Jenolan Caves House Reviews

An absolutely beautiful place. Restaurant service and food were just what we needed after a long day of cave tours. Well worth the visit.

A very very expensive hotel. Because it is the only one on the cave. And there is no wifi in the room.

Location is excellent. However it needs alot of work as it looks tired on the inside. Heating needs alot of work. Staff were great, service excellent. Food was only average.

Rooms are great but you can't control the heater(very warm even with windows opened in the middle of winter)

A lovely old hotel. Has alot of potential but very run down.

We stayed here for two nights. Rooms were nice and clean, decent size. Restaurant was great and so was breakfast! It was worth staying two nights as it gave us plenty of time to explore the different caves and do a few of the walking tracks.

Hotel was pretty run down: I stayed in the budget gatehouse, and a lot of the taps weren't turning off properly, and there were shower curtains and doors missing from the showers, so that water just spilled on to the floor. I'm not sure how far $64 goes in Australian backpackers, but I expected things to work a bit better, if a little spartan. On the upside the beds were very neatly made and the staff were really friendly and helpful. I ate in the restaurant and had a really bland and dry cottage pie, a nice wine and a nice dessert: not worth $50. The waitress was friendly though. On balance I reckon 3 stars.

Needs some TLC but that adds to the charm. Loved it.

Loved it Lived it Loved it
The only minor is driving to get there as road is so narrow.
Cave tour was amazing as well as hotel stay.
Staff is so nice and welcoming.
Thanks for the lovely breaky we enjoyed.

The caves are great and well maintained. There is no mobile signals in the accommodation area except Telstra. There is a phone in the reception where you can make calls. The nearest fuel station is 30 min away. I recommend to have at least more than half of the tank when you reach the Caves.

The house is a lovely old building, well worth the visit. The staff are very helpful and the food at the restaurant is good quality. You have to have a drink at the bar, it's lovely.

Unfortunately the maintenance is non existent. Walls are dirty, windows are filthy, cobwebs cover everything, the carpets and curtains are absolutely threadbare. The outdoor areas around the cafe etc are covered in litter.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, but everything in them is worn out. Luckily they have a good deal of old world charm. The rooms in caves house are quite spartan too, you don't even get a bar fridge or radio, so if you're staying, plan ahead.

Caves -fine!

Restaurant way overpriced with poor choices and very debatable food quality.

Accommodation lacks everything! Zero TV, WIFi if u sit in the passage, zero atmosphere bar, common areas have nobody in them as there is nothing to do.

Have never complained before online like such but the place would even upset a ghost. Stay elsewhere.

Was an absolutely beautiful place to stay, restaurants was beautiful and the caves are well worth the visit.

Beautiful location in a well preserved Victorian building... loved exploring it... one down side was the dinner ... couldn't eat after 1830!? Turned out to be a blessing though as found a lovely place called The Blue Fox about an hours drive away (drive back not for the faint of heart).
The bed comfy I'm going to miss those pillows!
Staff were lovely... plenty of wildlife to see just watch out for the lizards when driving to car park!

Stayed overnight in the beautiful Victorian house. Old world charm. Formal dining room added to the atmosphere. Meals including breakfast were excellent and the size of the sticky date pudding dessert was impressive! Very comfortable bed and warm rooms. No TV or phone network reception but you know what? It made for beautiful quietness and a sound sleep. We loved it. Would stay there again. Beautiful surrounds and right next to the caves. It was not that expensive either. Go and experience it.

We had a meeting in the dining room and then lunch. Delicious baked dinner, followed by Apple pie and ice cream. Very peaceful. Wish I could have stayed for a few days or at least over night.

I agree that while the rooms were not spectacular - it is not the main reason you go to Jenolan Caves and therefore they more than sufficiently fulfill their purpose. The restaurant was lovely and oozing with history. While maintenance may not be priority, a little more attention to cleanliness should be (drink splatters on the wall). Agreed that breakfast pricing is a bit much (it adds up as a family) however the food variety was great. Coffee, was not so great - I couldn't drink mine. The old world charm is definitely worth experiencing at least once.

A historic hotel completed in 1898.
It has been designated as a national important cultural property.

No TV, no Wi-Fi environment,
Of course there is no warm water toilet seat,
But there are good restaurants.
Above all, there is a huge limestone cave.
The facilities are all, but the hotel is very satisfying for those who enjoy nature.
Original cave goods are also available at the hotel shop.

Amazing vintage hotel. Food in the restaurant is very nice too. Though heating in the room was far too hot. We had to cover the radiator with blanket.

