Berida Manor Country Resort Bowral

I guess the alarm bells should have gone off when I booked our stay at Berida Manor just a few days before Easter, on being told there was plenty of vacancies. The outside of the hotel is very appealing and the entry has a nice old fashioned feel about it. The room however was far from welcoming. We stayed in a unit which was quite spacious but was in desperate need of refurbishing. To say it was tired would be an understatement; the bathroom could only be described as 'grotty', as would the alleged kitchen, which was fitted out with cupboards and drawers but no heating facilities, not even a microwave, just a fridge, kettle and a basket with a few unwrapped teabags, coffee sachets and sugar al mixed up together. The fact that it wasn't a proper kitchen was not a concern as we ate out but what was a concern was the lack of cleanliness - a few mismatched cups and plates on a cheap, plastic grimy tray that looked as though it hadn't seen a wipe for some time. Add to this the tea towels, not neatly folded on the kitchen top but thrown in the cupboard under the sink which gave me the impression they had been used and not replaced by the last guests. The breakfast was 'ok' but the dining room seems to be understaffed. We decided to eat there one night to find we had to wait for some time at the bar to get a drink (no other guests at that time, just no staff). When I spoke to reception about this I was told "oh don't worry, she's probably in the kitchen; she'll be out in a minute!" Eventually the waitress surfaced and we ordered drinks. The entree I chose was very enjoyable so I was relieved that at least the food was going to be good; however, I was to be disappointed yet again when the main course arrived. I ordered the fish with asparagus and hollandaise sauce which came on a bed of watery sloppy sweet potato (a very small piece of fish I might add) - the side order of vegetables that we ordered to share came already on the plate making the presentation of the meal nothing short of a dog's breakfast. The fish was dry and when I told the waitress there was no hollandaise sauce on it I was informed that 'it must have soaked into the fish' and 'the way we make it here is just butter and lemon juice'. When I commented that this was not actually hollandaise sauce I was told that 'well that's the way we make it here' and she offered to get me another one but I thought there would be no point as it would be the same. My husband had the lamb shanks which I tried and found to be rather tough. Also you could order a bread roll for $3.50!! I will not be visiting Berida Manor again, nor shall I recommend it to anybody. The place is in desperate need of an update. Frankly I was glad to get back to the comfort of my own home. (Date of experience: Apr, 2010 )