獨行者旅社的評論

We arrived with pretty high expectations of something luxurious, as the lodge costs $2600 NZD per night. It's beautifully located with great views. But on arrival we were shown into the main bar area overcrowded with old, mismatched chairs with dirty picture windows with the window tinting breaking down and streaking. We went outside to a deck with a glorious view of the lake, but the decking hadn't seen any oil for at least 10 years and the outdoor lights were covered with cobwebs. The wood and canvas chairs were very old and painted an odd shade of orange. There was no lounge chair option outdoors, just the table and chairs which were like tatty old beach house furniture. Our room was pleasant but no better than most $300 per night hotels, other than the view. The room was not quite big enough to comfortably house the bed and the sofa. Moving the sofa so it faced the view, meant that the walkway between the bed and the sofa was blocked. Luxury should have included big french doors opening onto the deck with loungers etc but instead there was a small door beside the big windows and the same tatty uncomfortable outdoor canvas/wood chairs and table. Inside, a tiny 29inch TV was mounted too high to be watched comfortably from the sofa and was too small to be watched from the bed. The glass shower door had a 20 cent rubber knob stuck on the middle so it didn't smash against the corner of the vanity and the shower itself was a cheap $100 plastic mixer and slide. A coffee plunger was supplied but nothing to heat or froth milk. Does anyone actually make plunger coffee these days? The mini bar items were included but these were merely a couple of cheap beers, some water bottles and wines with two packets of chips. The home made cookies were superb but these were not replaced after we'd finished them. The three meals included in the price were nice, and the service was excellent, but luxury means attention to detail and the lodge itself has not had that detailed attention for a long time. Some sort of staff uniform would have added a touch of professionalism. Outdoor furniture should be regularly replaced rather than repainted, and the outdoor fittings should be maintained. Decking oil is not a huge cost. A complete renovation of the interior of the public spaces is way overdue. Stuccoed walls and ceilings were cool in the 80s, but today are horribly tacky. Solitaire Lodge may have been a leader in luxury when it was built in 1980 but today it doesn't measure up to the luxury mark and there is simply no way to justify the $2600 price tag. I consider that $1000 per night would still be expensive but the food would make this price justifiable.