’ experience.|Our cabin was adequate but a little tired looking.|I am not convinced that the overall experience was worth the money.

Samuel S. (.

The accommodation is designed in a cozy cabin style, with all the essential amenities provided—except for a television. The bathroom was pleasantly warm, though the shower space was quite compact. The fireplace added charm to the stay, though front desk service was lacking; two phone calls went unanswered. Breakfast was minimal for the price, but given the remote mountain location, expectations must be tempered. The surrounding natural environment is pristine, though sightings of wildlife were limited—despite clear traces of their presence. Overall, the experience was decent, but the value for money is questionable. That said, in such an isolated setting, one learns not to expect too much.

F330NJgeraldinel

We loved every second. Plus the sheer convenience to Cradle mountain trails (multiple trails leave start from the hotel grounds), the shuttle (from Ranger station across the road) and Devil’s@cradle is unbeatable. The bistro is beautiful, log fire, excellent food, lovely staff. Take a pizza back to your room! Oh and the guest laundry. God send after long hikes. Free powder from reception and great commercial quality dryers!

Hendra W.

Very disappointing stay – not worth the price and suggest others to look elsewhere for accommodation.

To say Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge was a letdown is an understatement. The rooms are extremely old, dated, and not particularly clean, with paper-thin walls and very creaky floors that made sleep nearly impossible. Service was consistently poor—from check-in to check-out, staff seemed uninterested and unwilling to address concerns.

The Highlands Restaurant had good food, but the experience was ruined by a loud, disruptive group. Despite complaints, staff did nothing to improve the atmosphere, so we left quickly. Breakfast selection and service was equally poor. Tables were left unattended with dirty dishes for the whole duration of our meal.

For the price, I expected much better. Until they invest in upgrades and train their staff properly, I wouldn’t recommend staying here. Also key note: WiFi is ONLY available in the lobby and not in the rooms.

340majellam

This is an amazing location to explore Cradle Mountain. The trip to the national park is so very well organized by a frequent bus shuttle. |The hotel is cosy but very dated. Hence needs to up its game especially with furnishings. Very pricy for what you get. |Our cabin was cosy and warm. Bed very comfortable. |We didn’t eat in the restaurant just in the tavern. Food was good. But not great. ! |We did our own breakfast and lunch.

Joseph F.

Overall, disappointing! Our booking deal through Qantas was not honoured, despite already being paid for and info shown at reception. I believe it was Kim/Kym, the manager who wouldn't even engage in our situation and passed us over for her staff to deal with the situation. The solution should've been for our deal to have been honoured and then taken up with Qantas. Having to go through this for our anniversary special holiday experience was terrible.
The staff were less than helpful, and we had to contact them way too many times to sort things out.
The spa in our room was obviously left on way too long, so we didn't get to use it for the first night. After resetting it and testing it ourselves, it worked the second night. Rung for help, told to test it ourselves and get back to them. At $1500/ night, you'd expect a lot more.
The room was stunning, but at this price, it's the service that you are paying for, which was not there.
Our first dinner booking was missed, and when we asked them for info on things, we were told to contact the different sections ourselves.
They did provide a complimentary bottle for our anniversary, which was nice, but they then made sure to let us know that they didn't have to do that.
The management needs to engage in way better training of staff, and the owners should engage in management training. Culture is set from the top, and there was almost no culture of service. Some of the waiters were great, but at least 50% could do with some smiling and friendly service training and simple things like offering to clean the table instead of watching a customer clean the table for themselves. The overall service we and others were clearly receiving were sub-par. It's like the staff lived on site, and so their workplace had become normal to them, losing site that this is meant to be a 5 star unbelievable experience. When your rooms start at $600/ night, an expectation is set. I look forward to also contacting Qantas and recommending they don't include them in their suggested holidays on their website.

The other local experience with the location, wildlife, and the bus system which takes you up to the mountain was fantastic... none of which had anything to do with the lodge other than the location was great.

Unless under new management or a major overhaul is undertaken, I wouldn't recommend you spend money at this place.

...
In response to the response; I sat at the reception desk with Kelly and the GM was also there. I was on site and did express all my concerns. Kelly said the deal was not going to be honoured and so at an impass, what is the customer supposed to do. You had your chance to deal with it on site, so trying to say that now in response to my review is certainly not good enough at all. My review is still valid.