Cumberland Resort & Spa

As other reviews note, Tima is a pure gem and absolute asset to the property. We were kindly met on arrival and shown to our unit. As a mixed family group of 6 we booked unit 10, the four bedroom, 3 bathroom unit. The configuration and space was very good for our group. Throughout our stay Tima was so helpful and friendly and gave us fresh fruit. Unfortunately the dishwasher wasn’t working. The property is located in a convenient location close to shops and restaurants. We hired a 6 seat van through the property for our stay. While not new, it was clean and worked perfectly well. There is free WiFi for up to 10 devices which worked quite well downstairs but the signal was too weak to work upstairs, however this wasn’t a big deal. We also had to log back in each time we came and went. We knew staying in town there would be no view from the property. We had read other reviews prior to arrival, so we knew not to expect a resort as such, and had very realistic expectations. We understand the property is located on a remote, isolated island and logistics make maintenance and upgrades very difficult. Our observations were that most of the furnishings are due for replacement. The dining chairs have no cushioning left, the lounges and beds are old and sagging. The linens are worn. There is mould in bathrooms and dust and cobwebs under furniture. Blinds are mouldy, carpets need replacing and walls and trims need repainting. On the second and subsequent nights we were woken by rats scurrying inside the ceiling. Coming from farming/country backgrounds this didn’t necessarily freak us out but I can imagine it could upset some people. On our third night we returned back to the unit and discovered we had no water. The following morning we alerted management (as had several other guests) and the matter was resolved. A pump had been switched off by mistake. The following evening we realised we had lost power to half the unit. This involved a frantic search of all the cupboards to locate an extension cord to allow us to plug in my elderly mother’s CPAP machine, we were grateful to find one in one of the bedroom cupboards. Once again, in the morning, off to notify management of the power issue. We were instructed to check the fuse box in the kitchen for a tripped circuit. We did this, however it kept tripping. We turned off and unplugged everything on that circuit to no avail. Back to management and Tima advised she would call an electrician. We went out in the morning and came back for lunch when the electrician arrived. He quickly resolved the issue being that an old, faulty water pump had been turned on which kept tripping the power. My brother in law borrowed one of his screw drivers to fix the blind in the downstairs bedroom. On our 6th evening the main bathroom toilet was running constantly but my brother in law managed to fix that. Would we stay here again? Probably not until it has an overhaul. There are signs throughout the unit asking guests to notify

We recently spent a week at Cumberland. We were upgraded to the 4 bedroom 3 bathroom unit so had heaps of room. The decor needs some paint on trim etc but otherwise the unit was clean and comfortable. Operations Manager Tima is a gem and a real asset to the resort. Nothing was too much trouble for her. The resort is easy walking distance to cafes, clubs and shops. We ended up eating most nights at the nearby RSL club where the food was good and reasonably priced. Had to laugh at our morning wakeup call, a nearby rooster! An enjoyable stay. Tom & Judy Lyons

We booked the package for Norfolk Island for 7 nights. This included staying at a ‘4 star’ accommodation called Cumberland Resort & Spa. Our initial impressions were not good. We arrived at our unit which had been described as an Executive Spa Villa. It was not what we expected. Were our expectations too high? I think not as we’ve stayed in many accommodations that are 4 star and this at best was 2. The toilet flush was broken …this was fixed straight away by the owner getting a plumber in. The accommodation was tired looking, appliances showing wear and tear …I couldn’t read the oven dials as they were so faded. The extractor fan didn’t work. Labels on the bin were faded so you couldn’t tell what you were supposed to put in them. The walls and doors all need a lick of paint. The furniture was dated and we had a wobbly coffee table! The shower wasn’t the cleanest looking and all over it looked like it hadn’t been maintained well. Then we were shown the hire car …this was an embarrassment…it was 19 years old and had many scratches and dents on it and it looked awful and the interior was dirty. Based on what I’d paid for the package I was expecting a newer model. We certainly didn’t pay budget prices for this package! The owner was notified and seemed mortified and shocked but in hindsight and further research this wouldn’t be news to him based on some TripAdvisor reviews! He was very defensive and insisted that it was ‘4 star’ and that it had good ratings. Also the excuse for many things was the lack of rain and everyone was experiencing drought conditions. This has nothing to do with what we had observed. The gardens were very scruffy and you could see many structures that needed attention …fencing, pool gate etc! You couldn’t see the outside shower head near the pool as vegetation had taken over. The pool and spa area were scruffy with torn seats and old furniture. A faded tarpaulin covered the pool which you were to roll back yourself! I had a look underneath but there were black marks all over the bottom (doesn’t look at all like the photo) and the dials and jets were rusty looking… not inviting at all. I never saw anyone use that area. The gate was a big concern as it was left off the latch. Yes there is a sign to close the gate but clearly that is not checked. We had to lift the gate up (heavy) for it to engage in the latch. That badly needs attention. Anyway we complained to our travel agents Traveldream and they informed the owner. He spoke to us and offered us an upgrade to a romantic spa villa. This was an improvement but again issues …the shower(only hot water almost scalded ourselves) and no plug for the spa bath. We put up with it as didn’t want to keep complaining. The microwave oven is up too high and dangerous at that level to take hot food in and out. We were offered for the last 2 nights ‘The White House’ which is 4kms away. This is more 4 star and some of the photos from that are used to advertise the ‘resort’ in the town