Such a fabulous blend of comfort and old world charm – a unique experience

Stayed here for a night while visiting our daughter who was on placement in the hospital – boy, wished we stayed longer!

This heritage-listed hotel made me fall in love with old Queenslanders again, it is just so beautifully restored and oozes with the charm of the yesteryears, you’re half-expecting your horse-drawn carriage to whisk you away anytime. From the moment you pull into the driveway, you know you’re in for something special.

Built in the 1800 as a home for an obviously wealthy family, this place must have been state-of-the art in building architecture then, designed to respond to the weather conditions of Toowoomba. We were so impressed by the innovative concepts which ensured that this historic house was perfectly liveable during the hot summers and bitter cold winters, including deep stone foundations, 9 chimneys, a passive thermal tower and brick walls to enhance insulation. We even had a fireplace in our room!

Having said that, whilst we were there in winter (4 degrees that night) we were wonderfully warm and cozy in our four-poster bed with lovely fluffy sheets and an electric blanket to boot! Our room was a great combination of both the old (love the antique furniture) and the new (strong reliable wifi, TV, tea/coffee making facilities, an oil heater, modern en-suite, generous amount of hot water, branded toiletries, dressing gowns etc).  Our windows looked over the the wrap-around verandah of the building which I loved as it featured more vintage furniture and offered lovely views of the surrounding gardens.

Best feature of this place however was the staff, wow, they are a fantastic team of locals who are so warm, friendly and accommodating. From Chloe the receptionist who welcomed us like family and showed us around the building, to Susan who cooks the most divine breakfast (we still talk about the delicious Vacy-style porridge and the perfect eggs Benedict – I am salivating as I write about it now) and the handyman (Kev?) who is wealth of information on the structural bits.  Together they exemplify old-world hospitality that is so rare in this modern-day business-focussed world. Breakfast on the verandah was bliss. One by one the staff would come by and say hello, we felt like family!

We are definitely staying here again next time we come to Toowoomba. The location is perfect, just a stroll down from everything (Toowoomba centre is so well planned and very easy to navigate). My husband was ever so pleased to discover the antique center was just around the corner.  This hotel is truly a gem in this city!