We chose the place to celebrate our birthdays and we have selected the right place to stay. I requested to check in a little bit earlier and Margie was very kind to let us. The staff are friendly and they greet us from the moment when we entered the retreat.

The room has the traditional Japanese style. It was a hot day when we arrived and we both found the room was very warm and noticed the heater was on, perhaps this is in purpose to keep the room warm, not sure! The bathroom was huge and clean, water pressure is good. If you are like me that do not like to use soap then you must bring your own body wash. The Futon bedding was very comfortable. I have requested the double layers. The quality of the bed linens feels very soft and clean. I particularly enjoyed the Japanese music playing on the background, I had it on the entire night and it just makes me so relax.

We love wearing the Kimonos, and thinking to purchase one from the retreat but too expensive.

The place is quiet at night and I did not hear anything from next room. I am staying at room 2 and I am guessing no one was staying in room 1. There were 5 rooms occupied on the day that we stayed. In the morning when I was in the bathroom, I did hear room 3 when they flushed the toilet and turned on the spa. If we close our bathroom’s door, I don’t think I can hear it.

If you are coming from Melbourne, do not turn to either Fifth or Sixth Street to Lakeside Drive. I found that two third of Lakeside Drive is a very rough road and hard to drive if you are coming from the Fifth Street. The retreat is located towards the end of Lakeside Drive, close to Golf Links Road. I would recommend others to use Golf Links Road which connects to Lakeside Drive, the roads are much easier to drive on, just my opinion. The retreat is about 2 minutes drive to Hepburn Bathhouse, too.

We made our booking through their official website which I found it better than others because you pay a little bit extra to have the breakfast included. It works out to be cheapest by booking from their official website.

The 4 course Japanese dinner and breakfast were delicious and authentic, highly recommended. We were presented a small gift for our birthdays. I enjoy having the meals in the dinning area rather than in the room, again just my opinion.

I think the price is quite reasonable compares to the other places around in the same area.

The only 2 issues that I had is 1) the air-cond. in the room. The management should arrange the technician to check it out. We had the air-cond. on most of the night, in the morning, I found it my camera and my phone were full of dust and they are definitely came from the air-cond. 2) Webs in the sunroom.

In conclusion, this retreat is a nice place to stay, to relax and celebrate special occasions. Perfect getaway destination. Everything is a truly authentic Japanese style. I would like to come back again, perhaps stay for 2 nights.

Let me start with the food and the wait staff, Great food and wait staff.
The rooms are tiny, walls where paper thin:
Nice if you like to hear the neighbours having a good time in bed or the roaring of the spa bath, hair dryer or the guy arguining with his girlfiend about where his tooth brush is. The heater / aircon squeeked all night too.

Little advice to Peter (manager) dont tell people where they "have to place their bags in the room" where they can walk with slippers and where they cant walk with slippers. Oh and the spa vacume needs to be cleaned properly also, it was fine without the jests but once it was on it back flushed some grotty color and bubbles. Nice little water feature was running when we arrived and within an hour of arriving it stopped and never went back on. Its the little finishes where management have tried to save a dollar that are very tacky and annoying. Too expensive for what its really worth.

We had an incredible 12th anniversary at Shizuka Ryokan. Missing Japan greatly after spending some time there a few years back, we were hoping to recapture some of those memories and weren't disappointed. Shizuka really does feel like a little Japan away from Japan, albeit a surreal one with the surrounding gum trees and Australian wildlife!

The proprietors and staff are fantastic; warm, friendly, helpful in just the right amount. We felt welcome, comfortable and very relaxed. My partner, an avid gardener and bonsai - well, guy, - was even able to do some gardening and work on the bonsai! We were given complimentary sake for our anniversary, and a gorgeous hand-made card.

Most appreciated was the incredible food. My partner is a carnivore and i'm vegan, and we both loved it. Margie made mouth-watering vegan versions of the banquet, izakaya and Japanese breakfast for me. It was delicious, and so nice to be able to share the culinary experience without worrying about fish stock.

We came out of the trip so relaxed and rejuvenated, it was perfect. We would stay there again in a heartbeat.

This was the first time I had stayed in a Japanese Guesthouse, and it set a fantastic standard.

Everything was peaceful, quiet, and toasty in from the cold that Hepburn Springs always seems to have. It came accross as being very well done, with attention to detail on all things Japanese.

The only issue I had was that sleeping on a futon was too hard for me, but I still think it is the right thing to have in the setting.

The staff were helpful and they have the nicest Japanese people explaining what everything is to people unfamiliar with the culture.

I'm vegetarian and I was catered for without fuss.

I've spoken to other people about it and some of my friends had already stayed and they enjoyed it too, they have been a few times.

We had massages which were lovely. I'm a massage therapist so I have high expectations and they were met.

The prices are comparable for other accomodation in the area and massage services, but the tranquility and peace that I felt here impressed me. It stands out because it's everything it should be: You wear Kimonos, you eat Japanese food, you have Japanese massages, there are Japanese books, Japanese staff to talk to, and a great atmosphere. The rooms are made to suit a Japanese guesthouse with tatami floors, and you wear slippers. It was great!