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Sarah Cooks: Weekend away in the Mornington Peninsula...
Accommodation

Weekend away in the Mornington Peninsula...

2/09/2014 02:33:00 PM

At the start of December, we had the most wonderful weekend away in the Mornington Peninsula. It was a weekend to unplug from city life and recharge - phones off, laptops left at home - just a lot of delicious food, massages, spas and general beachy relaxation. Yay!

Isn't St Andrew's Beach just lovely? Sadly it was a little too cold to swim, but it was a great spot for a nice walk.

St Andrew's beach

We stayed at a fabulous B&B in St Andrews: Big Blue Backyard. It had been on my wish list for ages, and it was just as lovely as I had hoped. (I'm glad the 100% positive rating on TripAdvisor was accurate!) It was a little pricey, at almost $500 a night - but a wonderful once-in-a-while splurge. I'll blog about the accommodation in more detail, but here are a couple of pics as a preview.

Outdoor spa bath and shower! Luxury!

The Beach Hideaway at Big Blue Backyard

They also did fantastic, huge breakfasts, and brought them to the cabin each morning. It was such a treat to enjoy a cooked breakfast on the deck!

Breakfast at Big Blue Backyard

On our first night, we came across a proper German restaurant in Rye, called Wunderbar. And when I say "proper" I mean none of that touristy oompah-pah music, Lederhosen or Bavarian flags wavings around, just a casual family restaurant serving classic German dishes. Everything there reminded us so much of Germany! I'll blog it in full, but for now please enjoy this picture of lamb Maultaschen (Swabian pasta pockets) served on balsamic lentils.

Lamb Maultaschen on balsamic lentils at Wunderbar

The next day we made a trip to Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm. I've done the strawberry picking thing a couple of times before, and whilst it was fun, the novelty has worn off for me. This time we just enjoyed some treats at the cafe, and bought some chocolate and super-fresh and sweet strawberries to take with us.

Chocolate-dipped Strawberries at Sunny Ridge

Eton Mess at Sunny Ridge Farm - $10.50

Dinner on the second night was at the gorgeous Port Phillip Estate restaurant. This place was recommended to us by the owner of Big Blue Backyard, and we loved it! Stunning views of the vineyard, a dramatic and beautiful dining room, and delicious food. Blogpost to come.

Salad of beets, local chèvre, candied walnuts, honey, lemon thyme vinaigrette

On the way home from the weekend, we stopped in at Mock Red Hill to pick up a dozen bottles of their biodynamic sparkling apple juice. Delicious. They've changed it since the last time we'd visited - gone is the little organic grocer, replaced with a more extensive cellar door. (I didn't buy any this time, but can also recommend their sweet cider).

Mock Red Hill

We also swung by Foxey's Hangout to taste some wines and pick up a bottle of that sparkling white that I enjoyed so much when a friend brought it to a barbecue last year. I didn't realise that they do light lunches as well - things like zucchini fritters, barbecued quail and so on - and what we saw looked great. I'll have to pop in for a proper lunch next time! And how about that view?

View from Foxey's Hangout

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6 comments

  1. What a gorgeous weekend away. The accommodation looks nice and private which I always like. We haven't stayed long enough there but I'm thinking we should! :)

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  2. You guys are such experts at weekend getaways. I love how you work hard but know how to pamper yourself to relax too... TREAT YO SELF!!!!!

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  3. Oh my...that eton mess! What a lovely looking trip, the accommodation looks just gorgeous :)

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  4. omg the outdoor spa bath looks incredible!

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  5. Awesome getaway! It really only takes me about forty minutes to get onto the Peninsula when I'm in Melbourne (yay, living in the South East), I really should make more of an effort to go down!

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  6. The mornington peninsula accommodation looks awesome so I can't wait to be here. Thank you for sharing the information.

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