Bradleys Head Road, Sydney, New South Wales 2088 Australia
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#3 of 207 hotels in Sydney
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2022 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best
The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga is an elegant eco-retreat nestled within Taronga Zoo overlooking Sydney Harbour. The Retreat offers stylish accommodation in a relaxed bushland setting, where koalas and echidnas roam, and platypus swim. The Retreat package includes guided wildlife tours, dinner and breakfast plus complimentary Zoo access.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Free breakfast
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Highchairs available
24-hour security
Non-smoking hotel
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Complimentary tea
Complimentary welcome drink
Wine / champagne
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Room features
Allergy-free room
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Interconnected rooms available
Coffee / tea maker
Flatscreen TV
Walk-in shower
Bathrobes
Safe
Seating area
Sofa
Telephone
Wardrobe / closet
Iron
Private bathrooms
Minibar
Refrigerator
Electric kettle
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
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Room types
City view
Landmark view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Luxury
Green
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49Car recommended
Grade: 49 out of 100
5902Restaurantswithin 10 km
1168Attractionswithin 10 km
1072Reviews0Q+A47Room tips
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An amazing unique experience. Have already recommended it to friends and family. Special tours of the zoo when it's closed and the rooms are luxury. The food and staff made the whole experience something to remember
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Hotel's Favorite
A must for any animal lover. We had an animal view room with a koala outside our room. All staff were extremely friendly and the retreat is stunning with fantastic views of Sydney. Very tranquil and very relaxing with wildlife all around you.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: April 2022
Value
Rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
Whilst we remain pleased we had our one night ‘Treetops Suite’ experience at The Retreat, as it is great to be ‘a part’ of Taronga Zoo, the stay certainly fell short of what we had pictured in our mind. We chose the top room type for its larger size and the bathtub, but also because it had in its description that it had ‘panoramic views’ as well as the fact that ‘treetops’ gave the impression you’d likely see the koalas in the trees, as can apparently be the case, according to the reviews. There were no views. There were trees, but no koalas, and the trees were the reason why there were no views! So that was pretty disappointing when we had paid for the most expensive room type. If you are desperate for a koala, the cheaper ‘animal view’ room is what you need. Also, for such a highly priced room, it was incredible they did not supply bottled water (at least one!) – unless you purchased it from the mini bar. Amazing! The room itself looks ‘nice’ (although ours had lots of marks all over the sofa) but it doesn’t ‘knock your socks off’ at all….but certainly the smell sure does. The fragrance was completely overpowering – sort of like a strong baby powder trying hard to mask an underlying bad smell. Presumably there are drain issues, or the cleaners just go to hard on the spray!! The breakfast is not good for a hotel of this standard. You would get the equivalent, or better, at a Travelodge buffet. It was quite sad and had nothing imaginative on offer at all – just very stock-standard items, dried out croissants and it was essentially ‘a Full English’ and not much else. Unbelievably, they had some cold meat, and a few bits of artichoke as the ‘salad item’, yet no cheeses. I can’t remember ever going to a buffet that didn’t have cheese. I enquired, thinking perhaps they were just replenishing the cheese plate, but no ‘…we don’t have cheese at breakfast’. Golly! The communal lounge area has a very nice feel to it but the bar that is stuck on the edge feels like an afterthought in every respect – size, position, appearance, options on the menu and enthusiasm of the staff. It’s weird it is not right in the middle of the circular room as the centrepiece to draw people in. The wines by the glass are few in number, ridiculous in price for their quality and they are just not good wines to offer. As Australians we found the selection embarrassing, remembering that The Retreat’s guests would surely be mostly international, so the bar menu does nothing to show off our country’s wonderful wines. We felt that generally about the hotel; that The Retreat probably would not really ‘wow’ overseas guests as a ‘showpiece’ Australian hotel experience of our tourism industry. I wouldn’t expect people to go back to their home countries raving about it, which is a pity as it could really be something special, whereas it feels a little rough around the edges. The included tours are fine to get a little bit of native animal info, but it would be so nice if you were allowed to roam the sanctuary at times other than your tour slot, to get a better experience of our wonderful native creatures. Maybe they could allow people to book 30 min slots, first in best dressed? The one thing that was very much up to standard was dinner at the onsite restaurant, Me-Gal. It was an excellent evening and was quite atmospheric. The view and food were special, and the service was smooth, except that when were seated we were not told that ‘Ultimate Package’ guests have the tasting menu included automatically. That information came after making our selections from the a la carte menu! So it’s a great concept, but we felt very mixed about it.…
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Had a lovely stay back in 2019 end. We were there in Sydney when we decided to live near to the wildlife and this was our choice. The bed was comfy, staff was very nice and humble. We loved it. Would recommend
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
