To whet your appetite...Kudos Villas

Hey, guys, now it's my turn to share with you the mouth watering delights that the area around Hepburn Springs has to offer.


Of course, at Kudos Villas you never actually have to leave your room.


Kudos offers the ultimate in indulgence and pampering.  


Makayla gave you and example of the amazing menu that your private chef can cook up for you in your own villa.  They can also co-ordinate the perfect romantic proposal for you (complete with red carpets and rose petals).


Kudos also has a delish selection of ready to eat meals that can be delivered to your villa as well as organising a gourmet picnic hamper for you to take away while you explore the area.


But I'm here to tell you about the amazing food and wine in the area.


Hungry?


I am!


Here's a selection of some of the great eateries in the area.


On the corner of Raglan and Wombat Street in lies Mercato Restaurant.  It's a popular country restaurant in Daylesford, set in a restored 1864 timber building.  Mercato is Italian for "market" and the inspiration for the restaurant is that in European history, the town market place was the heart and soul of the town.

Richard Mee is the head chef and owner.

Degustation Menu

Seared fillet of Tuki trout with avocado, nectarine, white asparagus, salmon roe and baby herbs

Carpaccio of Romsey Emu with Holy Goat fromage frais. Kyneton extra virgin olive oil & thyme

Roasted Wycheproof quail wrapped in "Istra' prosciutto with a salad of grapes, roasted capsicum, hazelnuts & olives

Breast of duck on roast sweet potato puree with an orange, spiced cherry & watercress salad and a shirz jus

Chocolate and raisin torte, cardamom icecream, red currants

Food only $95

Matched with wines $135

Or, if you're like me and love to experience vineyards and all they have to offer, why not visit Ellender Estate?

"One not only drinks wine, one smells it, observes it, tastes it, sips it and one talks about it"  King Edward VII 

Ellender Estates is a boutique winery located just a short drive from Daylesford.  Here you'll have an opportunity to meet and chat with owners Jenny and Graham Ellender.

The story of how they came to running a vineyard and winery is fascinating.

Bes ure to taste their exquisite 2006 Pinot Noir, whose finish is soft and full of elegant tannins.

For something simple and traditional, why not try The Cosy Corner?

On Tenth Street in Hepburn Springs, Shane Trask & Jennifer Colley have turned Cosy Corner around froma cafe to a a much sought after eating house.  Your Food Guide.com recommended that youput these guys ahead of your more pompous restaurants when dining out around Daylesford and Hepburn.

There's a great selection to choose from.  If you need some more information, just let us know.

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ACTION...Kudos Villas

Hi guys, Nicola here.

Time to have some fun!

Kudos Villas provide you with all the indulgent pampering that you would ever require.  Makayla checked out the hedonistic packages that the villas offer.  

If you do decide to venture out of your villa, Hepburn Springs has heaps to see and do.

You'll notice that on every street corner and in every row of shops, you'll see a sign offering massages and spa treatments.  This is the heart of spa country, people!  The perfect destination for relaxation and rejuvenation.

The towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are surrounded by more than 60 natural mineral springs.  Rich in minerals, the region's springs are believed to cure all sorts off afflictions from acne to athritis.

Want to earn your massage at the end of the day?

Try the Tipperary Walking Track.  It runs from picturesque Lake Daylesford to the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve.  It's a 5 hour, 16 kilometre walk that traces the route of the old water races cut by miners last century.  Look out for the Blowhole, a tunnel built to divert water and allow sluicing for gold.

Or you can visit Mount Franklin (yup, like the water bottles).  It's located 8km north of Daylesford.  The sheltered extinct volcanic crater of the mountain provides a great setting for a picnic (the Villas can hook you up with a basket full of goodies).

There's also Hepburn Springs Golf Club.  An 18 hole course with manicured fairways, in a peaceful bush setting.

My personal favourite activity is horseriding through the bush to the historic Swiss Mountain Hotel for lunch.  It offers pub grub at its absolute and unashamed best.  Hepburn Lagoon Trail Rides offer a scenic alternative to discovering the region.

But let's face it folks, you come to the area massages, treatments and the mineral springs.

