Last year my sister bought myself and my new husband a personalized Christmas ornament for our Christmas tree to celebrate our new marriage and first Christmas as husband and wife and we were delighted. To repay her for the wonderful gift this year I made an order of a personalized Christmas Gift for my sister and her family, I was more than delighted with the result.

When I unbundled my parcel I was surprised to find it included a variety of Christmas surprises like candy canes and lolly pops. The present had been beautifully gift wrapped (at no extra cost). I couldn't be happier with the result!

Despite the Christmas theme name, Mad About Christmas does offer a variety of other personalized gifts such as for new baby, weddings and even for a special teacher.

For something truly unique and different with a personal touch! You won't be disappointed!

Approximate cost: $15+

We have done business with Harvey Norman Bennetts Green a couple times now. The first time we were ordering a vacuum cleaner online which we ended up doing the deal over email. Customer service online was great but when we went down to pick up the vacuum they couldn't find it. I'd been told by the lady if she wasn't there where the vac and bags could be found. She wasn't there and though I'd told the staff several times they still couldn't find it... I think we were there about 20 minutes before they found the vac and bags which had been set aside.

The price and quality is about what you would expect to get from Harvey Norman, Service is generally good though can be a little slow they are mostly friendly.

Overall a good place to shop for electrical, though it pays to look online first to get the best prices!

According to their website Lake Macquarie Mobile Locksmiths "pride ourselves in our customer service and our ability to offer you reasonable prices for quality workmanship"

I could not agree more with this statement! Our real estate recently "Lost" our office set of keys and asked if we would kindly have a new set cut. We thought of Lake Macquarie Mobile Locksmiths because of their convenient location across the road from the Belmont Citi (Coles) Carpark.

When we walked in we were greeted by a very nice young man who asked what he could do for us, we explained he took the keys and cut them quickly and professionally.

While here we also inquired about our electronic car key (Holden Commodore), our spare key had failed the battery had gone or something and we thought we would ask what our best solution would be as we had read it could cost anywhere up to $300 for a replacement. The young man said they could do it for just $88. So while there we also had them cut and program our new spare key!

Could not be happier with the customer service! The great quality of service and the value!

Would highly recommend!

During our stay at the Australian Heritage Motor Inn we dined in the restaurant, the experience was rather disappointing.

Firstly when we walked into the restaurant we were not greeted at all there was no one behind the bar or anywhere to be seen. We were told by a couple (the only other people in the restaurant) to sit where ever we liked, at least that's what they had been told. So we made our way over and sat in the window seat.

The restaurant looked very nice with it's period style furnishings complimenting the heritage style of the motel. But we soon noticed the little things just like in our motel room.

There was dust in the corner of the ceilings, the furniture while looking nice was worn and faded also the floor looked a little like it could use a bit of a clean too.

Once we were noticed we were offered menus and our order was taken fairly quickly... only our food took a lot longer than we would have expected only been four people there at the time. (the restaurant had been open since 6pm and we had arrived about 6.15) It took at least 20-30 minutes before we were served our garlic bread, not even our entrees just the garlic bread.

When the entrees did come out we thought they were actually very well sized for an entree. My husband had lamb cutlets and I had squid salad. My husbands entree was quiet good the meat was tender and it was a good start. My squid salad looked very nice, but it was covered in so much olive oil dressing everything tasted like olive oil and was very oily. For mains I had the lamb rack and my husband the scotch fillet. My husband found his main very disappointing the serve was very small the meat was not tender, medium well rather than medium rare the highlight of his meal was the well cooked asparagus disappointing when the green sides are better than your prime cut meat. My lamb rack while 'marinated' didn't seem to have any marinade to taste, the bones were burnt and broke off, the fat was no rendered properly and was rather thick in some places, the meat was far from tender... I was given a steak knife which could still barely cut through the lamb. While cooked well to burnt on the outside it was still very rare on the inside. I believe it was suppose to be served with chat potatoes I was served half a potato and the jus was soaked up by the bok choy? under my lamb rack which was very disappointing because the sauce was defiantly the highlight to my main meal. For dessert we both selected the chocolate fondant which wile a little crisp on the edge was the highlight to the entire meal, served with a tiny smear of mousse it was warm, runny and tasted lovely.

We dined here again for breakfast... it was part of our motel package though after the slow and dismal experience the night before we were not looking forward to it... Customer service was terrible and again there was a long wait for our breakfast when it arrived it was disappointing. We both had Canadian Pancakes... My husbands was ok but nothing special while my pancakes were burnt and served with a half rotten strawberry and burnt bacon... thankfully our deal included items from the buffet so I at least had some yogurt though was shocked the expiry date was for that morning...

Bottom Line, No consistency, Well over priced... If we ever stayed in the motel again... I'd eat down the road at MacDonalds. When in town... give it a miss!