We booked the Wildlife retreat Taronga for 2 nights hoping to wind down and relax but it just isn’t possible at this retreat. Our room (a so called animal view with only 1 old kangaroo that barely moved, we thought it was a statue) was literally at the full view of everyone circulating the Zoo. In 10 minutes, over 120 people passed in front of our room window with full view inside (see photos) As the rooms are pretty small, you cannot escape and have to leave your room most of the day rather than being able to relax. That was hugely inconvenient and I can’t comprehend they do it this way. We really felt we were the wildlife for visitors to look at. Terribly awkward. Those rooms are also sold at a premium but I suggest going for the other room type if you are planning to visit. That just ruined our stay.…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Avoid the animal view rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Pleasantly surprised how clean and pristine the rooms are. The service at the hotel from check-in to restaurant staff is 6 star! It is a true treat to stay here. With the extra little tours that last only 30 minutes. Highly recommend.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sara Wilkie, General Manager at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga
Responded 1 week ago
Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide your feedback about your stay at The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga. I am delighted to see that you enjoyed your stay. Your feedback and suggestions are incredibly valuable to us, as we are continually evolving to ensure that we offer the best possible experience for our guests. Thank you again for your feedback and we hope to welcome you back again soon. Thank you for your support, Lina
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I bought the Twilight at Taronga package for the comedy show for my husband's birthday. Every detail was perfect. They even arranged perfect weather for the event. ;) We've never done this before and we will be finding every excuse to return. Everything was exceptional from the staff to the room to the lounge and the breakfast. Not to mention the stunning views.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sara Wilkie, General Manager at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga
Responded 1 week ago
Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide your feedback about your stay at The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga. I am delighted to see that you enjoyed your stay. Your feedback and suggestions are incredibly valuable to us, as we are continually evolving to ensure that we offer the best possible experience for our guests. Thank you again for your feedback and we hope to welcome you back again soon. Thank you for your support, Lina
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Expensive place to stay that really needs to fine tune the experience. We stayed over the weekend before Valentine’s and oh my god… the concert on the Sunday night was so loud. Not the peaceful time we had hoped booking this place. The restaurant was over priced. I recommend to anyone else to go to the city for dinner, especially if there’s a concert on. Unfortunately, that defies the purpose of a quiet peaceful experience this place should be providing.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Avoid concert nights
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
We decided to spend the last night of our 3.5 week trip to Australia in style. The Retreat at Taronga is a beautiful, tranquil hotel, with the most amazing views over Sydney Harbour. The staff are all extremely professional and friendly. There is a high degree of quality about the retreat. The rooms are well appointed and some have views of koalas and kangaroos. We didn’t pay the extra for one of these rooms, but we still saw the koala from the walkway to our room. The hotel is discreetly positioned on the hill above Taronga Zoo. The nightly price includes a guided tour, entry to the zoo throughout the stay and an excellent buffet breakfast overlooking the harbour. It is not cheap, but if within budget, strongly recommended.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sara Wilkie, General Manager at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga
Responded 4 weeks ago
Dear David, Thank you so much for taking the time to provide your feedback about your stay at The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga. I am delighted to see that you enjoyed your stay. Your feedback and suggestions are incredibly valuable to us, as we are continually evolving to ensure that we offer the best possible experience for our guests. Thank you again for your feedback and we hope to welcome you back again soon. Thank you for your support, Lani
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
hayeseydays wrote a review Feb 2023
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia12 contributions6 helpful votes
Fabulous experience! We bought the ultimate package in a Harbour view room & it was excellent. Beautifu views of the harbour but also overlooked the sanctuary, we had our own koala in the tree outside our balcony! Definitely recommend doing the aviary tour early in the morning. The bed was a bit soft but the room was great, nice shower. The buffet breakfast was also fabulous. Highly recommend the whole experience.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sara Wilkie, General Manager at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga
Responded 4 weeks ago
Hello, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience at The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga. We take pride in knowing our guests have a wonderful experience when they stay with us. I look forward to sharing your review with the team and we hope to welcome you back again very soon. Thank you for your support, Kindest Regards, Brianna.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PRICE RANGE
US$299 - US$415 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesSydneyMosman
NUMBER OF ROOMS
62
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Claim Your ListingWILDLIFE RETREAT AT TARONGA - UPDATED 2023 Hotel Reviews & Price Comparison (Sydney, Australia) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Wildlife Retreat at Taronga
Which popular attractions are close to Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Nearby attractions include Sydney Harbour (3.3 km), Sydney Opera House (3.0 km), and Sydney Harbour Bridge (3.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Conveniently located restaurants include Harvest Buffet Sydney, Nour Sydney, and Flavour of India.
Are there any historical sites close to Wildlife Retreat at Taronga?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Chinese Garden of Friendship (5.3 km), State Theatre (4.5 km), and St. Mary's Cathedral (4.2 km).
Does Wildlife Retreat at Taronga have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the city view available here.
Is Wildlife Retreat at Taronga accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access and reduced mobility rooms. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.