Ok, I created this listing, so it's about time I wrote a review on it! If you haven't yet, go visit…read morethe website, it has pretty much everything there to answer any questions you might have.
Located on Maple Street (main drag) in Maleny, the boutique is a little tucked away, but you should be able to spot the sign on your right as you head through the roundabout and smattering of shops. Drive on into the driveway, if it's not full, or park in one of the diagonal parking spaces outside. City-dwellers may forget that you don't have to pay for parking this far out, so don't hesitate to park it on the street; there's plenty of space between your car and the road, too, so no need to worry about other drivers.
Ambience ****
This is my first B&B experience. The Lodge is a CIRCA 1900 built Queenslander; it's large, to say the least! If you've never been inside a true old Queenslander, they've usually got a minimum 4 bedrooms; in this case, I think there's.... 5? I think that's a good start for my first B&B as I wanted to experience the familiarity of what I was expecting to be a home away from home. I always imagined a B&B to have two levels at least, but this one is cosy one level, a few steps to get up, with creaky hardwood floors, panelled wood walls, gorgeous 'antiquey' decore, and even an old rounded television in the back room (think OLD JVC style tellies!) with a tea and coffee buffet. There's a pool down the back, which you're welcome to use at any time (not sure about late night dips), and a patio area to lounge and chill your balmy Summer afternoons away. Just be careful of the bindis out back, make sure you've got your sandals/jandals/thongs/pluggers/flipflops on.
As the website says, this is a feline friendly venue; no cats live in the Lodge, make no mistake, they just happen to inhabit the teacup garden out front and the backyard. Clean looking and cute as a button, and if you're not scared of the possibility of cat germs, then feel free to give them a good ear rub when you see them lounging around outside; they're quite friendly.
Service *****
The Lodge is currently hosted by Bob and Judy who are as nice and hospitable as you could want. One of them will give you a tour, provide you a key, and ask for payment of the remaining outstanding amount. All very well and good, and if you have any questions, this is a good time to ask - especially about what's going on in town, what promotions, or markets might be happening. Judy and Bob have a very good knowledge of their surrounds, given I'm not sure how long they've been here.
Breakfast is served at the usual time on the front porch. Your package should include a hot cooked breakfast, and it is ample to fill up on before you depart. Being a country-come-city girl, myself, I was sure I needed my dainty teacup replaced with an industrial sized mug but Judy came around often for refills and with more croissants.
Accommodation ****
The one and only reason we settled on the Maleny Lodge Boutique to begin with, was that they offer single night accommodation. A hard thing to come by in the Sunshine Coast hinterland! You pay a pretty penny to do so, but it's still cheaper than staying two nights anywhere else.
Maybe it's just me, maybe it's in keeping with the old homestead feel, but the beds are kind of lumpy. Like, old stuffed mattress lumpy. The sheets and blanket had that lovely fresh crispy linen feel and smell, though, and we had some kind of a lace overhang over half the bed. Weird, but very cool.
Each room has it's own bathroom, and while I had been excited at the prospect of soaking in a bath (we don't have one at home), I was disappointed we didn't have one. Maybe another room does? Well, the shower, toilet, and sink facilities are in good order and clean and although new, work well with the old timey feel of the rooms.
Overall
I wish we'd have stayed for two nights without any rush to get back home; I would have liked (like the inner granny in me says) to learn more about the history of the place, a snippet of which you can read on the website, and to explore more of the immediate surrounds as Maleny really is a beautiful little getaway spot.
