Let's start with the positive - the property is in a beautiful location with lovely gardens; the hosts were friendly; and the accommodation was very clean and well appointed.
The major issue we had is that we did not get to stay in 'Duffy's House', as per our booking confirmation, for which a deposit was accepted 31 days prior to our stay. Instead we were informed on arrival by a vague explanation regarding a 'glitch' in the booking system that we would be staying in 'Villas' attached to the main house. No apology or compensation was offered, but we were informed that it would have cost us more if we had booked the 'Villas', which I think was an effort to placate our concerns.
I had been in contact with the host prior to our stay and at no time was informed of this issue. Driving from Perth and arriving in the late afternoon, we had a very limited chance of finding similar accommodation at such short notice and had to accept what was offered, which was clearly not what we paid for or were expecting.
Although the 'Villas' are nice, they are two separate rooms, each with en suites, and an adjoining lounge and kitchenette.
This brings me to our second major gripe - my friend and I both enjoy cooking and had bought food with us to prepare several meals during our stay, as we believed we had booked a house with a full-sized kitchen. Instead we had to use the small convection oven with two hot plates on top and only had access to a bar fridge. We tried to use the gas wok burner on the BBQ but this wasn't working. The kitchenette was only big enough for one person to stand in at a time, so we could not cook together. While we managed, it was not enjoyable.
It appeared 'Duffy's House' was occupied during our stay. However, at the time I booked it was available on both HomeAway and another well-known accommodation site, albeit for a higher price than HomeAway. So I fail to understand the 'glitch' unless it is a case that the booking that pays more get 'Duffy's House' and those that pay less are relegated to the 'Villas'? Either way this was very poor communication by the host, who should have informed us of the situation as soon as they were aware of it (and most definitely prior to our arrival!) and given us the opportunity to book somewhere else that suited us better.