CHOP IT Axe Throwing & Escape IT Rooms in Victor Harbor ‘best’ place in South Australia according to Google Maps reviewers

It’s the venue that’s topped a list of the state’s best places – and was such a surprise to the owner he thought it was a prank. See the top 15.

The best place in South Australia is an axe-throwing and escape room venue in Victor Harbor, according to a website that collates the top-rated and most reviewed places on Google Maps.

With an average rating of five stars across 800 Google Maps reviews, CHOP IT Axe Throwing & Escape IT Rooms is listed as both the “best” and “top-rated” place in the state on aggregrating site top-rated.online.

The site determines the “best” places based on which have been most reviewed with the highest average rating.

Baz Dewson from CHOP IT Axe Throwing and Escape IT Rooms, pictured with son Sol, 3. Picture: Dean Martin

Baz and Jayne Dewson, and their children, Grace, 7, and Sol, 3, with Baz’s mum Aileen together run CHOP IT Axe Throwing & Escape IT Rooms at Victor Harbor. 28 December 2024. Picture: Dean Martin

CHOP IT owner Baz Dewson was in disbelief when informed by The Advertiser of his incredible result, saying: “Far out. Who is this? Is this someone winding me up?”

After accepting the call was not a prank, he guessed he had garnered so many positive reviews on Google Maps “because customer service is our number one thing – if you’re coming here, you’re treated like a friend”.

Victor Harbor bookstore owner Megan Coyle, who wrote a five-star review of the venue earlier this year, echoed Mr Dewson’s explanation of the venue’s success on Google Maps, telling The Advertiser staff “just pulled out all the stops for us” when she attended with a large group for her daughter’s 21st birthday.

“They gave us extra time,” she said. “We could take our cake in there, and they just absolutely made us feel so welcome.

“The owner was there the whole time with us … he was having a chat to everybody. He almost became part of our little group that was there.”

Baz Dewson of CHOP IT Axe Throwing & Escape IT Rooms at Victor Harbor, with kids Sol and Grace. Picture: Dean Martin

Baz Dewson of CHOP IT Axe Throwing & Escape IT Rooms at Victor Harbor. Picture: Dean Martin

But Mr Dewson downplayed reports of his top-notch hospitality, saying: “Everyone’s like, ‘oh, the customer service here is amazing’. I’m like, ‘I’m just being a friendly guy, it doesn’t cost me anything to actually take an interest in people’.”

“Customer service is definitely on the decline,” he added. “These young guys in hospitality these days, half the time they can’t even make eye contact with you.”

The former Englishman, who has a professional background in adventure tourism, said he opened the venue in 2021 and added escape rooms in September last year.

CHOP IT also offers activities for kids, while serving locally sourced food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Mr Dewson said he always encourages customers to leave a Google review.

Kies Family Wines has been named the second 'best' place in South Australia by top-rated.online. Picture: Supplied

Two Barossa Valley wineries are ranked by top-rated.online as the second and third “best” places in the state.

Chateau Yaldara near Tanunda has been voted the third 'best' place in SA according to Google Map reviews. Picture: Supplied

Kies Family Wines in Lyndoch is second with an average rating of 4.9 stars across nearly 1300 Google Maps reviews. Nearby winery Chateau Yaldara is a close third with an average rating of 4.9 stars across 1400 reviews.

A separate list on the site reveals Rundle Mall is the state’s most reviewed place, with an average rating of 4.4 stars across an impressive 30,400 reviews – more than double the second most reviewed place, Adelaide Oval, which has scored 4.6 stars across 12,500 reviews.

The most reviewed place in Australia is the Sydney Opera House with 4.7 stars across 80,000 reviews, while the most reviewed place in the world is Masjid al-Haram mosque in Saudi Arabia, with a 4.9 rating across 460,700 reviews. The huge mosque is the setting of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

People gathering outside Al-Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabiain 2022. Picture: Getty Images

Laurynas Sakalauskas, the Lithuanian website developer who created top-rated.online, told The Advertiser it is possible some places could be missing from the rankings, and places may be removed by request.

He said he created the website because as a “digital nomad”, he moves frequently from place to place, and finds it “hard to find places to eat food, spend time, and visit hidden and most famous tourist attractions, without spending hours on research”.

“The idea for this website sparked when I was looking for a place to have dinner in a new city and I spent over an hour looking for a restaurant,” he said. “In the end, I was not satisfied with the food.”