Name: Karingal Homestead B&B
Address: 6480 Bass Highway, 3996 Inverloch, Australia, Inverloch, Inverloch, Inverloch, 3996, Australia
Rating: 6

Air conditioning

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

Private check-in/check-out

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Library

Barbecue grill(s)

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Location

At the hotel

Karingal Homestead B&B

Inverloch

We enjoy celebrating our Wedding Anniversaries visiting various cottages around Victoria.
This weekend was our 44th Anniversary, and your Woolshed Cottage is the worst place we have ever stayed at.
Upon arrival there is no signage, the path to the cottage was overgrown and the verandah has loose boards.  Walking into the cottage was most unwelcoming, with cobwebs over the walls, windows and bookcases, dirty venetian blinds and a general tired feeling.
We’re aware the owners are trying to sell the property, but there is no excuse for the state of the cottage.
The couch in the lounge is infested with fleas or bugs, as my wife was covered in bites over her legs, there was no wi-fi available and the magazines and tourist guides were out of date – some back to 2011.   The bed was missing pieces of the end, and the room was very dirty (also under the bed!)
Spare blankets and pillows were stuffed into a wardrobe which we felt best not to use.
The cutlery drawer was dirty with dog hair amongst the pieces, and there was chipped crockery.
BUT the most disgusting thing was a large piece of meat fat that was caught over the sink drain.
Don't bother!

Don't Bother

We booked a room with an en-suite. Upon arrival, we were greeted to a very dusty and stale common room, an insect or two in the room (one large one we killed soon after unpacking), overall, the place seemed grimy and in need of a good clean and renovation. The garden, although nice, seemed unkept and in great need of watering and pruning. We had no free wifi as Telstra’s tower wasn’t working. They had a hot spot for themselves but did not make any alternative arrangements for their guests. We weren’t too fussed about using our own phone data, however, it showed a lack of hospitality and willingness to be accommodating of a problem out of their control.
We left at about midnight because we couldn’t sleep from the presumable dust mites in the bed. We figured the 1.5 hour drive back to Melbourne was better than a sleepless night and getting bitten. My husband had a nap in the bed in the afternoon and felt the dust mites then. He felt like he was living in Ethiopia all over again. The owner was not sympathetic at all to our disappointment and our request for a refund for the last few nights of our stay. His reply was, ‘We haven’t had a problem with dust mites for ten years.’ A waste of hard-earned money and instead of a four night stay became a very short trip down to South Gippsland. Turns out they are selling their property so we figure the amount of care for their guests is minimal. Disappointing stay.

BED BUGS, INSECTS, DUST, GRIMY, DRY GARDEN, OVERALL DISAPPOINTING STAY

This was a winter season visit and yes, the disappointing aspect of this stay was the room and the guest area were cold. The reverse cycle heating in the bedroom never succeeded in warming the room up and in the morning the breakfast area was frigid. We were uncomfortably cold anywhere except in the bed which was comfortable - but the TV was located such that the foot of the bed base blocked the view of the screen. Sitting up in bed you could see the top half of the TV only. Doh!

On the positive side, we slept well despite the noise from the heating unit running most of the time. The breakfast was more than adequate yet somehow unsatisfactory; really weak coffee was not served until the end of the breakfast and bacon and eggs was presented as a mutually exclusive choice against toast and jam. Good coffee and toast are base line breakfast items in our view, They should be available from the outset, especially when all the bowls of jam are laid out on the table when you sit down. 

The loganberry compote and yogurt were delicious and the bacon and eggs were quite good. 

I'd have to say that the very mediocre and late coffee and more importantly the lack of comfortable heating would stop us trying this B&B again.

All B&Bs have their quirks but being cold in winter shouldn't be one of them

We arrived on Friday afternoon and were made welcome by host Michael.
The cottage is small, a one bedroom, with ensuite, a lounge/dining and modest kitchen.
Just perfect.
Plenty of room around it as well, and being pet friendly, made our two labradors very welcome too.
A self catering breakfast is provided for with plenty of fresh everything including their own locally made preserves which were nothing less than delicious.
Very comfortable, very relaxed.

A weekend away from the drama

Let's start off with the positives - the hosts were really nice people and their home was nice enough in a nice setting in the countryside.  The breakfast in the morning was fantastic and we felt very comfortable.

Enter the negatives - we stayed in the sectioned off part of the house and had our own bathroom, which was very dated, full of dust, spiderwebs and dirt. The bedroom was the same, in addition to two spiders, which I had to kill prior to getting into bed. My partner and I looked at both of the bottoms of our feet and they were black with the dirt from the carpet.

Our credit card failed on their system so Michael (I believe his name is) rang to retake the payment. He asked how are stay was and I mentioned the above - his shocking reply was that they clean the place once a week, which we feel is not enough, as someone should be either cleaning everyday or after every visit.

Very dirty bedroom & bathroom - nice hosts & great breakfast

This B&B had its positives but I would not recommend it during hot weather. We stayed in the Garden View room which did have a nice outlook but we couldn't really enjoy it because it was so hot. There is no air conditioning - not even a fan but we were happily supplied with one when we asked. Breakfast was nice but set on a table also used for the business computer and paperwork. Felt really cluttered. Bathroom was not clean (sink dirty) but spacious. Overpriced for what it was.

OK for a short escape

We recently stayed at Karingal Homestead for 3 nights. We were disappointed as the quality of service was very poor.  The bathroom was not clean and not cleaned daily.  Nor was the bed made or the towels changed or the waste bin emptied daily.
It was advertised as tranquil but our bedroom window was close to the Bass Highway so we found it extremely difficult to sleep.  When we mentioned this to the host his reply was that some people are very  light sleepers.
A very nice breakfast wa served but it was served in the kitchen that was very actively being used to produce commercial quantities of sauces and jams, not a very appropriate atmosphere for a a B & B

Karingal Homestead B&B

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