1770 Sovereign Lodge Retreat

The location is spectacular and super convenient to the sheltered river beach and pub. Unfortunately that is about all that is going for Sovereign Lodge. We were a family group booking the entire premises for 5 night stay at a cost of over $7500. The property was not properly cleaned with dusty floors and furniture and our particular room “JAVA” on the upper level smelled and had to be aired out. Amenities are extremely limited. No wardrobe space in the room. A cheap K-Mart style clothe trolley was provided to give some limited hanging space. All of the cupboards in the living area were padlocked shut and labeled ‘Private’ leaving us zero storage space and effectively ‘camping out’ in our space. This was the universal experience throughout the premises. Every bit of built in storage locked shut and labeled private except for the main kitchen area. The fridge in ‘Java’ was old and rust-stained. In the main kitchen the freezer of the French-door fridge was not working at all. No laundry facilities are provided whatsoever and not even provision for hanging up wet beach clothes & towels. The mattresses were universally terrible and well past their use by date. The instructions that guest had to strip their own beds (but not the mattress protectors or bed spreads… red-flag), and also sweep the floors or face a cleaning fee, is a bad joke. In the end we had a great time, but this was in spite of the accomodation standard, not because of it. Make no mistake, this is 2-Star accommodation at a premium price. The 4 star rating is similarly a bad joke. Interesting that the owners have shut-down their website. No escaping these Google & Trip advisor reviews though.

The "ocean view" room is on the ground floor and has no view. The parking situation is not great either, as you may end up blocking other guests' cars or be blocked in yourself so I ended up parking on the street. Additionally, the luxury room has a musty smell. To avoid a $75 cleaning fee, make sure to strip your bed and dispose of your rubbish in the bin behind the property. It's also important to clean the floors. There are two sockets next to the TV, none in the kitchen, and milk in the fridge from last year.

This was the most spectacular place that I have ever stayed at. The feeling was amazing the minute we opened up the door...then as we walked in further to have full ocean views was just out of this world. Walking through my jaw just kept dropping....the bed..we fell asleep for 2 hours the second we layed in it. Then we strolled down to Katrinas Bar for Pizza and wine. I would love to make this our special yearly thing to do as a couple. And the beautiful Kirsty who kindly booked us in was like talking with your best friend.