Approximate cost: $28

We stayed at the Australian Heritage Motor Inn on a recent trip to Dubbo. While this is an 4 star motel our experience was more 3 star.

We had booked about a month in advance via the internet and it was all booked over email. Once we arrived we were "greeted" and checked in. The lady at the desk wasn't overly friendly I must admit.

We went up to our room, one of the Queen Superiors, it was on the top floor and was nice to look out the window, while facing the highway it was still a peaceful experience. The room was beautifully decorated, but there was one or two problems...

When we pulled out the tea/coffee making tray I noticed there was hair under the water jug, not very comforting when you think of a clean motel room. We also noticed there was dust webs in some of the corners and even a spider web complete with living spider and a spider shell in the bathroom.

When making myself a cup of coffee the next morning I also noted that the coffee cup was cracked.

The nights stay was pleasant enough, the bed was comfortable at least and appeared to be clean. Though watching TV before bed was a fun experience... the remote for the TV was missing a back so the batteries often fell out in the middle of changing channels...

The shower had very low water pressure and seemed a little hard to get a good temperature.

Our package included the "works" breakfast which we went down to the restaurant for in the morning. Our understanding was we could help ourselves from the buffet and order something from the cooked menu... non of this was explained, we were not even greeted just asked for our room number and asked what do you want...

Myself and my husband chose to have the "Canadian" pancakes... I don't know what makes them "Canadian" other than the side of maple syrup... My husbands looked very nice but mine where burnt and had a half rotten strawberry on the side...

On check out we were greeted by a lovely women who was very friendly, was a nice change from our experience thus far.

Bottom line, really lovely to look at but over priced with poor customer service... and could use a clean!

Approximate cost: $From $160/Night

If you are planning on traveling to Dubbo to visit Western Plains Zoo and need accommodation why not book yourself into the Zoofari lodge and get the full zoo experience. We did and loved every minute!

The zoofari lodge offers two types of accommodation Savannah Lodges which sleeps up to 4 (with a double bed and two single beds) and the Serengeti Lodges which sleep up to 6 (with a queen bed, two single beds and a sofa bed) though additional cots are available at additional cost. Accommodation includes private en suite, coffee and tea making facilities, mini bar, fridge, shaded veranda and outdoor furniture. All bedding, linen and towels are provided.

Rates are for one night accommodation and are fully inclusive of:

Two day admission to Taronga Western Plains Zoo
One night accommodation at Zoofari Lodge
Exclusive behind the scenes tours with a Zoofari Guide
African style canapés, banquet dinner and dessert
Buffet breakfast
Standard bicycle hire for two days
10% discount at the Zoo's Souvenir Shop
10% discount voucher for Bakhita's Café
10% discount on additional Animal Encounters

Rates are subject to change throughout the season.

There is nothing like spending the night at the zoo! Not only do you get to experience the behind the scene exclusive tours you get to spend the night listening to the animal sounds. We loved lying in our bed listening to the lions roars during the night.

The tours are great! You even get to feed some of the animals like the Giraffes and the illusive Bongo. While you are seeing the same animals you're seeing walking around the zoo during the day your guide will show you the behind the scene where the animals go to sleep at night and their morning routine before being sent out on display, like the elephant pedicure!

The accommodation is clean and comfortable, if you're thinking camping this is camping in style! The en suite is a great touch, no sharing and no having to walk outside to the bathroom on a cold morning or during the night. The floors are heated, there are plenty of extra blankets and there is also a fan for the warmer nights. You can walk outside and look over the view of zebras and giraffes just as though you were really in Africa... all be it Africa with gum trees!!

The meal provided for dinner is a real experience, but if you're not sure African is your style they do provide back up plans and cater for special dietary needs. All of the zoofari staff are friendly and helpful. Breakfast is buffet style, hot offerings like bacon, mushrooms, scrambled egg, toast and condiments with a selection of muesli, yogurt and fruits. Espresso coffee is also available as well as a selection of fruit juice.

The whole experience was excellent, it's much more than just visiting the zoo it's an entire experience. It really gives you an appreciation for the work that goes into running the zoo on a day to day basis. Also just by staying your helping the zoo with animal care and preservation.

We had had a great time and would stay again, Highly Recommended!

Approximate cost: $From $229/Adult

What an amazing experience, right from the moment you enter the gate you are welcomed into the zoo. Arranging tickets was a simple process the staff where knowledgeable, friendly and worked efficiently.

Once you enter the zoo the first thing I think you will notice is the openness around every corner it seems there is another discovery to be made.

Armed with your map there are many options for traveling around the zoo, you may hire your own safari cart or bike, use your own car or walk (about 6km round circuit). We chose to park the car and walk to the exhibits, than walk back and move the car to the next lot which worked well for us.

