O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, Villas & Lost World Spa and Conference Centre Reviews

Fantastic place, the ride up there is interesting! The views are stunningly beautiful. So glad we went.

Fantastic walks. Some short, some long and others challenging. Stunning views and beautiful scenery. I find it too busy on the weekends. The road up takes longer than you would think because of installed traffic lights on timers which is a pain. I would only camp if I stayed here as accommodation is very exy

Very friendly staff, excellent service. Rooms good, but had a musty smell, due to humidity. Activities are excellent, as well as resort's walkways are quite decent.

Breakfast is expensive at $35 per person at the time of this posting. But it is buffet however. Otherwise they have a cafe style option also at premium pricing. The view from there however is worth it.

A great place let down by poorly maintained accomodations.

Very accommodating to assistance dogs, and let us know at safety concerns. Fun day out.

Awesome place with great ambience and some great wildlife opportunities especially birdwatching.

Super location to spend a couple of days an explore the nature. In special the Birds.

Great place to unwind. Dont plan just go with the flow. Lots of birds to see, plenty of tracks and paths to hike on. Staff are really friendly and helpful. Awesome there are no Tv's in the room we had so kids have no choice but to explore and physically engage nature in a way that an ipad can't .

Long drive up but quicker going down.
Refreshing rainforest walks and Tree top walk is good.
Family lunch at restaurant overpriced meals very stingy but tasted good.
Staff friendly and not long for food to come out.
Could be sooooo much better.

Beautiful, great customer service. Great bush walks.

My stay at O'Reilly's has been nothing but excellent. The service and friendly and professional staff created an atmosphere in a class of it's own. Definitely coming again. Thankyou for an amazing stay!

Pleasant, good outlook, can be busy at times though.

Someone close to me at the time spoilt me by taking me here for my birthday back in April. I had such an incredible experience. Not only you get to relax at a luxurious retreat, there are also hikes all around you! It's so peaceful and beautiful here, I would 100% be back and I highly recommend here if you're looking for a place to get away for a few days ^_^

Great customer service in all areas. Great location. Great nature walks. Beautiful wildlife. Prices really good for what you get !! Only down side is the long drive up the hill its a bit windy and narrow but it is so worth it!

Like an Adult Summer Camp, Hiking, Bird watching, zip lining, Segway tours, Lost World Spa and infinity pool, meeting great travellers. The Breakfasts are great (too filling) rooms clean and spacious. All the staff are attentive, great activity schedule. On the long windy drive up first stop at thier Vinyard and hand feed Alpacas. This place is steeped in Aussie first settlers history.

I* am probably a little biased here, have been visiting O'Riellys since late 1970's when it was just a guest house and the road from Canungra was a dirt track. But to see the progress over time to where it is today is amazing. Accommodation 1st class with views that take Ones breath away, restaurant area offering great food along with hot coffee of cold drinks sit inside or out on the balcony with the views. Gift shop to take home a little keep sake of your visit or maybe a shirt. Feed the Rainbow Lorrikiet,take a walk along One of the many walking tracks just remember to purchase a map first and wear appropriate gear. You have to try the tree top walk. There is a camping area available. Also learn about Bernard O'Rielly who rescued the Two survivors of the Stinson Plan Crash dating back to the 1930's I have to admit he is my hero for his bush skills, heroism. I could keep harping on about this place, all I can say if your in the area make the trip up the mountain trust me you will not regret it, I would not be surprised if you did not return.

Love driving to this place.... Beautiful scenery and hikes aren t too bad. Highly recommended to do on a lazy Sunday!!

Rooms were nice service was good food was horrible price gouging for every little thing I would not stay again would do it as a day trip for the forest

I love O'Reilly's because of the Lamington National Park which surrounds the Guest House. It is such a special place due to the natural beauty and the fabulous birds. The views from our room were spectacular of the mountains especially Mt Lindsay and My. Barney.
The Google maps took us on a picturesque route from to Kyogle and beyond the border through the Border Ranges. However unknown to Google the last road up the mountain to O'Reilly's was closed due to damage from a previous Cyclone. We then had to go further west towards Beaudesert before we could drive towards Lamington National Park. It was a most scenic drive but somewhat lengthy.

