Abalina Cottages, Rotary Drive

“Disappointing”

Our stay at Abalina Cottages was disappointing. While the cottage appears stylish and premium online, it was tired, basic, and lacked the attention to detail you’d expect at this price point…especially when things don’t work. We encountered several issues: • The internet modem wasn’t working and … more

Our stay at Abalina Cottages was disappointing. While the cottage appears stylish and premium online, it was tired, basic, and lacked the attention to detail you’d expect at this price point…especially when things don’t work. We encountered several issues: • The internet modem wasn’t working and had to be replaced later the next day. Once your data allocation is up, that’s it… poor given its 2025. • The underfloor heating in the main bathroom didn’t work – the host blamed previous guests. • There were no firelighters or matches provided to light the fireplace - we were directed to the next door cottage to get some matches. One nights worth of kindling. • The laundry detergent bottle was empty. • The soundbar wouldn’t connect, which was again blamed on previous guests. • One day we returned to find the kitchen sink full of ants…no idea how they got there as we didn’t cook…a heads up would have been nice. To make matters worse, the third bedroom was locked off, despite us booking a three-bedroom cottage. When we raised this, the response was: “Our cottage rates are based on one couple and then you choose extra guests and extra bedrooms. The rate advertised is not for an entire cottage. This is clear on our website.” This was not made clear during booking or online and felt misleading. If you advertise a three-bedroom cottage and a guest books it, locking off a room without clear warning is unacceptable…they assume everyone is a couple. When we raised the other issues, the host’s response was that we should have contacted them during the stay — we did at the start but as there were numerous continuing issues that would’ve meant “endlessly being on my phone complaining,” which is exactly what we were trying to avoid on a short break and we chose to discuss these on our return to avoid a stressful break. Overall, this property did not live up to expectations, and the dismissive response from the host made the experience even more frustrating. We wouldn’t return and cannot recommend it.

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“Not clean and host not helpful”

We booked Cobden cottage 11 months ago. The cottage is in a great location and is a short walk to the centre of Bright's township. This was a family get away (3 adults) and we had a great time. The poor rating is due to the attitude of the host. We had to call the host the day before departure to f… more

We booked Cobden cottage 11 months ago. The cottage is in a great location and is a short walk to the centre of Bright's township. This was a family get away (3 adults) and we had a great time. The poor rating is due to the attitude of the host. We had to call the host the day before departure to find out how to access the property. On arrival there were ants in the main bathroom, on the floor, bath and toilet roll. We had to throw the toilet roll out. We didn't mind as the host had left us with half used rolls of toilet paper from the previous guest in each bathroom. I have never come across this in all the places I have stayed (both overseas and interstate). There was no supply of milk in the fridge, strawberry and marmalade jam, honey or vegemite as mentioned on the Abalina website. There was no washing basket, pegs or clothes rack. There was a clothesline outside, so we were sure that we just couldn't locate the pegs. We made a call to the host, as stated on the information sheet, she did say to call her if we had any queries. All she said was 'no pegs' and also said there was a clothes rack in the cupboard. We couldn't locate the clothes rack, so we tried calling the host again a few times. She chose to ignore our calls. We didn't want to use the clothes dryer as the sun was out and it was perfect for drying clothes. More ants were found on the living room floor and on the coffee table. Again, more ants were found in the second bedroom on the single bed. Blinds are dusty in living areas and bathrooms. Outdated condiments in the fridge. I don't believe this cottage is professionally cleaned. Tiny amount of laundry detergent provided. Live wire exposed on cords of both lamps in the front bedroom.

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“Well equipped but....”

Stayed 3 nights with friends in Abalina on Cobden. House is well located a short well to Bright village. It is well equipped, well laid out and comfortable. The beds were very comfortable. It was, unfortunately, not very clean. Bedroom carpets had stains and need a steam clean, the cook top had … more

Stayed 3 nights with friends in Abalina on Cobden. House is well located a short well to Bright village. It is well equipped, well laid out and comfortable. The beds were very comfortable. It was, unfortunately, not very clean. Bedroom carpets had stains and need a steam clean, the cook top had grease on it, the oven had baked on burnt food, some pots needed to be scrubbed before use and the tile floors had a film of something on them. We have stayed at Abalina a number of times in the past and rated those experiences very good to excellent. This staff did not match those earlier stays.

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