We stayed in a king kitchenette studio on the 5th floor, overlooking the Burke St run. It was lovely and modern, with oven, stove & sink but (oddly) no microwave. The room was stinking hot ALL the time, even with all the heaters off and the windows open.
Location was good; very central to everything. If we ever returned to Mt Buller, we'd probably stay here again, but would try to get a room across the hall, overlooking the valley & other mountains instead. On the Burke St side, you are forced to listen to loud commercial radio all day long, as it's annoyingly pumped onto the ski run outside.
The Bird Cage cafe on site was terrible, with disgusting food. The staff at the Chalet ski hire on site lied when we asked for information, presumably to make an unnecessary sale. The staff at the hotel were incredibly friendly, but gave out copious amounts of incorrect information, which was very unhelpful.
There seems to be a general disdain on the mountain for outsiders and newcomers; there was a very insular and unwelcoming vibe overall, and we felt as if we'd walked into the "family camp" from Dirty Dancing weeks in and were intruding. Very strange.
Don't bother going in the last week of the season. Despite the heavily advertised "snow guarantee", most businesses on the mountain and ski hire, etc., in Mansfield close at the end of September. There were only three restaurants open for dinner, numerous runs and lifts were closed, the cinema was closed, etc.
