I remember first hearing about Lake House when I was 14. My love of food and cookery was evolving…read moreat the time and I heard of a magical place, near a lake, serving up some of the best cuisine in the country. I didn't get to visit for 20 years but finally, this past May, I was able to tick it off my list of must-do Victorian experiences. My favourite +1 and I have birthday's one day apart so we took each other here for a two day getaway, complete with dining experiences and massages. Just hours from Melbourne, it was the perfect way to relax and celebrate together. What I loved about the experience was that you really didn't need to leave if you didn't want to. The rooms have simple mini bar supplies, but you can always order room service if you want something more substantial. The bathrooms are positively divine and we spent hours soaking in the tub over the weekend in between reading sessions in the living space, strolls around the lake and eating excursions in the main restaurant. Breakfast is served for a number of hours and is so incredibly generous that you can skip lunch altogether then hold out to dinner time which will no doubt be over-indulgent if you've booked yourself in for dinner. A visit here will mean you probably eat, and drink, more than you thought humanly possible but hey that's what weekend getaways are all about, right? This isn't a bargain experience, but you pay for indulgence and the opportunity to truly relax and get away from it all. Forget gifts, this is the kind of birthday present I want every year

Where on Earth do I start...?…read more The Lake House would have the be the best restaurant I've been to in Melbourne (my view - better than Vue de Monde, better than Attica) and only second in my journey so far to Daniel in New York. Food was simply stunning. Between us we had delicious things like tempura quail; 12 hour roast suckling; rabbit cassoulet; a berry-themed share plate dessert with black forest cake, deconstructed strawberry shortcake, raspberry sorbet and raspberry and champagne jelly; lemon and lime panna cotta; and an out-of-this-world antipasto plate with duck and rabbit pates and terrines and heavenly salumi. Petit fours consisted of toffee popcorn, strawberry fudge, shortbread and jellies. Cocktails and organic teas were also amazing. In summer, try to have a drink on the deck before being seated. Atmosphere was upmarket but relaxed. We had a fantastic table in front of the bread and petit four station, which overlooked the lake and hillside. Staff were attentive, friendly and very professional. Cutlery, plates and other trimmings were very special. I fell in love with the multicoloured glass salt, pepper and sugar bowls (which, coincidentally, were also for sale at the Lake House store). It's expensive, but not as expensive as the city hatted restaurants. In my opinion, you don't need an excuse to go to the Lake House; just do it for yourself because you certainly won't regret it (but leave any kids at home)...

This is how wine tours should be done…read more We were picked up from our accommodation by Joe, our super friendly driver and host who's set up base in the heart of the region. Joe's not just a chauffeur, he's made it his business to get to know winemakers in the region on a personal level and proved a wealth of knowledge about who's who, and where's best to go. Heathcote is what the Yarra Valley was 20 years ago. It's a renowned wine region, especially for Shiraz, but it's not properly geared up for tourists just yet, so a knowledgable guide is indispensable. This tour will tend to avoid the lager, more corporate wineries, in preference for smaller boutique venues, where winemakers are often on hand to talk through their product and production methods. This was exactly what I was hoping for - if I can buy it at Dan Murphy's, I'm not interested when I'm on a tour. It's the littler places you'll only fine when here that have my attention, and Joe's too. That's why this kind of tour genuinely supports the local industry. We opted for the day tour, consisting of 4-5 wineries and a lunch. There's also a shorter version where you'll be whisked to 2-3 wineries over the course of a morning or afternoon. Go for the day, if you can. It's well sort it. Joe was relaxed, friendly and talkative in a good way. He was happy to accommodate a stop for coffee first thing, and adjust his plans depending on what kind of venue we fancied visiting or wine we felt like tasting. His suggestions were spot on. We benefited from being the only couple on the tour, but I can imagine a great time being had even if the small van was full. Totally recommended to all.

