I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. I wouldn’t give it more than 2 star accommodation. The studio was extremely small, with bugs and spiders everywhere. It clearly hadn’t been cleaned before the previous guests. There was hair all over the bathroom floor and mould growing, the kitchen cupboards had spills on them that hadn’t been cleaned up, and the bed sheets and cover had blood on them! We asked for them to be changed, which when we arrived back to our room after a trip into town, they sheets had been changed, but the same cover was still on there with blood.

The bbq that is advertised with the room was very dirty – an old style bbq that is on a 3 leg tripod, approx 15 years old. It sat outside with no cover, with bird crap on it.

There were spiders that crawled along the living room carpets – not one, over a 2 night stay there were 5. An uncountable number of other bugs and beetles on top of this.

The stairs (which is almost more like a ladder) are very steep. This was an extremely unpleasant place to stay at and a not so nice romantic New Years Escape. Best way to describe this place would be something out of a Chevy Chase movie!

The place is beautiful and could be potentially great. The studios are so small there is nowhere to put cases or walk around the bed. The owner is not friendly and will not deal with problems, instead blaming the website. The money is taken at booking time and there is no further negotiation with the owner. Altogether a very disappointing stay in a place that could be great. The nature is very beautiful up the 6km drive into the hills.

The other reviews describing the steep, curvy road up to Claerwen Retreat are not exaggerated. However, it is worth it. Both the room and the bathroom were spotlessly clean and very spacious. The bed was large and very comfortable. You could not see Apollo Bay, as such, from there, but the hotel did look out over rolling hills and some sea scape. The owner, Bill was attentive to our every desire. He was even conversant in American politics and other happenings in the United States.

His daughter cooked up a delicious breakfast the next morning, which included a delicious cheese and ham omelet, a variety of breakfast cereals, toast and jams. The well windowed breakfast room looked out on that vista. It was a spectacular place to have breakfast.

I couldn’t get it to work on my lap top, but they do have free wireless internet. Another guest there got on with no problems. Bill worked with my lap top for a long time trying to get it to work with his WiFi setup, but he finally had to give up.

They have some cheese snacks for supper (for a charge, I think), but to get a full supper, you have to brave the hair raising gravel road twice more and go back down into Apollo Bay and then come back up. Bill recommended a restaurant called La Bimba, which surprisingly did not turn out to be an Italian restaurant. Their menu is mostly sea food. There is a $30 per person minimum charge to eat there. Our two meals ended up costing nearly $90. While the Australian dollar is worth slightly less than an American dollar, by the time you pay the conversion fees, it is pretty much the same. The food was pretty good, but we thought that La Bimba was a bit pricey. There are many much less expensive restaurants in Apollo Bay. If we had it to do over, we’d check those out first.

Apollo Bay is on the Great Ocean Highway. The drive along the Great Ocean Highway that runs through Apollo Bay is fantastic. Apollo Bay is a small seaside community. It has a beach, but it did not seem like very many people were swimming there. Bill mentioned something about a current that came straight up from the South Pole, which may be what discourages swimming on that beach. Still, it is a quaint little village and it is well worth while to take a stroll along its long row of small stores, which face out on the ocean. The drug store had internet computers for two dollars for half an hour. They just take your money at the counter and show you the computers. I did not feel like there was any clock watching going on.

All in all, this was a very pleasant stop. If you can, grit your teeth, brave the road to give Claerwen Retreat a try. Apollo Bay in general and Claerwen Retreat in particular are a delight to visit. You won’t regret it.

My wife and I stayed 3 nights at Claerwen Retreat, it couldn't have been nicer. This was off season and there was only one other guest that we rarely saw. The owner's daughter provided topnotch service with very good breakfasts each morning and a cozy fire each evening when we returned from sightseeing.
Highly recommended.