Over- priced, poor service, and accomodation that was badly maintained with no standard of cleaning. We stayed as we had booked non-refundable accomodation for an event that was subsequently cancelled. The room was dirty, and in need of total renovation. Whilst I can put up with a slightly shabby appearance, I would like to stay somewhere that has been properly cleaned.
We decided against eating in the restaurant as the prices were very expensive, but had a few drinks in the bar adjoining the restaurant. Very poor service (due to inadequate staffing) and expensive bar prices.
A real shame that mismanagement is contributing to a demise in what could be a real Blue Mountains gem. Unfortunately this can t be put down to just the bush fires and floods of recent months - the issues were also prevalent for the same event last year.
Management need to stop taking their guests for granted, stop ripping them off, and sort the place out.

Caves are amazing, we visited the Lucas caves and it was better than expected. Guide was helpful and the lighting & paths through the caves are well maintained and make it easy to get around & experience the beauty of the caves. Hotel is beautiful, definitely very old and could use a renovation but still found it very charming and a unique place to stay. Absolutely nothing around, just the caves and hotel so if you want more things to see and do after the caves I would go back to the blue mountains for the night. Staff were very mediocre, lady at the front desk wasn t very helpful or friendly and didn t seem like she cared about her job.

Lovely staff, beautiful area , fantastic food and drinks

Clean comfortable rooms that retain the heritage of Australia's past! Restaurant serves quality local produce. Epresso coffee shop and a bar are on site. The caves are filled with the brilliance of nature and are a sight to behold!

Jenolan caves house is a beautiful place from the outside and the fact they've kept the house in its original condition is impressive. However there is a downside to that. The place has definitely felt it's age and could really do with some fixes. Which isn't to bad of an issue and quite understandable. The problem lies with the staff. We had a shocking breakfast experience. We decided to go with an early breakfast at
730. Hoping to free up sometime to for some walks before our tour. When we go there, there was few other tables with people. What occur next was an hour plus wait for food. With an unapologetic staff who kept advising it was a busy day. I'm not sure what defines a busy day but it definitely wasn't that. I would advise if you do stay at the jenolan caves house. Avoid the breakfast, and look for alternative.

Wonderful views, beautiful scenery and lovely service

Expensive and outdated. One of the worst hotels I've stayed at, the room was not clean or maintained well. Paying a high price tag for a room with exposed wiring, an old box TV, door that doesn't shut properly and absolutely no air conditioning/heating. Short walk to the caves, but from the "mountain lodge" there is no pathway so you must walk up hills and around bends in the road being careful of traffic. The only option for breakfast & dinner is their own restaurant, which is expensive and not good quality, so would highly recommend taking your own food if possible. Would never stay here again, I would suggest staying in one of the closer towns (such as Blackheath or Katoomba) and taking a day trip to see the caves.

This place is below average!!! When we first booked they gave us a room without a bathroom. We then tried rebooking and they said that they were all sold out then we later found out there were an extra two rooms. Although the customer service was good, I highly suggest staying elsewhere.

I went at night just for a good ride .saw some kangaroos and wombats .there is a restaurant aswell and you don't have mobile signals over there

I hate places that take advantage of your being trapped in their establishment! Overpriced and underwhelming. Definitely make it a day trip not an overnighter.

Stayed at Jenolan Caves House for my travels, Staff were amazing, friendly & helpful. Food was great and the Caves themselves were beautiful, can not believe they are 340 million years old.
Although rooms in the breathtaking Heritage Hotel were looking tired, we were advised by Front desk staff there is renovation taking place later this year and next year.
Can not wait to return to see the old beauty restored.

DO NOT STAY HERE. Hotel is run down, dingy and dirty.Extremely overpriced. Definitely do not stay in summer as rooms have zero cooling, no fan, no aircon, no open windows. Still feel sick from heat exhaustion.

Very famous Edwardian hotel. Older style rooms in keeping with its heritage are charming and clean. Food was very good and the staff are friendly and helpful. Caves are still closed due to Covid-19 restrictions but there are several excellent walks available so plenty to do and see.
Loved it.

The service was great and the location gorgeous. Stayed in the cheapest room (Gatehouse) which was cozy but rudimentary and dusty.

I don't know where to start! From the drive down into the valley, to the entrance cave before the Jenolan house, Some of the prettiest formations I've seen, and the most accommodating team!

I got lucky to see Luke's cave with Jeffrey and imperial cave with scotty! The team had quirky sense of humour which made them easy to approach and have a laugh with.

