Meg S.
Our Disappointing Stay at Discovery Park Tanunda - Barossa Valley
Our Disappointing Stay at Discovery Parks – Tanunda My husband and I recently booked three nights at Discovery Parks – Tanunda, having stayed here previously and looked forward to a relaxing break away together. We booked a week in advance and were advised that Cabin 31 was the only pet-friendly cabin available. We paid $234 per night, which we were told was the going rate for October. Unfortunately, on arrival, we were confronted with extensive building works directly outside our cabin. These appeared to involve renovations, upgrades or the installation of new cabins, with noise and disruption beginning shortly after 8 am and continuing until around 5 pm each day. The experience was more akin to being next to a roadworks site than staying somewhere intended for rest and relaxation. This was particularly disappointing for us. These three nights away were something we had saved for and genuinely looked forward to as an opportunity to rest, recuperate and spend some relaxing time together. When we raised our concerns with the supervisor, we were advised that the renovations had been advertised on the website. Unfortunately, this was not something we had seen or understood when making our booking. We feel that significant building works of this nature should be clearly communicated to guests before they commit to a booking, particularly when the works are taking place in front of their accommodation. We also found it difficult to understand why the full October rate of $234 per night was charged under these circumstances. We appreciate that maintenance, renovations and improvements are sometimes necessary, but when the environment is significantly affected by prolonged construction noise, we believe guests should be given the opportunity to make an informed decision about whether they wish to stay, or be offered an appropriate alternative where possible. We understand that we booked a pet-friendly cabin, which may have limited our options. However, we would have appreciated being informed of the extent of the works before arriving, so that we could decide whether to proceed with our stay. We also wonder whether an alternative cabin could have been offered, given that other cabins appeared to be available. We did not expect perfection, but we did expect transparency, consideration and the opportunity to enjoy the peaceful break we had paid for. Sadly, the constant noise and disruption significantly affected our ability to relax and enjoy the time away, which was especially important to us given my husband's recent health journey. Having stayed here before, this experience has been particularly disappointing. We had chosen to return with the expectation of a pleasant stay, and it is upsetting that what should have been a restorative break instead became a frustrating and exhausting experience. We would appreciate management reviewing our experience and considering an appropriate partial refund or other form of compensation to acknowledge the significant disruption, including stress, we experienced and the impact it had on our stay. We feel this would be a fair and reasonable response, given the rate we paid and the conditions we encountered. We offer this feedback in the hope that it will be taken constructively. We understand that improvements to a park may be necessary, but believe guests deserve clear communication and fair consideration when such works materially affect their stay. Unfortunately, this experience has changed our impression of Discovery Parks – Tanunda, and we would find it difficult to recommend staying here again unless greater consideration is given to guests when substantial building works are being undertaken.