This motel is convenient being right in the heart of Adelaide and walking distance to Rundall Mall. However, for me, that was the best part of my experience there. The motel had recently re-opened from being refurbished and so prices were low - lesson learnt, you get what you pay for! The room was pokey and brown. The window was textured glass and when I pushed it open to see the view (there was no view) there was no handle to pull the window back in! The bed mattress was cheap, I kept rolling to the middle and it felt like I was climbing whenever I rolled over. The tv was small and stuck up high on a wardrobe and so I had to sit on the bed and crane my neck right back to be able to view it. The tv reception was poor - in the heart of Adelaide!!! The hot water in the shower didn't work and while waiting for it to turn warm I noticed a laminated sign on the wall advising to run the hot water in the basin first before running the shower.... Now, I may be a snob saying this, but there was a shower curtain on the shower - this is a refurbished motel in the heart of Adelaide! I crashed about 11:00 and 11:30 I was woken up by the sound of the lift and shortly later someone knocked on the door - I freaked out!! At 4:30am I was woken again by the lift and again someone knocked on my door, this time twice. I'm not ashamed to say that I was scared. There was no point phoning reception, they weren't there. The corridors on each floor are narrow and have a feel to them that reminded me of "the Shining". There are exit signs everywhere, but no directions back to the lift. The motel was apparently booked out when I was there, I never saw another soul. Creepy. I wanted to talk to reception when I left, but a large group had just arrived and I was desperate to get out of there. If you do choose to stay here, don't go alone!

We researched gray water systems extensively and found Nubian to be the best for us. In terms of other systems I've encountered, this is the best I've experienced! No chemicals at all!!!! It filters the water twice and uses UV as a final cleaning stage. We recycle all water from showers, washing basins, bath and washing machine and recycle back to our toilets, an outdoor sink and a garden tap. It can be used on the garden, the dogs drink it, it's actually cleaner than tap water, just legislation says that people can't drink it. The system sits in our car port, it's large, but not huge. I'm amazed at what it does for it's size, it's very clever technology. I've heard that some people have complained about the noise level. We have it close to our bedroom and frankly I find the bubbling sound rather soothing, in fact the one time it stopped working it was the silence that woke me up! It's the pump to the toilet that causes noise. We've had a few teething problems with it. Each time easily solved and the service fellows don't mind you standing around watching and asking questions as they work. At one point, Michael from Sydney came down to see what was going on with our machine and it turned out to be a very sticky soap I was using to wash the dogs. Easily solved once we found out! The service is friendly, they are reasonably prompt, but call back to make sure if everything is fine. We even received a phone call during the bushfires to see if we were all right! A great system, yes it's expensive upfront and there are ongoing service fees, but in 12mths it has already saved us a lot!!! The people we have dealt with and who come out to service the unit are all great people. I cannot say enough good about this company. They know they have a good product and they are proud of it and stand by it.

We were looking for a suitable gray water system for our property. After looking at other models we were advised to go to Aquablock. Yes, they had the goods and we have it installed and are very happy. The ladies on reception are lovely, friendly, helpful and polite. The plumbers, when you can get them, are also friendly, but that's the problem, getting hold of them. But, it's not just that, it's the attitude, it always seems like a bother. Having said that, they will do things for you and chase up information, but you get the impression that you're putting them out. Writing this is actually very difficult trying to pinpoint what we're not happy with. It's like I've said, they're friendly and helpful (eventually), but the accompanying attitude is off putting. We use them now when we have to, but prefer to bypass them if possible.
Update. We've had nothing but problems with our system and we finally had a fellow from another company come out to service our machine. He pointed out everything that was done incorrectly - a bit alarming - but at least now our system is running smoothly :)

