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4.5
#3 of 14 hotels in Pokolbin
Location
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Spicers Guesthouse in the Hunter Valley offers a modern elegance where wine & exploration is the talk around the table. Having undergone an 18 month revitalisation the retreat has an inviting, homely feel that envelopes guests once inside. Spicers Guesthouse offer 49 luxuriously appointed rooms including a four bedroom house, state of the art conference facilities, an events gazebo and an outdoor pool with spa. Éremo Restaurant with its modern Italian cuisine is a centrepiece of the retreat. The private dining room offers a unique experience for small private occasions while the variety of larger spaces are ideal for weddings and conferences
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Classic
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English
Location
57 Ekerts Rd, Pokolbin, Cessnock, New South Wales 2320 Australia
Spicers Guesthouse
421 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We went there part of our holiday there and stayed 3 nights in January. The rooms were lovely however having no curtains means the room was lit up very early in the morning as the wooden blinds though attractive do not block out light. Bathrooms were also lovely though we had one hand towel between the two of us checking in. By the last day we didnt even get a floor towel for getting out of the shower. Could be more generous with towels especially in the heat we would shower twice daily. The food and dining experience was excellent and the staff well trained. However My irritation was on checking out we discovered that if you had more than one coffee for breakfast they charged you for it. I couldn’t believe it in all my years travelling! It wasn’t as if it was a diner. We paid for breakfast! I feel management should review this as is very petty. Other than that a memorable experience and we enjoyed it. Definitely do something about darkening the bedrooms with curtains also
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from spicerseremo, General Manager at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Feb 11, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write to us Road526984. We appreciate your comments and will certainly take the time to discuss them. Regards, Mark Whitnell
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We have just returned from 2 nights at Spicers Guesthouse! The stay was absolutely fantastic, nothing could have been better. The food was exquisite, all were the wine recommendations. We ate breakfast and dinner at the properly on both days - the ingredients were fresh and delicious. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful with plenty of communal places to relax, great views, beautiful rooms, a fantastic pool area and to top it all off there were wild kangaroos relaxing on the grounds! We loved the location and were able to Uber a few local wineries for around $10. We also made the decision to sign up for the hot air balloon on the Sunday with Beyond Ballooning which was another incredible experience. The staff at Spicers couldn’t have been more helpful and accommodating, they also gave us a late check-our when we told them we were planning to travel back to the city. It was a really wonderful, festive mini and it felt completely Covid safe. We can’t wait to visit again, Anna & Ben!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just stayed one night as we made a quick trip to the Hunter Valley. Our room was very spartan (perhaps some would call it contemporary style) but the essentials were there. The wood shutters are nice but they don’t keep out the light. Unfortunately our room (#21 in the Hunter Wing) was by a walkway and the lights stayed in all night so it was very light in our room. There was no shade for the bathroom light so we had to close the door to keep the light out of the bedroom. Luckily we didn’t run into it during the night. There was no view from our room and although on the ground floor, we didn’t have a patio to go out to.
Our friends were in the other section and from their description had a much better set up. They had a patio with a view and were apple to spot a coup,e of kangaroos in the morning (surprise...I’m from the States and seeing kangaroos in the wild is a big deal)
The grounds are beautiful, very secluded and very quiet. I spent some time down by the fire pit reading and you could hear the bird’s wings as they flew overhead.
We only had breakfast in the restaurant and it was delightful. The chef accommodated my request to make sure the egg on my avocado toast was firm. Her homemade lemon curd for the croissants was amazing...basically lemon meringue pie without the meringue!!
I can’t speak to the value as it was part of a package that included the hotel, two days of tastings and a private guide for two days.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spicers Guesthouse, General Manager at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Apr 23, 2020
Hello l84tens, Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. I am delighted to know that you and your guests enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Kind regards, Mark Whitnell
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My partner and I had a wonderful experience during our stay at the Spicers Guesthouse where we stayed at the Mong Deluxe room. We were delighted by the Spicers team preparing a warm welcome - room with smooth jazz music playing, a bottle to celebrate me and my partner’s special occasion.
Oftentimes what makes the experience unforgettable and special is not just the facilities but the staff. At Spicers Guesthouse, we are pleased to have experienced helpful staff from the front desk reception to the restaurant. Special mention to Aki at the restaurant for the good service who is not only attentive and also brings a smile that brightens our day at breakfasts.
The pool and the daily morning animal guests - kangaroos and geese adds a special charm to the experience. Let’s not forget about the special lounge and the details that goes into creating the wonderful ambience. The fireplace outside on the lawn would be absolutely wonderful in winter!
