Candlelight Lodge

Solo trip, used this lodge as a base for Mt Kosciuszko hike. I can only describe my stay here as bizarre, starting with the check-in process. When I arrived, there was no-one at reception, but there was a note saying that the reception was staffed from 3 to 6 pm. I did manage to find a very junior staff member who gave me the key to my room, but she had no information about anything - apparently she'd only been working there for a very short time. There was still no-one at reception at 3:30 or 4 pm, so I went looking for staff who could explain how everything worked - parking, meals, or even the small things like the heater in the room. Managed to find a guy who worked in the kitchen; he did explain to me about the overnight village car parks and also said that breakfast the next morning would start at 7:30 am. The car park explanation was certainly helpful. But the breakfast information turned out to be incorrect - there was no breakfast at the lodge restaurant the next morning; in fact, as it transpired, the restaurant was completely shut all day that day. Very strange that a person working in the kitchen would not know that. This pretty much captures my experience with this place - there was simply no-one around to show the guests where everything was. The only time I ever saw anyone at reception was 1 minute prior to my departure. There was restaurant staff at the dinner service on the first night, but they didn't have any information about the hotel itself. For example, it turned out that there was a pretty decent sauna at the lodge, but I only discovered it by chance on my last night, too late to use it. Had I known about it earlier, I certainly would have used it. The car spaces by the front door were meant to be used for loading and unloading only; but because there was no staff to keep an eye on it, people were simply parking there long-term, which made loading on the day of the departure a logistical challenge. On Day 2 the lodge looked like a complete ghost town, with no staff to be found anywhere, and no-one even to ask what food establishments were open in the village. As I mentioned before, I did see someone at the reception on the morning of my departure - literally only when I handed my key in. She took the key hurriedly and didn't even bother to ask how my stay was. The absence of any hotel staff for most of my stay, and their complete lack of interest when they were there, made it a really bizarre experience.

We went to the Lodge for our first night in Thredbo. We could not have asked for a more enjoyable and delicious experience. Staff were friendly, helpful, attentive and went above and beyond to make our evening special. Everything we ordered was fresh and flavoursome. So impressed by the quality of the food and service. We will be recommending to friends!

Went here for a beer and stayed for dinner. Awesome range of German beers- some on tap. Looks like a Bavarian Bar. Excellent German cuisine- especially the Jäger Schnitzel with Spaetzle. Would go back just for the beer and this meal and excellent service.