Even just for two nights its a great little break. Plenty to do, or to do nothing

Excellent spot for bush walks into Lamington National Park. Good for day trips or stay at the resort.

Beautiful drive and nice views, nice food and lots of wildlife

Interesting place would have been better except for the rain

The road out there is a disgrace. ONE lane, 20km/h, blind hairpin corners, having to stop and give way or pass traffic slowly. 1hr of this road before you reach the end.

Nice atmosphere and delicious food. Fantastic view and sunset on the terrace.

This is a really good and beautiful resort . there's so much to do and see with a cool selection of tour's,walks ,hikes and natural gardens.
on the way to please take caution driving on the road parts of it are 1 way and is pretty narrow . I would recommend to bring your own food during your stay because the convince store are pretty pricey for what they are actually worth. but do take in mind that it is pretty difficult to get supplies to here hence the price

An unreal getaway in a secluded wilderness. Walks for all abilities.

So many great walks here. Nice to have the cafe/restaurant at Oreilly s to come back to for a recharge before the drive back down.

Stayed in the villa... words can not describe the amazing views. Loved the hiking trails. Moran falls and, tree top, and wishing tree are a must for those looking for short hikes.

Beautiful garden, boardwalk and view above the canopy. Free demonstration of birds of prey by knowledgeable, enthusiastic staff. Garden signage could use some repairs.

The casual food at the cafe is nice but not brilliant. AU$20 for a burger is a bit rich. It was a very nice burger but I'd call it a $15-$16 burger; burger bun was way too big for the contents. The smear of the aioli on the platter was a creative touch but I'd rather see a couple of small bowls of aioli and maybe some tangy tomato salsa for the chips which were slightly over cooked.
The fish with peach relish is good but doesn't need a deep bowled plate and serving the herb butter on top of the fish prior to serving would be a better option. It's close to a $20 lunch but you're charging tourist prices for locals. It's an $18 fish.

Reasonable experience but pricey for a very casual lunch.

Service was good but should have made more of an effort to advertise the specials of the day.

Beautiful birds during the day and opossums in the evening

Excellent place to stay. Warm friendly staff. Nice wooden interior. Rooms are decent sized with a private veranda.

Fantastic conservation area. So many rosellas and lorikeets and king parrots. Such a beautiful place to feel close to nature. Really awesome free boardwalks and a delicious cafe for lunch

Good, but not many places to park the caravan on. Saturday.

There is something here for everyone from a boardwalk through the forrest and long mountain hikes that will satisfy the most intrepid travellers to an amazing tree top experience. The campsite is very basic and inexpensive and you can expect to see plenty of bird life and pademelons. There is also great high end accommodation available for those need it. Be prepared to do plenty of walking here and you will be able to experience impressive trees ,bird life, wildlife and scenery that live in your memory for a long time. This is one of the highlights of the Gold coast hinterland.

Had a great time. Fabulous service, great food and wonderful accommodation. Bird life is WOW!!! Must go back.

The bush walks are amazing. However we stayed in a villa and there were some major problems. The most concerning was the fire place tripping out the electrics so we couldn't use it. I am surprised this hasn't started a bush fire in the middle of the heritage listed rain forest. The phone didn't work so we had to use our mobiles to talk to management which were a 10min steep up hill trek to get to. This was no matter because management didn't seem bothered at all about our concerns. The place really needed a good clean and the rubbish taken out from the previous guest. None of the staff we came into contact with had very much experience but were friendly enough - apart from management.

I would go back for the bush walks, it's a beautiful part of the world, but would never stay at their accommodation again.

Excellent accommodation, sunset bar, brekkie and fantastic walks! Wonderful staff.

Great venue, the service is okay - we haven't stayed in the accommodation we usually just go to the cafe.

Really great stay. Shame the bed was a little off. Was too soft and felt like our heads were lower than our feet. But would love to go back when it's not raining and so windy.

Fantastic day out with great walks and a good restaurant. Bird feeding is also good, though be aware that their claws will scratch.

Our romantic getaway was absolutely perfect and our villa was impeccable. 100% would recommend. The service was phenomenal and the staff were very friendly.

