I adore this hotel. It is a must stay for me every time I visit Sydney. The rooms are beautiful and the views are simply amazing. The staff are always very helpful and eager to help with any concern you may have, and they have a strong knowledge of the surrounding area - including restaurants, landmarks and even directions.

I cannot compliment this establishment enough - it is easily one of the best hotels in Australia.

Approximate cost: $220

The meals at Bistro 1 are always amazing! Great quality, huge servings and always a delight. The wine list is basic, however, offers a small selection of decent wines that accompany many of the dishes nicely.

The service is a little inconsistent however never outright bad.

Approximate cost: $20

Kelly is AMAZING!! A truly talented hair dresser!! She is a brilliant colourist AND stylist. I have very curly hair, and she manages to keep it looking beautiful. Their products are brilliant (Loreal Paris), the salon is nicely decorated and they have a wonderful selection of herbal teas (I know that sounds minor - but it's much appreciated when your sitting in the chair for 2 hours).

I have only had one less that perfect experience there, and that was my first, where Kelly was my colourist and a gentleman was my stylist. Perhaps it was bad communication on my behalf (new hairdressers make me nervous), but my cut wasn't what I was looking for at all, however, it was the colour that made me return.

They are also very reasonably priced. The only thing is - make sure that you have cash or a credit card, because they don't have an EFT machine, only one of those old click clack things.

Approximate cost: $200

Charles is simply a Godsend. When we first were looking at buying a house in Melbourne, he was the person that came most recommended to us. He was so fantastic we have used him twice!

His inspection (building and pest) and reports were thorough, succinct, full of photos and he took time to explain everything in layman's terms (including renovation tips and general costs). He even showed up at our first auction to support us!

If your looking for honest advice and good old fashioned service, I would highly recommend Charles Lee. He is a Werribee local, however knows the surrounding areas quite well and is quite free tell you what the neighbourhoods are like. His experience speaks for itself and I have since recommended him to several of my close friends.

Approximate cost: $400

Took my car in for a full service and tyre check (I have low profile tyres). They replaced my braking system and did a 'thorough service' at a very low price (that should have been a tip off).

I took it home and the next morning my back wheels were screaming (turns out they were not machined) and within 3 weeks my 5 year old Mazda 3 would not start at all (turning but not igniting). When I called up to explain what had happened, I was informed that they would not be able to see my car for at least a week.

Needless to say I would never take my car back there.

Approximate cost: $200

Beautiful meals, very reasonable prices, great service and fantastic ambience - LOVE the view. The wine list was AMAZING, I think I got a little teary (with joy) the first time I read it. The staff were well informed, and very helpful.

A wonderful dining experience and would recommend it to anyone.

Approximate cost: $25+

I have had the displeasure of eating at this establishment four times, and all times it has been terrible.

I have never had my food order come out right (if it comes out at all) and the staff have been inattentive, uninformed and occasionally outright rude.

1st Visit - I was there with a friend, having a quiet lunch. The waitperson came over and was convinced that she knew my friend from somewhere, we tried to explain that my friend was from Europe and hadn't been to Australia before, so there was no way that they could be acquainted, however, the waitperson continually interrupted our conversation. It got so frustrating, my friend asked for us to be seated in a different section away from said waitperson.

Even though there were only four small tables in the restaurant, it took over 45 minutes for our orders to be taken and another hour for the meals to come out, completely wrong. When we questioned why my vegetarian friend ended up with a steak, the manager (I think her name was Emma) told us to not worry, as we would only be charged the price for the meal ordered. We had to explain that she was a vegetarian, so a steak was not a suitable substitute. Over half an hour later, my friends meal (originally ordered) came out. Admittedly, apparently it was beautiful, however, my steak had since gone stone cold while waiting for the order to be rectified, which, incidentally was ordered rare, and came out very well done. As a chef, I understand that steak continues cooking for some time after being taken off the grill, however the circumstance was a little extreme.

2nd Visit - We had a large group, 14 in total. We had booked 2 weeks prior and called up the day before to confirm. When we arrived at 7pm, our table was not ready and had to wait over half an hour for it to be assembled. When we finally ordered, only 9 of the meals turned up, at random intervals. We couldn't get the attention of a waitperson and finally we ended up leaving at 930pm, with still 5 meals missing. The 5 people were offered a coffee as compensation at checkout.

3rd Visit - Table of 2, both ordered steak. Both steaks come out terribly, badly cooked and with wrong sauces, and both with salad instead of vegetables. Admittedly, we didn't specify that we wanted vegetables, because we stupidly assumed that the menus description would be accurate.

4th Visit - Table of 4 (including one child). Ordered meals and although there were no major mistakes with the meals (only sauces wrong), we had the pleasure of witnessing two staff members having a rather loud discussion, using disgusting language. When I approached said staff members and asked them to mind their language in front of my four year old godchild I was responded to by a roll of the eyebrows and a very sarcastic "Soooooo sorry". When I asked to speak to a supervisor, it took him well over half an hour to approach the table, and even then all we were offered was a cup of coffee.

At any of the times I have been there, I have never had a sincere apology when things have gone wrong, nor have the staff ever taken the time to explain what they were going to do to rectify a situation. Although the food has never been startling, it is usually edible but I have been abhorred by the service at every visit, and I would never recommend anyone ever subject themselves to that sort of treatment. We are not the sort of people to kick up a fuss to get a free meal, and would never expect that. I have no problems paying for my meals, and would MUCH rather receive my correct order and have a quiet meal than put up with such tragic service and get a free cup of coffee.

I simply do not understand how 'Lord of the Isles' has won any awards, and have no idea how the manager and many of the staff members has managed to keep their jobs. As someone who has worked in restaurants, both front and back of house, for over 15 years, I am sympathetic to the occasional bad day. However, such continual behaviour from Lord of the Isles is inexcusable and downright disgusting.

Approximate cost: $25+

I originally took my dog to Mutts Daycare to socialise him with other dogs. I was not intending for it to become a regular occurrence, however, he loved it so much, it seems almost cruel to stop taking him.

Every visit, he goes for a walk and then plays with all of the other mutts. He is a very high energy dog, but always comes home exhausted (often falling asleep in the car).

Maryanne (the owner - manager) genuinely loves all the dogs that come into her care, and she has always been open and non judgemental to any behavioral concerns I have had. She has provided me personally with constructive training tips and nutritional information (often for budget minded clients), which I personally have found invaluable.

The centre itself is quite large, indoors and is always cool - even in the hottest of weather. It can be sectioned off into smaller play areas and private pens, or be left open so the dogs have a free run space (which it often is). The dogs are sorted into smaller groups, mostly of similar size, nature and energy levels, where they are allowed (encouraged) to play.

Her facilities include grooming also, which the price ranges for each sized dog.

I would (and have) recommend her to anyone who has a dog. Her rates are more than reasonable, and its an all round brilliant service. I have never used a dog caring service before, so have nothing to compare it to, however, I have no hesitations when endorsing Mutts.

Approximate cost: $25