Lovely Asian-inspired sanctuary set in a tranquil forest setting. Very quiet and restful respite from urban city life. I particularly enjoyed the large and spacious bathroom with it's jacuzzi spa bath, sauna and outdoor shower placed next to a voluminous fir cone tree. The breakfast items provided were also thoughtful, as were the vouchers for Hepburn bathhouse - the best bathhouse I've ever been to, better than those I've visited in Turkey, Taiwan, Bali and New Zealand!- and lunch @ Gourmet Larder. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a quiet delightful getaway for 2!

On the downside, a few things could be improved. It was difficult locating Blue Cliffs on a rainy afternoon as the signage was tiny and easy to miss on the long windy off-roads. The short drive to the villa when we turned off the road to the gravel path was also precarious as it was slippery when wet and there was a sheer drop on the right on this elevated plains.

The housekeeping, as mentioned by other guests in trip advisor and in the villa's guestbook, could be very much improved. As international visitors with a full schedule, we were too busy running around till evening and didn't bother making an international call to the cleaners (a house phone would have been nice btw!). The housekeeping team was remiss in providing for the eggs and oil that were supposed to be provided. The rubbish under the sink and grimy used table cloth from the previous guests were not cleared. The fireplace was not set-up. There were cobwebs on the lamps and the drapes on the 4 poster bed were dusty and made us sneeze! (this was for Dusk villa)

I'm happy to say that the other villa we rented, Dreaming, was quite spotless except for the lamps as well (although the eggs and oil were also missing.) This is reallh as it should be! If the owners could impress on the housekeeping team to maintain a decent standard and show more care and respect for the sanctity of the villas, there is really nothing much to gripe about the lovely off-the-beaten-track sanctuary that has been so obviously created with a lot of love, attention and dedication by it's owners.

My husband and I have just spent the most wonderful weekend at Blue Cliffs retreat, celebrating 20 years together.
As you turn off the newstead rd into BlueCliffs, we had no idea that we were about to see some wonderful views of 'The Cliffs', and as the road twists down to the villas you get an amazing view of the 'Wombat State forest'. We arrived just as the sun was setting,simply stunning!
We stayed in Dusk Villa,first thoughts as we opened the doors was WOW! We quickly lit the wood fire which soon warmed the villa.The spa bath and sauna was a complete luxury, and with a lovely view into the small secluded courtyard.
The owners have really put so much thought into every little detail. From the wonderful Art work on the wall,to the meditation cd that we stumbled across in the mix of all the other easy listening cd's.
We saw a family of Kangaroos grazing on the near by plants, heaps of rabbits and birds.
My husband and I had the best romantic getaway ever to celebrate our 20 years together.
We will definately be telling all our friends about this magical find, and will be coming back as soon as we can. Thank you soooooooooo much!!!!!!

I'm sorry to say that my partner and I never even had the chance to stay at the villas, as we were double booked, and worse still it was our planned honeymoon. In short, we arrived at Blue Cliffs Retreat at 11pm at night after our wedding to find our access code didn't work, and not long after realised another couple was staying in our villa. After repeatedly trying to contact the owners our only option was to drive back to Melbourne and spend our honeymoon at home. Eeek. Devastating to say the least.

I'm not usually one to post negative reviews, but I am so furious at the lack of care that was taken with the bookings that I feel that people should be made aware. I'm sure Paul and Joy are lovely people, but as far as I'm concerned, this really ruined a carefully planned honeymoon and it would have been nice (at the minimum) to feel that the same care and attention was given to our experience staying at BCR.

I'm afraid there's just too many good accomodation services out there who do provide the level of attention and care that I would expect from a luxury priced villa service such as this, that I just don't think that people should be recommended. Sorry, a very sad experience indeed.

Thank you for allowing us to see our first kangaroos in the wild. After 3 days of visiting the sights around the Great Ocean Road, they were right here waiting for us. Saw numerous birds including two lovely parrots sitting on a rock in the garden like jewel brooaches. Wow!! We wanted our Australian vacation to include a stay in the Spa area did not expect this totally jaw-dropping place in such a natural setting. Took our breath away. Will grudgingly spread the word about this truly beautiful place, although would like to keep it as our secret.