Mountain View Room definitely worth it. Room is nice and cosy even when it's 0deg C outside. Awesome activities. Great food selection, though can be bit pricey

I have been to O'Reilleys several times now and will keep coming back. The menu in the bar and dining room does not seem to ever change. The pizzas are delicious but are nearly the only thing on the menu I would eat. We tried the Etons Mess dessert and it was delicious! The music that is played in the dining room seems very outdated. Do you ever have live music? That might be nice. We went on the 4WD tour and the guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. A warning though to others there can be a fair bit of walking. Housekeeping did come in and clean even though we had the do not disturb sign on the door. Overall, love O'Reilleys, staff have always been friendly. Just think the dining options could use a revamp.

I recently stayed at O'Reilly's in their Villa house and have also stayed once before, I was then and am still very impressed with the upkeep of walking tracks, quality of villa cleanliness/experience and the most of the staff service.

Unfortunately, it was an average of 4 degrees the week I was staying and there were no electric blankets provided, not a biggie but would be nice in future.

Additionally, the bartender in the rooftop area Tayla I believe was quite rude during my every encounter, she did not smile during any of our conversations and seemed annoyed when I bothered her to buy a drink. I know that everyone has bad days and this may not be a reflection of her usual attitude but I was quite disappointed. Other than that, the O Reilly s team tried their best to suit my dietary requirements without fuss which I deeply appreciate.

Thanks to the team for all their hard work.

My husband and I stayed at O Reilly s for the first time, as it was our 30th wedding anniversary. I am not going to be completely negative about the retreat because the peace and serenity was beautiful. What I will say though is that we were very disappointed with a couple of items, being firstly the spa in our villa did not work - this should have been checked before we moved into the villa. This was eventually fixed but when paying 600 per night roughly I would not expect to have complained about anything. Secondly the first breakfast that we had, was as cold as anything so we chose not to risk the other two mornings. Nothing about it was hot and the toast was burnt. The bins at our villa were overflowing from prior guests and they were not even emptied during our 3 nights. Their COVID cleanliness in the public areas I.e. dining etc I feel need a lot of work. I only ever saw tables wiped down - what about the chairs? When eating at the cafe none of the staff were wearing gloves preparing the food out the front. I blatantly saw hands touching food going into the sandwich press and out again. The outside tables were not cleaned between guests. Overall would we return, I don t think so. The entire property needs a lot of upkeep to remove the old damp smell which is very evident in the reception area and beyond.

A nice place, although the road up can be a little sketchy. The cafe had great portion sizes and a nice view. The gardens had seen better days but the tree Top walk was nice. Definately reccomend it.

Nice place cool birds food at the cafe could be better for the price

Nice to see, clean spaces Vila's warm, all amenities,

My family and I stayed here over the New Year's holiday in 2018. We had the most memorable vacation. The villa we stayed in was impressive, spacious and accommodating. Had a beautiful open feeling, with a great balcony looking out over the ranges. We even had visitors from some local rosellas who were especially friendly. Customer service was especially memorable. The dayspa there was also a highlight of our visit which helped us really relax in the holiday spirit. Would definitely stay again!

Loved staying at the rainforest retreat. Flying fox activity, walks and relaxation was enjoyed by three boys, my husband and I. Would love to go back anytime.

Great rooms with plenty of space. Awesome views, and near great walks.

Ohhh wow what a dissapointment! We booked a valley view villa and got a villa overlooking a huge building not much to see from The Valley.
The phone in the villa didn't work so we could not order any minibar items. The air conditioning heating mode didn't work properly and it was freezing outside.
The don't have anything to eat for breakfast after 9:30 am.
Their cafe was closed too. We had to wait for lunch to feed our kids.
They don't have any brochures on picnic or barbecue hampers.
The food was really average and they didn't have any vegan options. All in one I would not recommend this property

Beautiful setting, great base for walks through the rainforest, and the organised activities are really good. It is quite isolated though, so not the best base if you like exploring the area's towns and shops.

