Cumberland Resort & Spa

Upon arrival we were greeted by the manager and taken to our room. The rooms were very clean. A generous starter breakfast was provided (fresh bread, butter pats, spreads, 200ml milk and small carton of fruit juice. The beds were very comfortable. The units are not new but seem reasonably well maintained.

Rail greeted us with friendly hospitality and gave amazing advice for touring the island. Lovely clean rooms toaster and coffee machine made it easy to have breakfast and cook in our room instead of eating out.

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

Cumberland Resort and Spa isn’t really a resort, but it was great for us. Wifi was good, breakfast starter appreciated, house was spotless. Four of us had a four bedroom house, we only used two bedrooms. We didn’t use the dishwasher because the drought is threatening the water supply. We did our sightseeing in two days and therefore only had the car for that time. Tima was especially helpful and always on hand.

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

Hotel stuck a tour cancellation fee to us after failing to check if we wanted to participate. Perhaps we should have discussed with the property but equally we had been in house for 6 nights during which time they had opportunity to approach or double check with us when we arrived. We are deeply disappointed and would like to warn any potential travellers of their under hand behaviour.