This was in general a wonderful experience for us and Spicers Guesthouse is conveniently located to experience the Hunter Valley.
The experience was close to perfection. If we had to fault any detail - it would be for a small minor detail in housekeeping where the open toothbrush boxes were left uncleared on the bench top (which may have been an oversight) and perhaps replacing the empty tissue box. The replacement of tissue was easily rectified by the team where we asked reception.
All in all, Spicers Guesthouse offered a wonderful experience and we have already booked our second stay back at Spicers Guesthouse even before this review. Looking forward to another pleasant experience during the next upcoming stay.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First holiday for us now having 2 x toddlers and staying at Spicers guest house was the best thing we could have done. The staff were so accomodating, the rooms were spotless and Im a clean freak so worried about any germ my kids might pick up and here I felt at such ease it was wonderful. There were old fashion games we could all play as a family. The food was fantastic, the pizza the best we have ever eaten!! We cant wait to go back
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Date of stay: December 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:if you have difficulty using stairs ask for a ground floor room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Whitnell Mark, General Manager at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Dec 9, 2020
Hi 131maryannel, Thank you for the review! We are delighted to read your feedback. The first trip away with the little ones is often quite stressful, so we are so thrilled to hear that you all enjoyed yourselves. We look forward to seeing you all again soon. Warm Regards Mark Whitnell
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Firstly the good: the staff really do try, and they succeed. Our room was very nice, but more on this later. We had a package that included Two breakfasts and a Dinner. The Dinner was excellent. The food outstanding and the staff again excellent.
The Bad: Our room was a corner ground floor room, on the path to the pool area. This offered no privacy and in order to get any we had to reside behind closed blinds, didn't expect to live in the dark. The room wasn't serviced once in two days, part of the experience for us in a place like this is walking in to a room beautifully serviced looking like we had just checked in, the excuse COVID-19. honestly and if this is considered a valid reason by the establishment then this should be reflected in the room cost. Its not an inexpensive exercise staying at Spicers! The included breakfast both days was served fridge cold, the first day mine just passed however my partner refused to go to breakfast the next day, and I headed off myself to discover why I was eating alone. Mine was fridge cold, I still wonder how they got cold runny yolks out of poached eggs, the mushrooms, the bacon, the sausage all fridge cold.. I walked out, and was explaining my experience at the reception when I was offered a breakfast delivered room service, decided no , definitely no third chance. Comforting to know that my complaint about a cold breakfast was receiving the same response as another guest, that is, I will pass it on to the chef! Got the feeling he'd heard it all before and wasn't too concerned.
We won't be back, and would struggle to recommend to anyone no know.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Paige Smith, Guest Services / Front Office at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Aug 13, 2020
Dear Cabsavie, Thank you for taking the time to leave some honest feedback. We have been reviewing the feedback thoroughly and making some changes. We are now back to do doing a full service daily. It was our understanding when we re-opened that guests would prefer minimal contact, so were only doing a light service on request. This has now been rectified. We do have 1 or 2 rooms that are located in a space that opens up to a pathway as you have mentioned, however we do also have a lot of rooms with beautiful views of the valley, this is unfortunately not an easy fix. Having said that if you do decide to give us another go we would love to put you in a room with a great view and more privacy. I understand that breakfast was not enjoyable. We are going to be making some major changes in this space as we have heard the feedback and we want to improve. We want our breakfast to be as good as any funky cafe in Newcastle and we are working hard to make that happen. Watch this space. We would really love it if you would return and give us another go. We really appreciate that you stayed with us and apologise that we did not deliver on this occasion. Please email our Guest Services Manager Tara to organise a future stay in a beautiful room, with beautiful views and a hot breakfast. We would truly love it if you would return as we value you as a customer. If you would like to discuss further please don't hesitate to get in contact. We hope to hear from you soon.
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We chose Spicer's for a long weekend getaway hoping for a little bit of luxury and we were not let down. The recently renovated rooms were so nicely styled and the hotel has many thoughtful touches that speak to the attention to detail of the staff (such as the many outdoor fire pits for comfortable lounging, the sweet spice scent in the indoor lobbies and the high quality finishes on the decor). We very much enjoyed wandering the grounds as well as using this perfect location as a base for exploring the Hunter Valley. Staff were warm and welcoming. The rooms were a great size, I can see how some may find the bathroom small but it was quite a nicely designed space and we never had any problems with it. I was also pleased by the obvious efforts Spicer's go to in order to minimise their environmental impact which is a must for me. All round a splendid stay !
