Travel Blog – Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels

For an indulgent minibreak, a Daylesford escape in Victoria’s Spa Country delivers the goods: fabulous food, stress-melting mineral springs and a host of boutique holiday houses.

FEAST
A brisk walk up Wombat Hill, through Daylesford’s blissful Botanic Gardens, brings you to Wombat Hill House (pictured above), the latest venture from Alla Wolf-Tasker of Lake House fame. Hemmed by kitchen gardens, this lovingly restored 1940s cottage is home to a food store and button-cute cafe serving breakfasts of brioche French toast with saffron poached pears, lunchtime salads and baguettes, and afternoon treats such as fresh-baked madeleines with home-made lemon curd.

For evening bites, pop into Perfect Drop Wine Bar, where mismatched furniture and a laid-back loungeroom vibe belie the seriously good food offerings. Nab a spot by the fire, then linger over plates of white anchovy and quail egg crostini, cinnamon-spiced duck with grilled peaches, or sublime suckling pig, which goes down a treat with a glass of local pinot noir.

SOAK
Take to the waters at Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa (pictured left), a cutting-edge complex where soaking is serious business. Aroma steam rooms, sumptuous spas and mineral baths, a salt therapy pool and a host of lush-as-you-like treatments mean you could easily while away hours here.

If you’re after something a little more intimate, the treetop spa baths for two at Salus Day Spa are sure to do the trick. Slip out of your robe and into the piping-hot mineral water, laced with rose petals or lavender, get the bubbles going, then fling open the shutters to take in the views of the mist-shrouded lake (just take care not to flash any waterfront wanderers if things get steamy).

SLEEP
We’ve already waxed lyrical about interior stylist Lyn Gardener, and if you’re a fan of her trademark vintage whimsy, then a stay at her chic country escape the White House (pictured right) is a must. The handmade fabrics, bespoke wallpapers, antique furniture and covetable knicknacks make for a character-filled cottage that looks like it’s straight out of an interiors mag.

For a need-not-lift-a-finger stay with all the trimmings, check in to boutique hotel Lake House. Choose from the contemporary rooms overlooking Lake Daylesford, and the newly minted Retreat rooms, the lavish Atrium Villa and the Spa Villa. The latter takes line honours thanks to its courtyard with sunken hot tub and chill-beating fireplace.

DAYLESFORD ADDRESS BOOK
Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa Mineral Springs Reserve Road, Hepburn Springs, Victoria; +61 (0)3 5321 6000.
Perfect Drop Wine Bar 5 Howe Street, Daylesford, Victoria; +61 (0)3 5348 3373.
Salus Day Spa Lake House, King Street, Daylesford, Victoria; +61 (0)3 5348 3329.
Wombat Hill House Entry off Central Spring Road, Daylesford, Victoria; +61 (0)3 4373 0099.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 29th, 2011 at 1:28 am and is filed under Melbourne, Mr & Mrs Smith, Self-catering, Spa, Uncategorized. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.