Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast

We booked the "Horeshoe Haven" cottage and from the moment we arrived it was like we were at home. Wanda was away at a horse show for the afternoon so her husband showed us to the cottage. It was down the garden away from the main house and other cottages but only 30 seconds from the car park. It overlooked the chook area and the horses paddocks. It had a verandah which we used later in the day for sitting outside and enjoying a drink. Wandas came in later to welcome us and to give us more freshly baked cakes and tarts to go with everything else she provides such as a full range of breakfast cereals and fruit and homemade breads. To top it off she provides Port for the evening when sitting outside on the verandah. The cottage is very comfortable and the bed and pillows are great. She has a peacock that wanders around the place with their dog trying to corral it back to its own area. A lovely stay which we can thoroughly recommend.

The B & B is more than a mile out of town at the end of the street, approached by a red-dirt drive. As its name suggests, the property is surrounded by trees. We had the four-poster Treetops room, which was accessed up stairs through the house's (slightly untidy) yard and hallway. It was furnished in olde-worlde style with dark wood furniture, rugs, chintzy upholstery and lots of knick-knacks, including books and an old-fashioned radio. There were a table and chairs and two easy chairs. Very comfortable four poster bed. The fully-equipped kitchenette had a sink, kettle, toaster, fridge and microwave. There was a selection of items with which to make hot drinks, with homemade cake, macaroon-type bites and chocolate biscuits, plus savoury crackers and rice cakes. There were even a couple of chocolate truffles on the side. Breakfast was DIY, but there was a huge selection of stuff: fresh milk, orange juice, 7 different types of cereal, including gluten-free, 3 types of bread including sultana loaf, 4 types of preserves plus Vegemite, tomatoes, fruit cocktail in syrup, bananas and apples. We ate at the patio table and chairs on the covered balcony which was right out in the trees. The bathroom was clean except for the outside of the window, but a bit old-fashioned and the towels were hard and very rough. The air conditioning was simple to operate and effective. Not many restaurants in town were open in the evening, and those that were either served fast food (pizza, burgers, kebabs) or closed at 8pm. We ate at The Golden Bowl, which was Asian, friendly, reasonably-priced and open until 9pm. In retrospect, we wished we’d bought something healthy to microwave from the supermarket. The cockerel started crowing just before 4am and continued off and on until about 7am, with a further burst around 9am. There was also a resident peacock, who was thankfully silent.

Can't understand why this accommodation rates so highly - surely it can't be the best in town - it was very ordinary. Would not return. Maybe we lucked out in respect to room allocation but even considering that the place needed a good clean and dusting and, while I'm a dog lover, the 3 or 4 dogs that 'shouldered' their way into the house if you left/returned via the front door should have at least been kept away from the entrance. Felt as if we were an inconvenience when we arrived, host was not welcoming or offer a name or any of the usual 'small talk' - really awkward. Was glad to leave. Positives: beds were clean, bathroom while old was kept clean, self serve breakfast was OK although table was surrounded by dusty trinkets with insect poo on them. Negatives: dusty curtains and trinkets, dogs roaming around and accessing house when they saw opportunity, awkward uncomfortable 'welcome' with little communication from host. Summary: I have listed some positives and always try to balance my reviews with good and bad to be fair to the accommodation house but regretfully I can only sum up this place as odd, dusty, cluttered, in need of good clean.

My husband a nd I rec ently stayed on a Saturday night in the Treetop room. This room is up 11 steps. Wanda is a lovely host. Very quiet location. Very good selection of cereals, bread, spreads. Coffees and even milo and banana cake. Extra touches of chocolates, cookies and port. Lovely smelling towels and crisp sheets. Very comfy bed.Wanda recommendation of Federal Hotel for dinner was a great choice