The Louise

We stayed at the Louise Hotel in Barossa Valley for 2 nights. The Stonewell suite is very nice with a vineyard view and plenty of room to stretch out. The heated bathroom floor and a great electric fireplace were a nice touch as the weather was cold. We enjoyed the morning breakfast but didn’t take advantage of the included appellation fine dining experience. There are only Australian wines available for purchase in addition to the included wine program. The team at The Louise works very hard to make sure you have a great stay in the Barossa. We will book again the next time we visit.

We had a fabulous stay at The Louise. On arrival we received warm towels and drinks, whilst reception gave us information about our stay. We had a lovely unit with all amenities, coffee, wine, port, soft drinks, tea, snacks, cheese and home made biscuits showing off local produce. The unit was amazing the view was relaxing and I was just disappointed it was too cool for the pool, but the sauna was warm. We had pre dinner drinks and starters and then a degustation menu with wine pairing. Loved everything, except the dessert, just not to my taste but hubby enjoyed seconds. Got back to our room with a calming oil burning in the diffuser and chamomile tea laid out ready for hot water and pouring. Not a Chamomile tea girl a left a note for staff the next evening as I hate waste and did mention a French Earl Grey was more to my liking before bed, and night two it was there. The staff were fabulous the stay was wonderful, just wish I could have afforded another night or two. Thanks to all the staff who made this an experience we will never forget.

My husband and I had three nights at The Louise. We arrived on a Saturday in torrential rain but we were greeted warmly by Darcy who gave us a welcome drink, a tour of the hotel and our room and gave us suggestions of local things to do Room 7 was lovely. We didn’t use the outdoor shower or sitting areas outside but they would be great in warmer weather. Everything is included at The Louise. The minibar was stocked with handmade treats, drinks and two bottles of wine which were all replenished daily Dinner was a highlight. We enjoyed the different menus and the matching wines were a great way to explore different varieties of wine from some of the many Barossa wineries. Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable Breakfast was also delicious. It started with a breakfast basket with yogurt and pastries then we chose a hot item. Linda was very friendly and pleasant We found lots to do close by to the hotel but we also enjoyed staying in our room. The bed was super comfortable and spoils you for other hotels. Toiletries made locally were a great touch After dinner at turndown service a teapot with sleep tea was delivered We would love to return to The Louise and also stay at some of the other hotels. Thanks for a fabulous stay

We stayed for a weekend to celebrate our birthdays. Staff was friendly and attentive most of the time, but we did note it was slightly below the par compared to other Baillie Lodges we stayed before. You just expect nothing but the best when you paid top dollars for these experiences. The room was beautifully furnished, heating worked perfectly. I loved the turndown service when they put a hot water bottle on the bed, in winter. Dinners at Appellation were amazing! The food and wine pairing were better when we were there a couple of years ago. Service staff were all excellent and knowledgeable about the wines. A couple of things to raise during our stay (which we did feedback at that time). It’s too complicated to turn on the sauna. I expect simply just press a button or nothing, but it was just impossible to find all these knobs. Used the phone to call reception like 5-6times but no response. Imagine if it’s an emergency or someone fainted/slipped. I was fed up, went back to my room, and got a call back later apologised as they were busy checking in guests. Maybe they can offer to turn in on and inform the guests when it’s ready. There was a power outage on one morning, no hot breakfast. Not a big deal as we were not fuss about breakfast but we did shower in cold water, in winter. Perhaps to have a generator or battery next time. I also wonder how often does the pool get used, perhaps just summer as it wasn’t heated. To be honest, I’m not sure will stay at the Louise again but definitely will be back to Appellation.

Spent three days at this great Lodge. Accommodation, food and service were top notch. Room was well presented, cosy and well equipped. Restaurant was superb and wine pairing was great. Staff friendly and attentive. A special special call out for Graham who arranged all aspects of our visit. So attentive and thoughtful and nothing was too much trouble. He is a star and a great asset to The Louise. It is a great base to visit all the super vineyards of the Barossa. Highly recommend it and we will definitely return.

Do not waste your money on The Louise in the Barossa! I have just spent three nights and a lot of money, to take myself, my wife, and her best friend from the USA, to The Louise. Based on our excellent experiences in Kangaroo Island before it burned down, and The Louise only 12 months ago with other O/S guests, this was a total nightmare, and embarrassing! The COO of Baillie Lodges, has responded by blaming the staff, despite my praise of almost every one of them, did not address any of the issues I raised, and offered me a free night, at a hotel I had just bitterly complained about! The formulaic attitude seemed to be “say sorry – blame the staff – give him a free night and p**s him off!” I believe that since last year there has been severe cost-cutting in many areas. There is also now a very high turnover of inexperienced staff. The staff, although mostly very new and inexperienced, were very pleasant, polite, cheerful, and tried to be helpful. The only experienced staff member we recognised from last year had his last day on the day we left. The food was very good. High fives to the chef and his staff. There were some things that we did not anticipate in a hotel supposedly as prestigious and exensive as The Louise. • One of the bedroom windows was extremely hard to open and shut as the winding mechanism did not appear to be working properly. We expected the handle to come off at any moment! • Having told our overseas visitor the pleasures of sitting in front of the cosy gas fire in the living area on a cold evening, the gas fire did not work. The gas technician obviously could not come at a moment’s notice, so we had no gas fire for the best part of our three-night stay. • One of the toilet doors was stuck in the open position. One feared it would come off its rollers if pulled too hard in an attempt to shut it! Doesn’t anybody check these things, on a regular basis? • Only one of the two very similar bedrooms and bathrooms has a heated towel rail. How hard is it to install a heated towel rack in the second bathroom? Why does one bathroom have one and the other doesn’t? • The “all inclusive” pre-dinner drinks menu has virtually disappeared from last year. Now it seems you are limited to wine, an Aperol Spritzer, or a Gin and Tonic. Where has the diverse range of free cocktails gone? • The same has happened with the “all inclusive” dinner wine list (non-pairing) which is now limited to about five wines only, and those cannot be said to have been particularly good. What happened to the previously extensive list? • On one busy dinner night at the Appellation restaurant, there were not enough seats for some of us (high-paying) guests to sit for their limited range of pre-dinner drinks. We had to sit out in the reception area and have someone try to find us an extra chair! • On TWO OCCASIONS, the white wine I had chosen for dinner came out to the table, warm! And was served warm without a hint of embarrassment!

I have rarely felt so pampered. From the welcome cocktail to the tea set up in the room before bedtime the attention to detail was impeccable. The food and wine pairings were divine and breakfast was sumptuous. My only complaint was the pool was too cold but the view from the pool made up for it