Blue Haven

Paynesville was the last stop of the 6 places we stayed on this trip. There is an enormous range of accommodation to choose from in Paynesville and, after an exhaustive search, I was struggling to make a decision. I found this place and told my wife about the life-sized pirate in the photo. She said "That's a coincidence. They just said on the radio that it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day". We took that as a good omen and booked it immediately. Gippsland Lakes Escapes were easy to deal with and, hooray, we didn't have to wrestle with a locked box to get our key. The holiday home is in a lovely setting on a canal with its own dock. Despite all of the other houses around it, the area was remarkably quiet with lots of birdlife. Excellent restaurants, Sardine Dining and Pier 70 are very close by and the Raymond Island ferry and an IGA supermarket are only a couple of minutes' drive away too. The decor is quirky bordering on ugly and looks like it may have been designed by Franco Cozzo. That said, the living room couches were by far the most comfortable we sat on this trip and we had the best sleep of the trip in two of the bedrooms. The carpet is a bit tired but after letting our beachfront apartment at Currumbin on the Gold Coast for 23 years, we tend to look at other holiday lets over-critically. The kitchen is the best appointed of all of the holiday places we've ever stayed at with masses of crockery, glassware, cutlery and utensils. However, a house in Queenscliff beats it for cutting boards (11). It was the second best stay of the whole trip and we'd definitely stay there again. Best stay of our trip ? The Jungle Bungalows at Jamala Wildlife Lodge in Canberra. Possibly an unfair comparison given the frighteningly exorbitant cost of Jamala and the fact that we had tigers right outside our room the first night and lions outside another room the next night. However, we did sleep better at Paynesville because there was far less roaring during

We had a great stay, the property was in a great location and was clean and tidy. Apart from a small hiccup with the key collection (that was rectified very quickly) dealing with this company was easy and pleasant. The overall condition of the accommodation was good but is clearly quite old. The mattress in the master bedroom was a bit worn out, the couches completely sank when you sat in them and there was no internet connection. That said, these are quite minor things and I would happily stay in this property again and would recommend it to friends. Thanks

Great stay at Blue Haven. Excellent location Comfy beds and everything we could need. Carpets a little dirty but otherwise no issues.