Petersons Armidale Winery and Guesthouse

We stop over in Armidale at least once a year on our way to Queensland. Always stay in town but decided to try something different. So glad we did! We arrived in the afternoon, had a wine tasting and sat under the trees enjoying the beautiful grounds. Found time to relax on the veranda and read a book then had dinner in the restaurant which we selected upon our arrival. The service and food was very good and it was just us and another couple. Left at the crack of dawn to a spectacular sunrise. Doesn’t get much better than that! Highly recommended.

There is so much to like here… Our room (a spa upgrade) was comfortable and spacious. The house is a delight. But we did not experience the warm welcome and orientation reported by others here. We were the only guests, had booked for dinner but were advised the previous day that the chef had been called away. We were given the breakfast menu, given no orientation to the place, not offered a wine tasting. There was no suggestion they could light the fire if we would like it. We felt virtually banished to our room and that we were an imposition staying there. The next evening staff were far better, lighting the fire (now one other couple in residence, who told us they could not get a booking the previous night!) and wine tasting offered and organised, but the damage was done. Breakfast was OK but nothing special and service again was inept. BTW the light meals offered when there is no restaurant were in no way appealing. I recognise the current challenges in the hospitality industry but think that Peterson’s needs to invest far more seriously in some training and development when hiring inexperienced staff. We had been recommended by two different friends to stay here and I would consider staying again, but would seriously hope not to receive the same inept and unfriendly. And perhaps to even try the restaurant which was one of the reasons for our going. I did try corresponding direct at the time, preferring to deal with issues at the time with the people who can do something, thus allowing for some corrective action, but response was slow and received only after we had checked out.

Lovely hidden gem in the New England Area of NSW. Spent a night and had gorgeous steak dinner and my partner had barramundi. Cannot fault the service or food. Accommodation excellent and old worldly. We had such a good time. Breakfast included