While we were wandering around
Bunbury, the proprietor of our B&B called and asked what time we planned to arrive so he could make sure the hot tub was ready. I call that excellent customer service :-)
With that incentive we headed out of town, south to
Yallingup. Here's what one of the regional websites has to say about it:
Yallingup has bred many of the region's and world's greatest surfers. Home to a relaxed local community, Yallingup, an aboriginal word meaning "Place of Love", is a small town nestled in amongst the trees along the coast. The town itself is relatively untouched by the mass tourism visiting the region and one can still enjoy the coastline and local beaches without the crowds characteristic of the city beaches.
It has to have one of the best views I've ever seen - it is so beautiful it takes my breath away. I have yet to get a photo that captures it but here's a pale insipid taste.
We were a little early to check in so decided to eat at the wooden surf shack on the side of the road...full of an odd variety of surfer gear, canned baked beans, and fishing accoutrement, they serve an excellent burger which was so big we split it. We scoped the surfing lesson ads just in case the kids want to give it a try in December and then headed to the lodge.
Our hot tub was ready :-) Tim, the proprietor, was there to greet us and show us around. It's located down a dirt track and just up the hill from a brewery. There are tall trees, masses of flowers, expanses of wild calla (
canna) lilies. Talk about salubrious location! There is a day spa on the grounds and we enjoyed a couples massage and the hot tub very much.
But there was more! We had dinner reservations at one of the major wineries -
Leeuwin Estates. It's a gorgeous venue set in expansive rolling hills of vines with huge native trees framing a broad green lawn where they hold annual concerts with big name acts. This years its
Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald.
Leeuwin Estates website
We were strongly cautioned to be very careful driving driving the two lane roads as the '
roos like to leap madly in front of cars at night. That would hurt. Turns out we only saw one cross in front of us, (and a couple of misguided bunnies but we missed 'em).
The dinner was fantastic and we had the best table in the house - a long bench of polished native wood facing out through picture windows over the lawn and trees lit by spot lights. I delicately inquired about the size of the bone in veal chop and proceeded to demolish it all anyway. The fabled
Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay - billed by many as the best in Oz was fantastic. The best chardonnay I've had by far.
Find out about it here. I sampled the Cabs too but the chardonnay takes the cake.
While waiting for our chocolate fondant to cook we wandered down to the art gallery - each year the estate commissions new art work from Australian artists for the labels of the Art Series wines. The originals are in the gallery downstairs and decidedly worth a look.
We made it back to our B&B unscathed though with some admittedly nerve wracking moments - it's DARK out there in the country and
there'd been all those dire warnings about
smushing kangaroos after all.
Here are a few photos from the grounds - that brown building next to the pool is the spa:
We were a little early to check in so decided to eat at the wooden surf shack on the side of the road...full of an odd variety of surfer gear, canned baked beans, and fishing accoutrement, they serve an excellent burger which was so big we split it. We scoped the surfing lesson ads just in case the kids want to give it a try in December and then headed to the lodge.
Our hot tub was ready :-) Tim, the proprietor, was there to greet us and show us around. It's located down a dirt track and just up the hill from a brewery. There are tall trees, masses of flowers, expanses of wild calla (canna) lilies. Talk about salubrious location! There is a day spa on the grounds and we enjoyed a couples massage and the hot tub very much.
But there was more! We had dinner reservations at one of the major wineries - Leeuwin Estates. It's a gorgeous venue set in expansive rolling hills of vines with huge native trees framing a broad green lawn where they hold annual concerts with big name acts. This years its Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald. Leeuwin Estates website
We were strongly cautioned to be very careful driving driving the two lane roads as the 'roos like to leap madly in front of cars at night. That would hurt. Turns out we only saw one cross in front of us, (and a couple of misguided bunnies but we missed 'em).
The dinner was fantastic and we had the best table in the house - a long bench of polished native wood facing out through picture windows over the lawn and trees lit by spot lights. I delicately inquired about the size of the bone in veal chop and proceeded to demolish it all anyway. The fabled Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay - billed by many as the best in Oz was fantastic. The best chardonnay I've had by far. Find out about it here. I sampled the Cabs too but the chardonnay takes the cake.
While waiting for our chocolate fondant to cook we wandered down to the art gallery - each year the estate commissions new art work from Australian artists for the labels of the Art Series wines. The originals are in the gallery downstairs and decidedly worth a look.
We made it back to our B&B unscathed though with some admittedly nerve wracking moments - it's DARK out there in the country and there'd been all those dire warnings about smushing kangaroos after all.
Here are a few photos from the grounds - that brown building next to the pool is the spa:
2 comments:
Delightful. Now, would Puyallup be a sister city match in heaven .. no?
ref: www.cityofpuyallup.org
Guru
It totally should be!
Instead I think we're sister city to some place in Japan that hunts dolphins. There was quite an outcry when that particular cross cultural tidbit came to light a month or two ago. Further proof one can't pick their relatives ;-)
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