Albury Cottages

We booked & paid over $200 through Wotif & requested a late checkin. I called all day to confirm that but my call was never returned. I called Wotif but they also can't reach her. Arrived & it was all locked up, noone around. More messages & Wotif calls standing in the freezing dark night but still we coun't make contact. Wotif than said if we were not checking in they would cancel it. By this time it was 9:30pm. They then sent an email saying no refund as I cancelled?? I have informed them the property is a scam via their email but it bouced back. They even blocked me from leaving a review. I guess they have their comission so they do not care. The property was even listed as vacant to take my money while I was there last night & again today but it is not. We had to find other rooms for 4 people at 10pm or sleep in the car, it was expensive & a horrible experience. Please don't put yourself through it.

I was booked in for four nights. I arrived at approximately 6pm on my first night (daylight saving had just finished, so it was not quite dark when I arrived). It was nigh impossible to know where reception was. I looked around some of the cottages in the dark and stumbled across a small reception sign on one of the doors. The lady owner was inside. She told me she wasn't expecting anyone! This was despite my electronic confirmation of booking. She told me there had been an untimely death in her community and she was quite tired and upset from that experience. She was quite elderly, but rather charming so I took it in my stride, hoping that things could be sorted fairly quickly. I think another part of the problem for her is that she doesn't use electronic communication, and seems to rely on her own form of paper records, which are best described as random. After struggling to find the bunch of keys to all the cottages, but not having any success in the dark to unlock any of the cottages, eventually she found one cottage which had been left unlocked, but also unprepared for any guests. By this stage I was quite eager to get into my room and relax for the night. However this took quite some time as she had to struggle to get clean sheets and towels etc. I ended up helping her make the bed. Other issues with the cottage were that it is quite dusty and while superficially pleasant, it is quite fusty and could do with a good clean - preferably by professional cleaners. I think the lady owner runs the whole place, but it appears to be more than she can cope with. In the advertising the cottages are listed as luxury! Probably the most disappointing place I have ever stayed in.