Wow is all I could think and say when I walked into the old barn that now serves at the Cellar Door…read more(yes, it should be capitalised according to rule 17.9 of the oenophile's handbook) for Paramoor winery. The old barn, complete with stabling boxes, working blacksmith's forge and generous lashings of now-archaic once-indispensable rural paraphernalia, is decked out with tables and chairs as if you had been invited into someone's rustic tearooms or sitting room, and Bill conducts the free tastings in person, at your table. I challenge you to name another such table service wine tasting at a cellar door. This intimate approach allows you to hear the full story of the wines, including the naming convention of some (after his mother, his wife etc), and the locations of the vineyards from whence the berries were sourced. This is undoubtedly the best wine tasting I have ever had. Happily, Paramoor make fantastic wines, and Bill will let you try them all during his tasting flight. I mentioned that I liked heavy cold weather Shiraz, and some minutes later bill presented a bottle for tasting that he thought "may be ready, so your opinion would be good if this is your thing." We agreed it was ready, and he noted improvement from his tasting a year or so previous. And will only improve, so I managed to secures bottle or two of an as yet unreleased wine :) If that doesn't fill you with warm fuzzies, nothing will. Pizza in the wood fired oven many days, and cheese platters etc available all the time. Like MacArthur, I shall return. Unlike MacArthur, I will not destroy Manila.

Great customer service and lovely venue. The pub food was pretty decent as well. We had a group of…read more12 and there was plenty of room for us, even on a Saturday at lunchtime. The layout of the pub is a bit like an old house, with a big open space at the front and then a few little gardens in the back and on the side. The bathrooms are through a sunroom. The fish and chips were okay; the chips were nice and crispy but I felt the fish could have been a bit less chewy and more flaky. They also had a rabbit pie special when we were there and that was great; the pastry was light and flaky and the rabbit was tender and in a tasty gravy. I would have liked a bit more pastry since most of it stuck to the side of the ramekin but oh well. Parking was easy to find on the street outside although I can imagine it can get a bit busy in the evenings.

Great wine! We had a really enjoyable wine tasting with…read moreMitch. M. Chapoutier is kind of a nostalgia trip for us because we visited the Rhone Valley cellar door. We were thrilled to be able to buy both Australian and French wines at a very good price point. The price quality relationship is really excellent too!

Being half Italian I can tell you the excellent food here is authentic, honest Italian. All six of…read moreus thoroughly enjoyed our meals, from the fungi pasta, or the broad bean bruschetta to my delicious tuna salad. The panna cotta's - one with tangy burnt lemon and the other with caramel and Amaretto biscuit - were a very tasty finish to a perfect meal. The great value 'Rustica' house red was also enjoyed by all. Great coffee, friendly, efficient service under a canopy of green made for the perfect lunch with family and friends. Highly recommend!

Very responsive, as we had a few questions upon arrival. Our unit was delayed being done cleaning…read moreand they offered a bottle of wine to compensate which was a nice thought.

I found a property I liked on Stayz called 'Hisha' (Dalesford). The Stayz website advertised the…read moreseasonal weekend rate as follows: from 18 Jun 2016 thru 28 Feb 2017 price is $970 for Fri/Sat nights. When I went to book it on Stayz, Sandra from Dayget.com.au answered my request by informing that Dayget.com.au would be finalising the booking and the price was now several hundred dollars more. I told her that was false advertising and very misleading but she didn't seen to care or offer a reasonable explanation for the difference in cost. This experience has put me off booking anything in Dalesford especially properties advertised on this dodgy site. AVOID Dayget.com.au at all cost!!!! They advertise one price on Stayz (to draw you in) and then refuse to honour that price when you make the booking. They tell you Stayz prices are indicative only and the booking itself must go through Dayget.com.au which in turn ups the price by at least several hundred (some properties end up almost double the price)... What sort of crappy booking agent is this? I am now looking for properties in nearby towns just so I don't have to go through Dayget.com.au.

GLENLYON ESTATE (previously Ellender Estate)…read more Situated in the beautiful Australian countryside this winery had long been our favorite place to spend an afternoon while savoring their delicious thin crust pizzas and sipping on quality local wines... but now it's even better! The new owners Simon & Lee have managed to keep everything that was great (local produce, beautiful setting) and make it better than ever. With a wonderful energy and zeal for outstanding customer service they make you feel like a close friend who's been invited to their estate to share good times and great food (did I mention the pizza is our all time favorite). Bookings aren't essential but highly recommended to ensure you don't miss out and I would be sure to allow a few hours to really relax and let the beauty of the place sink in... can't recommend this place highly enough. Visited February 2017