Fitzroy Inn Historic Retreat Mittagong

Had an amazing time at my son’s wedding . A lovely place with plenty of history . It’s a country experience and the rooms are lovely. Make sure you explore the main house . Weddings can be stressful but it all came together in the end. A beautiful setting.

Excellent location for the day in the green concert which was excellent- close to buses for the event and short walk to town! Staff so helpful as I’d forgotten to print my print at home tickets but John provided all the help we needed! Did the really interesting history walk of the buildings and ground with an amazing history as an inn, a school, a place for prisoners being transported from parramatta to berrima jail! Gorgeous rooms and we’ll be back to do some of the local walks! The old electrical generator weir a mark of our historic past! Railways took over the role of prisoner transport in late 1800s and insight into the change railways bring!

We recently stayed in the Old Schoolhouse. Whilst the room was spacious, the air conditioning struggled to warm the place given the frigid outside conditions. The kettle wouldn’t stay on and there was no hairdryer. The main house would be lovely if all the doors were not open and no fires on. Upon returning from a day out it would be lovely to sit by the fire, but we couldn’t wait for a fire to take for fear of freezing to death. No gluten free options for breakfast. Upon request, three tiny slices of bread arrived on day 2, but on day three nothing. The coffee machine worked one day out of three. I also don’t appreciate dogs sitting at my feet at breakfast and the conservatory is way too cold for this weather, even with the heaters on.

A beautiful property with lots of history. The room was huge and well appointed. The gardens are inviting and well maintained. All of my encounters with staff were very pleasant and friendly; true hospitality. The most important thing was that they welcomed my two dogs as well. My only concern was the close proximity to a train line. I was fine with the train traffic and it brought back a comfort of my childhood growing up near train lines. For people not accustomed to trains, you may find it difficult to get a good night’s rest.

During my one-night stay at Fitzroy Inn, the experience wasn't quite as expected. Upon our arrival, the reception was empty, so we had to call the hotel to arrange our check-in. Once we entered our room, we were disappointed to find a musty smell. The blinds, especially in the bathroom, were mouldy and dusty. Additionally, there were cracks in the walls and some of the windows were cracked as well. The inside of the kettle was dirty, so we couldn't use it to make tea, especially given how cold it was outside. The heater didn't work well; it was very weak. One of the towels was slightly dirty as well. The following day, at breakfast, we were further disappointed. There were various bread loaves, but none were gluten-free, and there was no alternative milk for coffee. The overall breakfast experience was subpar, with everything seeming like it was just store-bought. The overall experience did not meet the expectations set by such a beautiful place, especially considering the amount paid for the stay. I will not be returning.

We booked the venue for our son’s wedding. They over-promised and under-delivered. John, the owner, appears to have no understanding of hospitality, and Carol, his employee, seems to have limited experience in event management. Their actions or lack thereof, indicated they just didn’t care. Carol advised we would have the option to extend. The Inn’s brochure confirms this. When stating we would like to extend, Carol’s response was, “I do not recall ever mentioning the marquee is available till (sic) 11pm as this is simply not true, we have to finish in the marquee at 10pm”. But the fact we did discuss this is confirmed in her email, stating, “I will also inquire (sic) about extending the finish time … from 10pm to 11pm”. It seemed John wanted to end the reception at 10pm so he could move us to “the dungeon” for a further fee of $2,500. We showed John his brochure that states clients have the option to extend for a fee of $3/guest/hr and relayed Carol’s conversation. He refused to back down and said he would reduce the dungeon fee to $1,500. We did not go ahead as were disappointed he refused to abide by what is stated in his brochure and was not going to honour advice given to us by his employee. Carol advised that if we paid $8,000 for a buy-out of the rooms, we would have exclusive use of the premises. Close to the date of the wedding, Room 12 was still available. Carol advised we wouldn’t be charged for that room and said, “I won’t put anyone into that room”. That didn’t happen. The room was booked to a stranger. Carol advised that with an exclusive buy-out, we could host a dinner on the Friday night. She said we could bring in our own chef or have pizzas delivered, the fireplaces could be lit, we could play a game of pool and roam around the entire Inn – “the place is all yours”. So we planned a rehearsal dinner. A few weeks before the wedding I asked Carol if it would it be possible to use the oven. Carol’s response was, “There will be no access to the bar or kitchen area”. And that if we were to have more people at the dinner than the total number of guests staying on-site, it would be “considered an event and a hire fee will be charged”. We moved the rehearsal dinner elsewhere. We had several meetings with Carol about how we would like the tables set up in the marquee. The brochure states “80 – 200 seated”. John advised they have had events with 190 seated. I felt assured they would be able to cope with 154 guests. I advised Carol we would need 24 tables. This was confirmed in a second meeting with Carol with my wedding stylist. Two days before the wedding I noticed there were only 20 tables. I asked Helen, (new member of staff), for the extra tables. Helen and John finally advised the Inn only has 22 tables. I told John, Carol had stated we could have 4 rows of 6 tables. He threw his hands in the air, turned his back on me, and walking out of the marquee yelled, “I’m not here to play a game of he said/she