Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa

This is a very friendly, olde worldy hotel which is ideally situated on the top opposite Lady Darleys walk which leads down to Prince Henry’s cliff top walk (note over 100 steps). From there you can either walk left to Echo Point and the Three Sisters, or right to Katoomba Falls. We also drove from here to Laura and other vantage points such as Sublime Point and Gordon Falls. We had a room which overlooked the mountains. We also booked the dinner package for 1 night where we had a very good meal at Echoes restaurant next door (the lady piano player was amazing!)

We did not stay but we ate at the lounge bar, atmosphere was fantastic, it was dark so we didn’t get to see the gardens. Next time we are in Katoomba we will be staying here and doing the spa - I have had friend s advise it is spectacular. Staff we lovely 🙂

We had always wondered how the Lilianfels experience would be, so we went in September. The staff on arrival were extremely courteous and couldn't do enough for you. The room was large and you could open the windows which I prefer to having the air conditioner on the whole time. The bathroom was roomy with a nice big shower with good pressure and big thirsty towels. The only thing that was a disappointment was some of the food from the Lounge bar kitchen where we went every evening. The staff there are awesome but a couple of things from the kitchen were a let down. We had high tea at 3.30 pm the first afternoon and didn't eat for the rest of the day it was lovely especially the orange scones which didn't need any adornment. The second night I ordered a chicken Caesar salad as I wasn't very hungry. The chicken was so dry I had trouble trying to swallow it as did my husband when he tried it. I returned it and was offered alternatives but declined politely. Unbelievably I found myself returning another dish the next night. Our three nights at Lilianfels was a big splurge so I thought I'd have a medium rare Black Angus with Bearnaise Sauce. Perfect! ....Not! The steak was cooked to medium to well done (closer to well done) it seemed to have been cooked sous vide so didn't have the seared steaky look or taste. As soon as I saw the tub of "Bearnaise Sauce" I knew it was that revolting commercially bought rubbish from a can/jar/bucket, it smells revolting and tastes horrible too. That stuff has been finding it's way into cafes and restaurants and being passed off as Hollandaise/Bearnaise sauce. Very disappointed to see that a 5 star establishment such as Lilianfels has begun to use it, you should be making your own. There is NO substitute for those types of sauces. Sorry to rant but these are easy fixes.

We recently stayed 3 nights at Lilianfels. Over the years I have stayed at the hotel on a few occasions however I really feel that it no longer lives up to the standards of 5 star hotel - in particular service levels with a lack of follow through on very basic requests and the rooms are looking well worn, in particular the carpets. Pluses included location - very convenient to Echo Point, Scenic World and Katoomba however don’t expect to see valley views from the hotel common areas or the majority of rooms. It does have a beautiful old world charm and stunning gardens. Other downsides were the lounge was over run all weekend with outside guests coming in for high tea also this ensured parking was at an absolute premium. We had a lovely few days away, and I do love the ambience, but it disappointingly lacked the polish of previous visits.

This hotel captures the essence of an escape to the mountains. The hotel lounge is furnished and styled beautifully. Rooms are ok, beds comfortable and the heating is good. High tea was a lovely experience and bar food good. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to dine at Darley’s, maybe next time.