Songbirds Rainforest Retreat

Room clean. Loved the location and the spa bath was perfect! Would stay again.

Unfortunately, our stay at Songbirds was extremely disappointing and did not reflect the “Luxury Executive Suite Villa” advertised. We were not notified prior to arrival that the restaurant would be closed for both dinner and breakfast. One of the main reasons we booked was to enjoy the location without needing to cook, yet we were told to go to the local IGA for food. There were no instructions for using the oven, which meant time spent Googling how to operate it. Basic amenities were missing — no sponge or tea towel in the kitchen, and complimentary Arnott’s biscuits listed on the minibar sheet were not provided. The property itself felt tired and poorly maintained, with non-working light switches, overflowing gutters or debris, and dirty outdoor furniture. We were also advised to arm ourselves with a stick or umbrella due to wild dogs on the property, however no umbrella was provided in the accommodation. There was no staff present at checkout, despite it being within the expected checkout window. Overall, the experience was well below expectations and absolutely not worth the cost of one night. While we understand the property may be changing ownership, guests should not be paying premium rates for a sub-standard experience. We would not recommend staying here.

Close to The Gallery Walk and National Park.

The good: Location - my villa was surrounded by rainforest. It was quiet inside with doors and windows closed, but you could enjoy the sights and sounds on the balcony, with 2 chairs and a lounger. Villa was nicely appointed and large. Liked that there was a fridge, m/wave, toaster, kettle, plates, glasses cutlery etc for 2. Also the fireplace would be nice in winter Other nice inclusions: insect repellant, insect coils, large flashlight, robes, slippers. The bad: No wifi. Listing said 32in TV with premium channels. TV was actually larger, but premium channels are only available if you have your own wifi service and subscriptions. I am travelling on limited international plan so this was an issue. There was supposed to be free over-air TV channels, but these did not work (‘no signal’ message. Plantation shutter on windows were good to keep out light, but there are 2 large windows above the sliding doors with no cover so room was ‘light’ at 5 am. Checkin/out: When I arrived, reception was open but not staffed. Waited 15 and then called a mobile number shown on a note there. For checkout, it was locked up. Tried calling, went to voicemail which said it was full. Tried texting, no response. Ended up returning to villa and leaving keys there. Wish there were clearer instructions on what to do. No room servicing: Supposed to be daily cleaning etc, but no one came to me room. Fortunately, I was only there 2 days but still.

Nice