Next up, Susan will find the best places to eat while at Kudos Villas.

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Indulgence...Kudos Villas

Hi! Makayla here.

This week we're featuring Kudos Villas in Hepburn Springs Victoria. 

I think it's so important to take time out and pamper and rejuvenate yourself.

Don't you?

When Alex takes you through the property, you'll see why Kudos Villas take luxury Spa Country escapes to a whole new level.  We're talking 5 star, hedonistic luxury.

Here's a sneak peak at one of the villas, Kudos Water.  A sumptuous spa bath with an open wood fireplace.

You'd never have to leave your room. 

And you don't have to!

Haven't you ever wanted a weekend away, where it's all about you?  To be treated like royalty, and spend some quality time with the one you love?

I do, all the time, actually!

(Hint to all you boys out there, Kudos Villas have a load of packages to make the girl in your life feel like a superstar.  Do it, it'll be worth the effort, trust me)

 They have a range of indulgent massage and dinner packages designed to indulge and rejuvenate your body and soul.

My two personal favourites?

Firstly, the Kudos Relaxation Package.

It includes 2 x 1 hour massages in your villa.

Breakfast at the award winning Red Star Cafe, Hepburn Springs.

Lush bathrobes for you to keep.

Champagne or wine and heart chocolates (awwww) on arrival.

A Kudos gift pack and discounts to local restaurants and attractions.

($290 for two people)

My other favourite?

The Personal Chef Romantic Dinner For Two.

Indulge in the ultimate private dining experience with your own personal chef, in your own villa of course!

Your private chef will create a 4 course dinner and Kudos provides table service including set up and clean up, candles and music, linen, a flower centrepiece, 2 bottles of wine and mineral water (naturally from Hepburn Springs).

You choose from the mouth watering menu.  Delicacies that include Tuki trout rilletes with organic almond skordhalia on crisp bread, Goat's cheese coppeletti with organic cherry tomatos and basil oil and Confit of Waubra duck leg.  Oh and we can't forget dessert.  How does baked berry cheesecake with amoretti cream, local berry compote with strawberry Iranian fairy floss sound?

($200 per person)

Perfect indulgence for little ol' me.  And you.

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Exploring Tasmania...Who is James Boag?

James Boag beer has had some pretty racy ads over the years.

James Boag's Premium Lager is a European style lager brewed from the finest quality pilsener malts.  This beer is fermented at a lower temperature than most Australian lagers and employs an extended maturation period.  These combine with a mixture of kettle and late hopping to yield a crisp, pale lager that perfectly complements fine food.

You can experience a tour of J Boag and Son brewery in Launceston, Northern Tasmania.  James Boag commenced his brewing tradition on the banks of the Esk River in 1852.

During a tour of this brewery you'll see all the processes that produce this amber liquid.  At the end of the tour you can enjoy tasting four award-winning beers matched with King Island cheese.

In the spirit of exploring Tasmania, we have a six pack of this delectable beer to give away.

To enter, simply become a follower and leave a comment with your favourite holiday destination.  A winner will be drawn next week.  Good luck!

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Exploring Tasmania...weeeeeeeeeeeee!

The last time we visited Launceston for the weekend, we stayed in a beautifully maintained Heritage listed, Victorian home called Ashton Gate.  It was close to the city centre and more importantly, the Boags brewery.

My husband was a little dubious about staying in B & B style luxury accommodation but after a weekend of being taken care of by Jennifer and John he didn't want to go home!

We had breakfast at Ashton Gate each morning and hit Stillwater and The Jailhouse Grill for dinner.

Stillwater.  Set in a beautifully restored 1830s flour mill.  The Tuna was to die for.

Our room.

As much as my husband wanted to spend the whole weekend at the Boag's Brewery, I convinced him to spend a day with me at the Hollybank Treetops Adventure.  

A bus picked us up from the B & B and took us to Hollybank reserve, which is only about 15 minutes from Launceston.  Hollybank is one of the earliest private plantations in Tasmania consisting of European trees.  They were originally planted to obtain wood for the construction of cricket bats (!).