Lamington / Green Mountains are lovely and deserve 4 or 5 star. The cafe at O'Reillys is another story. Kids meal for example is $13.50 for a small plate of chips and 5 dried out nuggets. We went 2x before and the other 2 options were just as bad - the sliders for kids are AWFUL and very dried out. The other adult food options are at best average BUT the prices are high..... Try $19 approx for burger and chips. The basic pizzas are $22 . Honestly you would do better to bring some nice quality food from home and have a picnic or bbq (there are a few facilities and some grassed areas with some seats. Bring a picnic blanket as well perhaps. To summarize, they take advantage of the remoteness with the prices. At least if we are going to be overcharged make it good food - and remember the kids deserve decent too. At least if it was good food the experience would be bitter sweet rather than just bitter. I hope this review warns people before they make the long winding drive to the top. Bring plenty of your own food and drinks and you'll most likely have.a much nicer day :)

Myself and a bunch of other paying customers got kicked out of the empty sitting area, we were sitting as a group trying to talk and enjoy the food and drinks we had just purchased when we were hastily ejected from the building, was unacceptable way to treat paying guests during a none busy time of the day, especially considering our group made up 90% of the customers in the building, we will not be back

Visited the national park. Kids loved feeding birds

I went here specifically to go to the tree top walk, which was pretty good, there is a ladder to climb up the side of a tree if you dare. There is also an optional mountain garden at the end of the trail which was a bit hard to navigate but well worth it for photography. Lots of birds, butterflies and lizards.

Thank you Brandon and staff for your warm hospitality. We stayed 2 nights and definitely will come back. We enjoyed the early morning bird walk with Rob, glow worm tour, bird show and bush walking.

Relaxing escape from the city,O'Rielly's offers accomodation packages with enjoyable walks in the bushland setting. For the budget conscious: camp grounds are nearby and the resort has bus transport from Brisbane.

Very special place, we stayed for 3 nights in August. Very dangerous entry road, single line traffic travelling in both directions, hindered by roadworks. Great walks, plenty to see. We stayed for a reasonable cost in a lovely room with private bathroom however for the budget conscious restaurant would have been very expensive, we ate our own cold food or ate at the cafe.

It was an refreshing experience with Chris's passion n knowledge in rainforest. Good job mate!

This is a very special and unique place to stay!
Prices are quite high but for what you get in the middle of the rainforest, it is pretty fair. The breakfast is incredible (I especially loved the porridge <3), but also quite pricey. Dinner in the bar upstairs is really lovely and the place is cosy. Rooms are a bit older but have a nice atmosphere!
Staff is very friendly and you can really feel the good and nonchalant working atmosphere. One lady at the reception was quite unknowing about the closed spa and even at the second day she didn't know about it, that was really unprofessional but didn't really dim the joy that we had during our stay!
They also have laundry facilities.

The birds are lovely <3 !

Ate at the bistro. Good gluten free options and reasonably priced

I like visiting places where time stands still, this is one of those places, walking around the garden and just picturing the early lives the people were living, lovely peaceful bush walking with great birdsong, and lovely peaceful place to stay in the lodge.

Fantastic place full of wildlife with scenic and slight scary drive up to it (give yourself plenty of time). The accommodation is rustic so don't except high end fixtures and fittings. The food is good and the staff are all friendly and helpful. Would happily recommended.

Very nice rain forest, back to nature! Accommodation is ok, restaurant expensive, probably due to the difficult access to this piece of paradise.

Drove up here for a day trip with the children, it was fantastic. The meals at the cafe were surprisingly delicious and not overpriced, the burger was made of real meat and not a frozen patty.

The roadworks on the road up the mountain made the drive take a bit longer (say +20 minutes longer, so from the bottom of the mountain it took 1 hour instead of 40 minutes on windy roads) but we didn't get stuck even in our sluggish and unwieldy minivan.

I wish I had brought some coins for the donation box because the tree top walk and gardens are so spectacular.

We went for the bird feeding. Website says feeding between 10 and 4 we got their ay about 12 no birds but they still sold us food

Very beautiful park surrounding the resort. Wild birds come and feed with the resort worker in a bird show - extremely educational and interesting for kids.

Stayed for Christmas. Food fantastic, people friendly, National Park picturesque. Accommodation reasonable. A must go place.

Fantastic experience! Great for everything from a romantic weekend away to a Corporate Conference or retreat.