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Lewis Lane, Mount View, Cessnock, New South Wales 2325 Australia
Bellbird and Swallows
3.2 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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I organised for a large group of friends (15 adults and 15 children) to stay in all three cottages for my husband and another friend's birthday. We were a bit sceptical about booking initially due to some of the negative feedback in the reviews so we did a recce a few weeks prior to the big weekend to check it out. We loved the place. The cottages are neat, tidy and homely - a bit like staying at Nana's place. We loved the log fireplaces and found the cottages really cosy. The natural setting is absolutely stunning and the kids loved exploring the property with its bellbirds, kookaburras and wallabies. I think it's a case of what you see is what you get and the photos on the website represent the style and the place as you find it. It's not claiming to be anything it's not. It's also fantastic value for money particularly if you go with a big group of people
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Date of stay: June 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I spent the weekend at Bellbird Cottage and found the place very comfortable. If you take the time to read about the history of the place, you'll find that the owner has done a fine job at providing comfortable accommodation in a very peaceful part of the Hunter Valley. We are by no stretch of the imagination avid birdwatchers, but we found ourselves happily sitting on the verandah for hours just listening to the beautiful noises the variety of birds were making.... How relaxing... A lovely breakfast was provided, everything worked, and we got what we came for - a relaxing and peaceful weekend away, being left to our own devices, surrounded by tranquility. NB: It's pretty handy to all the wineries too !!
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Date of stay: May 2012
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Five of us stayed for 3 nights in The Swallows Cottage. It is a charming old farmhouse with the interior and furniture to match! Very clean and cosy, loved sitting in the big old sofas. We jammed on guitars and ukuleles by the log fire till the wee hours, played pool and were woken up to the lovely sound of the bellbirds. The breakfast was excellent, plenty of food for us! The cows were a little shy, but so serene watching them graze in the distance. Everything we needed was there, even gumboots and raincoats...you won't need to take anything except your clothes, (oh and maybe some CD's :) We had a great time!
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Date of stay: November 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Room at the back of the house is small with a double bed, but has the best view, with a big...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have paid $450 a night for our family to stay in this digusting dump. From the minute you step onto the veranda you know you have made a major mistake. The house smells and is full of old broken junk, there is paint pealing, the carpet is degusting. We had to wash the dishes before we used them and they are all chipped. My daughters bed was broken, infact the whole house is broken, it's full of broken furniture. The wood heater dosent work, all the furniture has broken down and you constantly won't to get the disinfectant out. It's the worst place we have ever stayed at
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Date of stay: April 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our family of adults recently stayed in Bellbird cottage. The setting and its environs are beautiful. The interior, however, leaves alot to be desired. While the beds were comfy, the sheets were clean and electric blankets were welcome on a cold night the good points finish here. The kitchen looked like it was a 100 years old with the interior of the cupboards looking like they hadn't been touched since the 1950s. It was the most uninviting place to go into first thing in the morning.The furniture in the lounge was so old and shabby (dirty almost) that we never once sat in it. It would appear that the whole of the cottage is furnished with cast offs that no one would want and understandably so. A box of eggs, a tip top white sliced loaf, bacon and woolies homebrand butter does not constitute a gourmet breakfast by any standards. Meanwhile windowsills, floors and some walls/coving are very dusty and the whole place feels like it needs a good clean. The literature in the (sticky and shabby) welcome folder are years old too - indicative of the lack of attention to detail that the owners pay to their cottages. Ironically, with a little bit of monetary investment and TLC this cottage could be lovely but until then we advise you to spend your money elsewhere.
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Date of stay: September 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Responded 15 Dec 2012
I am sorry these guests did not enjoy the cottage; it's a pity they didn't consider telling me directly as I would, of course, have tried to help or rectify matters, where and if possible. The guests who stayed the week before and the week after had a wonderful time - and one couple immediately booked to come again in autumn 2013. The DIY breakfast supplies are not described as "gourmet" and I have never claimed they are. Fresh eggs, bacon, bread, butter, milk, tea and ground coffee may not be "gourmet" but they are left as a courtesy and goodwill for guests to ensure they neither have to shop on the way up, nor rush out first thing in the morning. It is made quite clear (and enjoyed by most guests) that the cottages are old fashioned, comfortable and definitely not 5 star edgy Vogue Living in style in any way; and that's reflected in the tariff. Many many people enjoy themselves for all the above reasons.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I had booked two of the cottages to accommodate 16 of my friends and I and I was slightly apprihensive after reading that other very negative review on here which I now know to my releaf is a load of rubbish! Beautiful countryside, cottages full of character and nice and big to fit a large group of friends, big sweeping veradahs where we all sat around a big table to have breakfast in the sunshine! We also went on a fantastic wine tour with shadows! I would highly recommend both to any one wanting a real hunter valley experience!
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Date of stay: May 2012
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived in a little under 2 hours from Sydney and settled in to enjoy a few gin and tonics on the wrap around balcony to soak up the stunning twilight panorama of the mountain range in hues of pink and purple before firing up the proper woodfired bbq out the back.
Having finally found a place we can take the dogs i was more than happy to spend the day in the huge hammock and keep an eye on the pups as they tore around the paddocks, while the girls got chauffeured around the vineyards, returning mid afternoon to rudely awaken me from the kind of snooze you dream of. Must be the chiming of those bellbirds.
This is no sterile hotel. It feels like the family beach house or farm you spent holidays in as a kid. Horses came and bludged carrots over the fence, which delighted the kids, and we took a bushwalk and saw roos, a wallaby and one of the kids reckoned they spotted a wombat.
Cant wait to go back. Would recommend taking friends from overseas for a laidback bush getaway, wine tasting and anyone with dogs would love it.
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Date of stay: March 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the perfect place to slow down and unwind. Once you step out of the car and hear those magnificent Bellbirds and take in the lovely view all worries just melt away. We have been there several times with our kids and dogs to get away from it all and we never want to leave. Every time we visit we plan to go out however end up staying put. We all (including the kids) compete for a turn in the hammock and there is nothing better than enjoying a vino and/or a meal with your loved ones on the verandah soaking up the serenity.
A home away from home kitted out very well with all needs considered. The breakfast hamper is supplied for a big breaky cook up - yum.
We can't back wait to get back.
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Date of stay: July 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a family gathering to organise and didn't want to be too far from Sydney. This place is a 2 hour drive and we went via the picturesque Wollombi Valley road. The setting of the house is incredible: views across farmland and forests to mountains beyond; we had a fantastic sunset and kookaburras visiting as well as a family of kangaroos in the front paddock. The house (there are three so you can have them all if you want) is nearly a hundred years road and so comfortable; sort of like visiting your granny. We had a wonderful time, the kids loved it and when it rained they were able to play on the huge covered verandas. If you want 5 star edgy chic, you won't like it, but we did. It's a classic. We loved it.
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Date of stay: January 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a nice telephone conversation with the innkeeper, but the reallity was very different. Very shaky, very dirty B & B, very shabby. Just openend the door but decided not to stay there, Totally overpriced. Nice view, great setting, very peaceful, biu the overall impression is horrible. Needs a lot of TLC!Very bad ammbassador for the entire area!
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Date of stay: September 2010
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Mount View area.
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesGreater NewcastleCessnockMount View
NUMBER OF ROOMS
9
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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BELLBIRD AND SWALLOWS - Reviews (Mount View) - Photos of Ranch - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Bellbird and Swallows
Which popular attractions are close to Bellbird and Swallows?
Nearby attractions include Land of the Beardies History House Museum & Research Centre (0.9 km), The Makers Shed (1.1 km), and House of Wessex International (0.6 km).