We managed to make it to all but two of the "Keeper Talks" you will be given an itinerary of the days events, some are a little close together time wise so it can some times be a little difficult to walk to the next in time... but it's worth making the effort to see the animals up close (as they are usually being fed at the time) and listen to the keepers talks. The keepers are very friendly and open to questions.

This is by far the best animal attraction we have been too. All of the animals are well cared for, they all appear to be happy in their surroundings. We have been to other animal attractions where the animals have clearly been bored and pacing but there is non of that behavior to be seen here. All of the animals are in as close as possible to a natural environment, well presented.

The zoos gate opens at 9am, I would recommend getting there at 9am as it is really a full day to be spent here. There are great facilities spread around like toilets, picnic grounds, cafe and kiosks. Plenty of places to rest your feet and get great photos. It's very family friendly as well for those with children. It also as disabled facilities so it's a zoo for everyone!

The zoo also offers unique "Animal Encounters" but you have to get in early as places are limited. As an early birthday present my husband sent me off to feed the lions it was truly a once in a life time experience and a memory which will last a life time.

There are so many great things about this zoo, I don't want to say to much and spoil your experience but I'd say it comes highly recommended. Well worth the price of admission.

The gift shop is great too... don't be afraid to spend a few pennies here as the profits all go back into the zoo and animal conservation.

When my Grandmother recently passed away there was a lot to organize. She had passed in Queensland and the family had decided she would be cremated and her ashes laid to rest with her mother and father in Uralla.

When the family decided to hold a small informal service, I contacted Jackie with about 1 week to prepare and being separated by about 550km we were able to organise everything promptly over the phone and by email.

Everything was arranged the final details were filled in on the spot. Jackie preformed the ceremony professionally and with great compassion. It was a really nice send off of my grandmother.

The only downside is waiting 3 months for the burial certificate though I do know that Jackie had a sickness in the family at the time.

Approximate cost: $250

Celebrating 8 months since we were married we thought we would go out and have a special dinner. Having previously great experience at Deck 56 the decision seemed simple.

I emailed through a reservation on TUESDAY for FRIDAY, I never received a confirmation to say the booking had been received... But we went out anyways. When we got to the restaurant we found that we did have a booking and the young man seated us.

We had previously checked the menu online so we were pretty well ready to order not long after being seated. Our order was taken quickly but we did notice that one of the items we were going to order the Chocolate tasting plate was no longer on the menu... we than chose the chocolate pudding which we were told was also unavailable but everything else on the menu was and there was also other desserts available in the dessert fridge.

The winter special was entree and main for $37... This is what followed.

We ordered Garlic bread, which was burnt around the edges. Still tasted fine but I was left wondering what happened to quality when burnt bread is sent out from the kitchen.

Next came the entree, we had both ordered the squid. The presentation was lovely and it did taste nice, it was a small serve but for an entree it was fine. The squid was a little stringy but still nice.

For main I chose Fish of the day (Blue eyed cod) and my husband chose the pork belly. My husband made no complaint about his meal. My fish dish was very small for a main, there was one very small piece of fish and a small potato gratin. There wasn't much else to the dish. The fish was pan fried but the skin was burnt black and what was worse it was soggy.. the fish tasted lovely but it was dry.

Dessert we chose to have the chocolate mousse tart which was the highlight of the meal. Though I would have thought by "tart" there would have been a pastry base? It was a chocolate base in a heart shape with chocolate whipped cream (Not real chocolate mousse) topped with a strawberry. Sidded with homemade vanilla icecream.

The bottom line: The service here is great! Your always welcomed and well taken care of. Even if they don't respond to booking emails. But the down side is the food, while it looks nice and mostly tastes nice... it is well over priced and there isn't always something for everyone on the menu. Some food is paired with sides which make some meals unappealing.

Had it not been for the winter special we would not have been getting what we paid for. You don't expect burnt garlic bread and burnt fish from a proper restaurant.

This time very disappointed.

Approximate cost: $26-$35

We attempted to book a night tour through the "Old Dubbo Gaol" and found a real lack of customer service. We had checked the website which told us nothing of use in regards to when the night tours were held. We sent an inquiry email and after about four days with no reply we decided to call. There was no answer so left a message... one week later and still no response. We sent yet another email asking just what you have to do to make a booking since we have emailed and called without a response... What we received was a rather rude reply, no apology for the lack of response and did not offer to help in anyway at all.

We were told to PLEASE NOTE Night Tours are only held during school holidays... sorry must have missed that on the website pretty sure it asks to call for times and bookings... I do have to wonder though why these ADULT ONLY tours are held ONLY during school holidays...

But we were informed that if we had a group of 10 we could have a night tour any night and any time we wanted for $600. That's only about double/per person what the normal cost is....

This also was of no use to two people who are only visiting the area for a few days... Their lack of customer service only delayed us making plans and bookings as we waited for their response so we could make arrangements for accommodation.

After this experience... We are even giving the day tour a pass...

Approximate cost: $30/Person