Candelight Cottages up in Mount Dandenong are a beautiful place to getaway from the hustle and…read morebustle of everyday life and relax. They have four self-contained cottages available for hire - the Candelight Cottage, Cottage in the Village, Cottage in the Forest and Clare Cottage. All of them are close to Sassafras and offer open fireplaces and cosy quaint living spaces. I stayed in the Cottage in the Forest for one night in early March and found it to be absolute bliss. Tucked away on an acre of forested land, the open plan cottage features a king-size bed that overlooks a floor to ceiling window through which is a gorgeous view of the forest. The bathroom has a two-person spa bath and another large window overlooking the trees. There were a reasonably good selection of books and DVD's provided, I remember watching "Meet the Parents" snuggled up on the comfy couch in front of the warm fire. The owners are really kind people and make your stay comfortable by providing breakfast provisions - they even stocked up the fridge with vegetarian delights, as my companion didn't eat meat. I was really surprised and appreciative of this. Pricing is quite high but the place is amazing and definitely worth a visit. For Cottage in the Forest and Twilight Cottage it is $245 per couple per night Monday-Thursday and on weekends it is $599 for two nights. Clare Cottage is $230 per couple per night Monday-Thursday and $570 for a two-night weekend. Candlelight Cottage is $260 per couple per night Monday-Thursday and $630 for a two night weekends. They often have deals and special offers so make sure to check out their website ahead of time.

Stayed in the Fernwood cottage (one of the 2 cottages that has a hot tub) would highly recommend!…read moreThe owners are very nice, making sure you're comfortable and recommending things to do in the area if you're up for exploring. The hot tub was such a great extra!

Everything is so great here. I went with my friend and we had a Japanese Escape package which…read moreenjoyed so much~ the onsen, the massage, the food, the room.... Will sure come again some other time in future

First up, let me say that despite our unusual experience with Arnica Views, this is a five star…read morereview. The unusual situation really only happened because of my stuff up. I initially booked this place through Expedia. I was searching for Saturday nights, but it showed me a Friday night, which I booked by mistake. As I really only wanted the Saturday night (for a wedding) I emailed Arnica Views and got a reply fairly quickly. The lady advised that she was 'feeling generous' and would shift it over to the Saturday night, if I'd ring her and pay up front with my credit card. I rang her immediately and it was all locked in. We arrived on the Saturday night, and I found a gentleman who asked for my name. When provided with same, he said 'uh, shouldn't you have been here last night?' Heart started to race a little... I explained the chain of emails between myself and the lady from Arnica Views, and that I had paid in advance with my credit card, to lock in the Saturday night. He said that I was lucky - the room was still available. Whew. We wandered up to the room and it was fantastic. The gentleman said that all of the supplies for breakfast were there (and they were), except for milk. He suggested that I could trot down to the local shops about 10 minutes away, or if I could wait, he'd bring some to us the next morning. As we didn't need milk right away, we were happy to wait for the next morning. Unfortunately, the milk never did arrive, so I had to head down the next morning to the local shops and bought some myself. No biggie. So, to the venue itself. We were in the 'cheap' room and it was awesome. Really comfortable bed, shower and bathroom was really nice too. Felt clean after a shower - a good sign. The amount of stuff available for you to self-cook for breakfast is awesome, various cereals, toast, bacon, eggs, etc. Not sure if the eggs were free range or not, great if they were. We had other people in a room above ours, but you could barely hear anyone. The gardens surrounding the rooms are just incredible. The smells, the quietness, the colours. Just couldn't fault it. I'd really recommend this place to anyone visiting Mt Dandenong. It was fantastic.