How can a business be the best I've experienced and the worst I've experienced?! This is a bit of a story. We had a problem with a severely leaking pump which was feeding our toilets. We rang the plumber who installed it, oh shock horror, not they're problem!! They did chase up the warranty and call Reece on our behalf. First we never heard from Reece (Ferntree Gully) then once we'd called them well the customer service was excellent! Friendly, helpful, no drama and they called us back after then!! Stage 2, the problem was registered. Well wow! I received a call from the service centre (Burwood) that afternoon. I was impressed! Stage 3, a service person was supposed to call us to organise a time to come out. Never happened. We waited a week, they had the land line and the mobile and all this time we're still bucketing water down the loo and I can tell you it was getting ugly! We called Ferntree Gully again, ahh Tim to the rescue (again). No sooner than I'd hung up the phone then the service centre was calling to organise a service time, but wait, I had options! The long and short of which was that they would send out a replacement pump, free of charge, we just had to collect and install. Sounded good, I just wanted my loos to flush!! The lass I spoke too said that she'd send a pump out to Reece in Seymour and that they'd call when they received it. Well, 5 days later and no call, we had to go to Seymour for other business and decided to take the dodgy pump with us and drop into Reece. We explained our story to a confused looking man when suddenly enlightenment dawned on his face. They'd had a pump (just like ours) sitting there for days and they had no idea what it was for. The lass in the call centre had not put any of our contact details on the package, no name, no phone number, no address. Nothing. I was appalled. So now, maybe you can understand why this is the best and the worst experience we've had?!

The restaurant came highly recommended for good, fine dining so we decided to go there to celebrate our anniversary. We should have sought more opinions first! It's a family run business. They offer accommodation as well as function rooms. The restaurant is bistro style with expensive food. Our order was taken quite quickly and then we had to wait 50 mins for entree to be served and 30 mins for our drinks. The entree came with apologies and took only 5 mins to eat (probably that long to prepare as well - it was very simple). The mains came straight after, no time for food to settle. While the food was above your ordinary bistro style, it was not worth the high prices. The ladies serving seemed to be more interested in the regulars than making an impression upon new comers. I had an allergic reaction to the wine (not their fault) which topped off an already dreadful evening. We left quickly and my other half went home to make a pizza!

I'm going through the middle age spread. I just wanted a pair of jeans that fit, that are comfy and are not stretch!!! Unfortunately it's difficult to avoid the low slung hipsters, but stretch jeans on someone who's spreading, sagging... not pretty! Anyway, I was walking with a cane at the time and with difficulty. The sales woman, I wish I had her name, she was excellent!! She asked me what I was looking for, sent me into the change room and proceeded to bring me jeans to try. She timed it perfectly, I didn't feel rushed or standing around waiting. She didn't pressure me and we even had a laugh! This is what customer service is about. Thank you to whoever you are.

Jenny has been a delight to deal with. She knows her products and gives practical advice. She is friendly, honest, gives you space and time and puts no pressure on you. She gave us some samples to take home and came out that week to measure up for a quote. We had our curtains and blinds installed 3 weeks later. She does give a discount for a whole house. I only know a little about the cost of curtains, but we were happy with the price and the service. We are very happy with the quality and the final product.

There are 2 schools of thought regarding builders in Yea. Those who say that Moon & Sons are one of the two best builders around, and those who say pay extra and get a builder from Melbourne. That was the extent of the advice when we first arrived. Well, this is our experience in a nutshell. We had problem after problem during the building and now almost 2yrs later we're still having problems. We know that if we rang they won't take our call and they would not come back out anyway - we had this issue during the building! So sad, we thought they'd be good. Well, they no longer work in Yea. If you're thinking of using these builders do your research thoroughly - as you should with any builder!!! Ensure that you talk to people who have had houses built by them and talk to the locals.

It's with sadness that I have to overhaul my previous review. My first experience as a newby to horses at Horseland, Ringwood was so positive and encouraging! I am sad to have to say that Horseland, Ringwood is no longer what it was. The older staff are still helpful and friendly, but the newer staff..... well, not as friendly or as helpful. I don't enjoy going in there anymore. Orders are taking a long time to come in and now they take a deposit so you're locked in, waiting, waiting, waiting. And, still waiting. They still stock a range of products and a range of qualities. Not happy though.

I have always been dubious about credit cards, but found myself in emergency situations a couple of times and decided to take the plunge... The first plunge was fatal - American Express, which can't be used anywhere. So I went local - Virgin. The rates are as you'd expect, designed to discourage spending! But, as an emergency card it has been worth it. When I needed to raise my limit (temporarily of course!) they obliged. The service is always excellent, friendly and so helpful. They now do superannuation as well as home loans, but here, my old credit card distrust comes back into play and so I don't know much about these facilities. As a credit card they don't do the points system, they have 'mates rates' where you get an automatic discount with certain companies, the mates list is growing.
Update:
I was rather bummed when Virgin stopped their credit cards, but now they have the Virgin Flyer Credit Card. I do not have one of these.