I'm only here for 10 days but I will definitely try to go back to see the other 3 caves!

It nice and rooms are good. Had a goodnight sleep in there.

Nice place with its unique character. The staff are friendly. The cottages can use some upkeep

The pasta was amazing. the fish was raw but the staff were quick to fix everything in a positive way. I highly recommend coming here.

We stayed in the mountain Lodge which is overdue some basic maintenance, such as painting and stained carpets/chairs. Room had the basics and was over priced for what turned out to be about a 2 1/2 - 3 star room. Meals in the main house were great allthough the service was a little lacking. The caves are fantastic and well worth the drive, and there is some nice bushwalks that are accessible from the lodge area.

Great place was rushed through out cave tour. It was a bit disappointing

A very interesting historical building, originally built in 1896, then extended in 1906 and then 1916. The building itself was fascinating, but the restaurant Chisholm was certainly not. We had lunch there yesterday, unfortunately the food was below average, especially the roast of the day, the lamb was extremely fatty.

It's a beautiful old building but is really in bad condition. Considering I paid almost $300 for a one night stay it was really unacceptable for paint to be peeled off, carpet missing, stains on bed, & spider webs on windows. I understand paying for the location but I would rather stay further and have a nice experience. I understand not having TV or fridge as part of the experience and honestly it didn't bother Me, but atleast the room should be nice, and there was no information in the room about anything. Theres no wifi except in the restaurant.

PS: I only discovered too late that there's a communal fridge, microwave & washing machine ($1 coin per cycle) on level two. It would've been nice for reception to tell me or have some info in the room about this.

Had a great time staying here over night. Done an adventure caving tour during the day and a tour of the great chambers at night. The rooms was comfortable, the food great and felt very fancy sitting in front of the fire in the common room. Highly recommend.

Very cute place
Beautiful scenery

Old charm, great missed opportunity. Food at the pretentious restaurant was lacking any taste and coming at full cost. Charged with 20% extra for holiday season.. Really!? This is really too bad since the caves and the location are awesome! Stay away from this restaurant!

Beautiful rustic charming hotel. Showing the old glory of jenolan cave and the hotel. However, my bathroom has no heating and the temperature is below 0c at night. No lift to my 3rd floor room

This place is pretty poor. It's really expensive for what it is. I know it's supposed to be old world, but when its 40 degrees outside, there needs to be aircondition. There also really should be a bar fridge in the room (given there is no air conditioning). Also the room itself is dirty, the carpets are dirty and my pillow had makeup on it. The restaurant said it catered for dietary requirements, but it doesnt and because they arent upfront about that and becaus there is nowhere else to go and it eat...this place simply isn't worth it.

Oldie Worldie. Very charming and full of character.
A bit closed at present due to Corona. Worth a drive to the Cafe as part of an Oberon odyssey.

Very nice. Recomend to anyone. Cold on winter so rug up

Great beds and linen in Mountain Lodge room. Bathroom quite modern in our room but no soap tray and the shower head needed repair. Service friendly but dinner was very slow and you couldn't order dessert off the menu, although some cakes from the buffet were offered. Nice to have a reading lounge with all ages catered for, a small but friendly bar, and a pool room for a relaxed evening in. Overall, another pleasant stay in this magical location.

Very expensive and somewhat gloomy although its location is excellent

My family and I just had the most sensational weekend in Jenolan Caves. We stayed at Jenolan Caves House in the Mountain Lodge, the room was clean and more spacious than expected. The shower pressure and instant hot water was great. The staff were absolutely wonderful and went out of their way to help, especially when it came to our fussy toddler. The Restaurant food was quite nice, as was the wine, but breakfast really stood out - super value for money, I couldn't believe it. I would definitely return here down the track, it was SO WORTH the 3hr drive. You guys have been great xx

Had a great stay, comfortable bed, friendly staff and can't beat the vintage feel of the hotel. The Apple pie was out of this world. Would stay again

Caves are really good, they should be explored and they are a must see for the wonderful formations nature has created. The hotel on the other hand...
Upon check in, the receptionist was fine, polite and welcoming. To the man behind the desk (FOM I presume, in a suit but not uniform); DON T answer your mobile phone at the desk, especially when you speak louder than the receptionist trying to provide information to the guest, really unprofessional, where did you get your training from?
The rooms are... old? High ceilings, peeling paint, broken lamps, curtain hooks with no curtains and an excess of gaffer tape on central heating pipes. The website advertises that no fridge or tv is provided to give guests that real 1920 s feel, I can really understand that approach, because digital alarm clocks and electric kettles have been around for centuries (just say you re being cheap).
As the rain set in, we went to look for something to do, all entertainment facilities and items were not available because of COVID, even the pool table should be sanitised between games and the reception is not going to monitor this... so we went to the bar...in the lounge every table had been recently used, with spills and empty glasses on the tables, I moved dirty glasses so we could be sat, non of the glasses were removed within the near hour we were sat there, who s monitoring that sanitation. Rooms can be booked with share bathrooms and toilets, who s monitoring that? Are they sanitising between each flush? COVID: an excuse to be lazy

