The Louise

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! On the

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

Wow… what a wonderful all encompassing experience a stay at The Louise is… it ticks every box… From the minute you arrive, weary travellers are treated to cool towels and refreshments, your luggage taken to your room and any plans/wishes you may have discussed. You feel cared for and welcomed. The hotel is in a beautiful setting with amazing sunsets. Superbly located to explore The Barossa. The rooms are well considered with comfort in mind. The beds are sublime - like snuggling down on a cloud! The Appelation dinners and wine pairings are Michelin star standard and are quite simply divine. They have excellent chefs with real talent - well done. And finally a big shout out to all of the staff at The Louise. They manage to create a professional yet friendly approach, give you the privacy you need yet are there to see to your every need… It’s an impressive operation. Would I return - yes, in an instant. Would I recommend it… without hesitation. You won’t be disappointed. The MacAllans

This property is the ultimate in luxury. Beautiful, spacious rooms with separate living area, fireplace, two outdoor areas, and indoor and outdoor showers. We were so impressed with the bed and pillows we plan to buy the same ones when we get home. Breakfasts, dinners, drinks, and snacks are included in the stay. Your evening starts with a 2-hour happy hour on the sundeck with wine and cocktails overlooking the vineyard. Dinner is a multi-course degustation with matching wine pairings. The food and service is outstanding with an excellent understanding of gluten free, so as a coeliac there is no compromise in the dining experience. Even breakfast is a multi-course affair with home-made crumpets (yes they are gluten free) before your choice of hot breakfasts. Everything is local, beautifully prepared, and delicious. Kira, one of our servers, had amazing local knowledge, not just of the wine and food, but also the local area and history. In fact all the staff, from the chef to the staff on reception were excellent - there is clearly a strong commitment to their training and development. This place is worth the price tag.

Really enjoyed our stay at The Louise. The staff there was very attentive and friendly during our 2-night stay there. They always had a smile and made it a truly comfortable experience. The restaurant Appellation had the most amazing and unobstructed view of the vineyards. We found it very relaxing to watch sunset every evening as we dined there.

The Louise is a beautiful, well run luxury hotel. With only 15 suites everyone gets personalized attention. My husband and I loved staying there. The food was also delicious and the wine pairings excellent. We recommend this hotel without reservations.

The entire experience at the Louise leaves you feeling both relaxed and very lucky. The service is both friendly and attentive and the all inclusive 6* package is a novelty - it’s an entirely new twist on all inclusive with phenomenal food and wine pairings and a different tasting menu each day. The rooms are immaculate with free stocked bar and snacks etc - hard to fault in any way!

We just had an amazing long weekend staying at The Louise. It was our first trip to the Barossa and staying at The Louise was a highlight. The place is fantastic and a luxurious place in every aspect, we got to spend time by the pool and with our fire in our room due to changing weather. The staff made it for us and a huge shout out to Nathan who was incredibly helpful and obliging. Would definitely recommend The Louise and we will be back.