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Whitnell Mark, General Manager at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Aug 16, 2020
Hi there Xalx, Thank you for staying with us and thank you for leaving a review. We appreciate your feedback. We are very lucky to work in such a beautiful hotel in a great location. Thank you for your kind comments. Warm Regards Mark Whitnell
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Stayed here for two nights in October. Completed the online check in which was easy however we arrived very early as we had a function to go to which started at 12 midday. We didn't expect our room to be ready given how early we were, and it wasn't, but we were able to leave our luggage at reception and when we returned we found that they had very kindly delivered it to our room. This was greatly appreciated particularly as our room was on the first floor and there were approximately 18 steps to navigate.
Our fairly large room was stylishly furnished with a king sized bed (very comfortable), that had a small bedside table with a reading lamp on either side of the bed. There was a two and a half seater couch at the foot of the bed with a small coffee table that faced the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall. Under the TV was a return that held the coffee machine. There was also a single chair and a built in two door wardrobe.
The room had a leafy outlook with a view of the cottage. Too close to the cottage as we found out on our first evening as a party raged there well into the early hours of the night.
The bathroom was compact but very functional. The room was narrow with the walk in shower (pressure good) up one end, the toilet down the other and the basin in between. There was ample room for toiletries.
The room and bathroom were very clean and the included WIFI worked very well.
The bath towels were luxurious and there were also dressing gowns which could have also been used to walk to and back from the swimming pool.
Breakfast was included in the tariff and was held either outside on the terrace or inside the restaurant. The menu included a selection of eight dishes but we were advised by our delightful waitress that we could mix and match if we wished. Breakfast also included a choice of juices and tea or coffee.
We also discovered that if you were an inhouse guest you could enjoy free barista made coffee and/or tea in the bar area or out on the terrace at any time during the day.
Staff at check-in and in the restaurant and bar were very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately on the morning of our check-out we received via email a bill for our accommodation (which had already been prepaid) which was for an amount greater than our prepayment and had obviously been sent to the wrong person. It took the young lady on reception some time to acknowledge that the email had been incorrectly sent but she eventually sorted it out and we just paid for our extras and left.
Notwithstanding this small hiccup and the sleepless night we had a very enjoyable and relaxing stay and will absolutely return.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Genovese, Guest Services / Front Office at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Dec 8, 2022
Dear Westy54, On behalf of the team we would like to thank you for your detailed and amazing review for your stay. We are delighted to hear you had a great time with us and hope to see you again in the future.
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We booked this guesthouse for my husband's birthday and it did not disappoint. The best accommodation by far in the Hunter. The property and guest rooms are absolutely immaculate. Breakfast and Dinner was fantastic as well. Spicers seem to think of everything from filtered water in the guest rooms to a parting gift. This is a beautiful guesthouse with great service and the atmosphere is just amazing. Cannot wait to return. Bathrooms in the King Deluxe Room are small but are beautiful. We had a room on the 2nd floor over looking the beautiful garden. A beautiful time away!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from spicerseremo, General Manager at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Jan 16, 2020
Thank you for your kind words Johanna. We look forward to welcoming you and your husband back to Guesthouse again soon. Regards, Mark Whitnell
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The hotel staff were wonderful and friendly, always greeting us with a smile and going the extra mile. The room was large and comfortable for 2 adults and a 4 year old and the restaurant was delicious for both breakfast and dinner, both nights. The staff were particularly attentive to our 4 year old son, getting him sticks to roast marshmallows on their firepit outside. Thank you again - we can’t wait to visit again soon!
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Whitnell Mark, General Manager at Spicers Guesthouse
Responded Dec 2, 2020
Hi there SydneysideSam, Thank you for staying with us at the Guesthouse. Great to hear about your stay and that your little boy enjoyed himself also. We hope to see you and your family back again soon. Warm Regards Mark Whitnell
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I ended up booking the picnic, in my opinion it was grossly overpriced at $85per person. The picnic was DIY, collect the basket from reception & set it up around the grounds. 1 apple per person, 1 water pp, 1 cup cake pp, 1 salad roll pp, 2 blocks of cheese, a handful of olives & a fruit salad. I included a photo in my full review. I was expecting unique, local produce. It was poorly thought out. The blanket & a glass was missing from basket.
There are more places to choose from in the Pokolbin area.
PRICE RANGE
C$258 - C$485 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
peppers guest house, hunter valley hotel pokolbin
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Peppers Guest House, Hunter Valley
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesGreater NewcastleCessnockPokolbin
NUMBER OF ROOMS
46
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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