Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Review

Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley is a 4.5 star resort set on attractive grounds in Lovedale within an easy reach to the wineries. Set on 130 hectares with 550 guest rooms, 12 spa rooms, 2 and 3 bedroom self-catering villas the resort caters for visitors, small groups, families, weddings and conferences.

Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley  Lobby

Deluxe King Room

Deluxe King Room

The Deluxe Room is light and spacious and features a very comfortable king size bed, a plasma TV with movies on demand, individually controlled air conditioning/heating, a functional desk space, a small laptop size safe, a mini-bar and tea and coffee making facilities.

Welcome gift

Broadband internet access and Wifi in the room are available at additional charge.

Deluxe King Room

The bathroom is clean and modern and comes with a bathtub and a separate walk-in shower with a luxuriant showerhead.

Bathroom

Bathrobes, slippers and and a hair dryer are provided as well as ironing facilities.

Walk-in Shower

Room 350 is located on level 3 and has a furnished balcony that overlooks the main entrance to the resort, the swimming pool and expansive views over the Hunter.

Night view from Deluxe Room Balcony

Breakfast at Redsalt

A buffet breakfast is served daily at Redsalt Restaurant from 6.30am to 10am on weekdays and from 6.30am to11.00am on weekends and public holidays. Breakfast includes hot and cold options with an egg station where you can order eggs cooked to your liking. Eggs Benedict come with a choice of salmon, spinach or smoked ham, and there’s a choice of four omelettes. If you’re so inclined, there’s a DIY fresh juice station when you can juice your own combination of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Redsalt Restaurant

Breakfast at Redsalt is chaotic and much like a cafeteria at rush hour rather than a hotel breakfast dining room. Coffee is served at your table but may not arrive until you’re about to leave or when it’s served on time, it’s not even lukewarm. The staff rush around the room not knowing which table placed which order. On Sunday, people queued for a table and waited for their number to be called.

Clockwise from top left: assorted breakfast, Eggs Benedict with Spinach and Salmon, Omelette, Eggs Benedict with ham

The food at breakfast is hit and miss. A smoked salmon omelette with rocket and horseradish cream was lacking in flavour, so were the Eggs Benedict with ham while the salmon and spinach combination was marginally better. Breakfast comes at an additional charge to the room rate (it can be part of a package) and as such it can do with improvements to offer value for money and maintain the 4.5 star level of the resort.

Facilities at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley

View of Swimming Pool from Redsalt in the rain

The resort is wholly owned by Crowne Plaza and features a heated swimming pool 24/7 365 days a year, golf, tennis courts, restaurants (Redsalt Restaurant, Grapevine Café-Bar and Vista Lounge), a spa and a gym with new equipment from May 2013.

Jacuzzi

An outdoor jacuzzi is very inviting although the incessant rain kept most people away.

Hotel Gym

There are many game facilities to entertain guests such as volleyball, putt putt golf, giant chess, badminton, table tennis, a billiard table and skeet shooting.

Golf Course

Water Dragons Kids Club Kids centre keeps the little ones entertained and there are movie rooms and a playstation.

Chess Board

New developments will begin from June 1^st  when the new owner who currently owns Sydney Brewery will be moving it to the resort under the name of Lovedale Brewery.

Tea Tree Spa

The Tea Tree Spa is the place to relax, unwind and be pampered, be it for a spa treatment, a massage, a facial or other beauty and skin treatments.

Tea Tree Spa

Massages start from $80 for 30 minutes and $110 for 50 minutes and range from simple Swedish massage to remedial, hot stone and deep tissue massage.

Couples Room

Before the treatment, warm heat pack are applied around the neck to help with relaxation. Comfortable slippers are provided while completing a consultation form for the therapist. What follows is a relaxing massage in a serene couples’ room that revitalises the senses.

View from Balcony before check out

Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley attracts families and and groups and is popular with weddings and conferences. If you’re looking for a quiet, romantic getaway for two, it may not be ideal. The location is convenient and an easy drive to the wineries and regional attractions. Parking is available onsite including in front of the main hotel building or your villa free of charge. There are several parking areas on the resort with valet parking available for $15 per night.

The deluxe room is clean, comfortable and spacious but was not serviced until after 3.30 pm. The staff are friendly, approachable and helpful, and you often see them smiling and greeting the guests. Check in and check out are swift but take note that paying by any credit card incurs a 1.5% extra charge.

For a weekend away or a longer stay, Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley offers a relaxing retreat in the heart of the Hunter Valley.

In the Hunter Valley series (coming soon):
Redsalt: Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley
Vista Lounge: Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley
Lovedale Long Lunch with Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley
Goldfish Hunter Valley

Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley
430 Wine Country Dr
Lovedale NSW 2325
Ph: (02) 4991 0900
www.crowneplazahuntervalley.com.au

Gourmantic stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley as media guests.