Such amazing place, surrounded by nature, lot of trees and beautiful landscapes

Limited lunchtime food options. And you're stuck there cause the road is closed on the way out for 2 hours

Beautiful old world accommodation in a lovely secluded valley.
Meals were delicious and well presented. More than one can eat
Staff friendly and informative.
Some parts of Jenolan House could do with a face lift paint etc.
Could also do with more blankets in winter

Beautiful location, but unfortunately very disappointed with the accommodation. I booked a grand classic room and was given a basic classic room despite showing staff the pictures on their website. The room was not cleaned properly and the bathroom basin was filled with mess from the previous guests. There isnt even a tissue box in the room. The coffee mugs were stained and dirty. Staff were less than friendly and were not interested in helping. If you need to ask anything there is no phone in the room so you have to leave your room and go downstairs. A disappointing experience at the guesthouse and wouldn't recommend you spend your money here.
Resturant is nice if they dont forget your meal. Waited over an hour and then recieved the wrong meal. Most expensive and disappointing meal we have had in a while.

We arrived late in the afternoon with a confirmed online and email booking. Reception however, seemed to have no record of the booking and spent over 20 minutes looking for it in their 'system'. After suffering through an eternity of questions, they finally decided to simply create a new one. To top it off, my travelling companion enjoyed a night shared with bed bugs and subsequents days of irritation and discomfort. Next time, we'll stay in one of the other options in the area. The single star is for the restaurant. Severely over priced but a very enjoyable meal.

A warm and welcoming fireplace made this a worthwhile stop while waiting for our next cave trip. A wide range of basic meals and drinks at reasonable prices taking into account the location. If on a tight budget there are picnic facilities scattered around the facilities but the hot chocolate experience in the alpine looking setting is worth it. Don't forget to fill up with fresh cave water at the tap near the ticket office.

what a great place to see and stay for a weekend, you can come from three main directions 4wd from Mittagong drive from Lithgow/ Oberon, to drive from Great western hwy.
Caves houes is located in a deep vally with a small clump of buildings throughout. dates back to the 1800s, there is cave tours and bush walks throughout.
i must see and stay overnight, has a great small bar and me asls room.

Fantastic location, good food, amazing staff. Only problem was that there was something wrong with th plumbing and we had to use portapotties

Absolutely loved our stay at Cave House and Cave tours. This place is not to be missed!

The food here is fair fair. Bit expensive: $5 coffee. Seating is limited. Only this one place to feed your kids if you don't take your food to Jenolan Caves.

Stayed overnight about 14 months ago. Was charming lovely and old. Love the heritage, food was awesome. So many negative reviews, I'm sorry but your there for the heritage , the caves and turn off digital things get back to how it was. Its never going to be 5 plus star but its worth every cent. The staff were helpful. Will definitely stay again in near future.

1920's old world charm. We stayed in the main house and enjoyed walking around the historic building. Good walks and of course the Jenolan Caves. Needs some renovations but being so remote and isolated this would be a constant program of works. Staff were local and knew the history and quirks of the place. The Christmas in July dinner was fun. Grab a drink at the bar, find a cosy Chesterfield couch near the fire and settle in.

Well not staying too long makes this review quite useless but from what I experienced service was on par with a touristy location. The amenities was clean, service was a professional level overall a decent experience.

We stayed at one master bedroom with one single bed as well, costing us 210$ per night. The quality of bed was bad and the meal over night would cost $45 per person while the meal had variety of food ranges but still the customer service was poor!

Steak dinner was abit to salty but everything from the view to the tours was fantastic!

Misses some modern comforts such as wifi, fridge, or air conditioning, although arguably part of the charm.

Dinner on site is an overpriced letdown, with food arriving either overcooked or undercooked, with delays on the desserts. Clearly understaffed on the Saturday night.

Otherwise convenient location next to the Jenolan Caves guides for an early start the next day.

It's been a long time since we've been here but, we're looking forward going back. This place is awesome.