The reserve is so tranquil and beautiful, and there were plenty of families enjoying the grounds.  I was almost sorry that we'd left the kids at home.  Almost.

We were there for the Canopy Tour.  I must confess I've developed a terrible fear of heights (something to do with the Stratosphere in Vegas) so seeing how high the platforms were made my knees knock a little.

The basic concept of the Canopy Tour is that they take tourists up into the forest canopy and you then traverse between treehouse-type platforms along steel cables. The platforms are built around tree trunks in the mid canopy of the forest, approximately 30m high.  You're kitted out in a harness with pulleys attached and slide along the cables from one platform to the next.

It's like being on a flying fox, but on a whole new level.

Ged and Tillsy, our tour guides, were very entertaining and quite good at dealing with scaredy cats like me.  The first few flights were pretty tame but I screamed like a banshee as I slid down the zipline (much to the amusement of the others in the group, little kids included).  

By the last flight, a 370 metre trip over the Pipers River, I was having a ball.  I thoroughly enjoyed the adrenalin rush of sliding above the forest.  The views from the platforms were stunning.

It's a 3 hour adventure and the most fun I've had!  If you're ever in the Launceston area and up for some fun, then make sure you try the Hollybank Treetops Adventure.  I definitely earned my bottle of James Boags that day.

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Exploring Victoria....The Great Grape Road

At first when I heard about The Great Grape Road I laughed...who invents tours that involve driving and wineries?  I've never been a big fan of the taste and spit part of wine tasting.  Drink for effect not flavour has always been my philosophy!  

I'm joking (only slightly).

If you have a responsible adult with you, then the Great Grape Road touring route is a fantastic scenic circuit through the Pyrenees, Grampians and Ballarat wine regions of western Victoria.

This is the ultimate hedonistic experience.  Eat, drink, be merry.

This post will provide you with a general route and a list of all the vineyards that you can visit.  Each has its own cellar door opening times, but because there are so many available to you I'm sure the experience will be amazing regardless of what you visit.

Local cellar door experiences range in style from sophisticated tasting rooms to barrel-side tastings in underground tunnels.  Remember, this is a hedonistic road trip...it's all about eating and drinking.

Winemakers are keen to share their experiences and their produce.  These people put their blood, sweat and tears into producing their wine.  It takes months and sometimes even years to produce a wine that you are proud to put your name on.  Indulge them.  Enjoy.  Appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making a single bottle of vino.

Most cellar doors have adjacent cafes that allow you to indulge in a great drop then taste some of the local produce.  Think great local cheeses and other mouth watering snacks.

The scenic countryside around Ararat, Buangor, Great Western and Hall Gaps is home to outstanding wineries such as Seppelt's and Best's Great Western and newer vineyards such as Mt Langi Ghiran and Montara.

Grampians wines are known for their strong berry flavours and soft tannins.  Just surveying the vineyards while you taste the local drop is a memory you can't replace.  

Fratin Brothers Vineyard

Grampians Estate

Kimbarra Wines

Montara Winery

Mount Langi Ghiran

Norton Estate Wines

Seppelt Great Western

The Gap Vineyard

After leaving the mountainous terrain of the Grampians, the Great Grape Road swings east toward the soaring Pyranees, a splendid backdrop for a tasting at the region's excellent wineries.

The rich purple berry flavours of the region's cabernet sauvignon and shiraz offer hints of mint and eucalyptus.  It's chardonnay sauvignon blanc show soft stone fruit flavours and a refreshing acidity.  It's amazing how within such a small distance, there is such a large variety of delectable wines to savour. 

Amherst Winery

Berrys Bridge Vineyard

Blue Pyrenees Estate

Counterpoint Vineyard

Cullenya Winery

Dalwhinne Wines

Dogrock Winery

Eurabbie Estate

Jardine Wines

Kara Kara Winery

Mount Avoca Vineyard

Neds Vineyard

Peerick Vineyard

Pyren Vineyard

Pyranees Ridge Vineyard

Quoin Hill Vineyard 

Redbank Winery

Shays Flat Estate

St Ignatius Vineyard

Summerfield Wines

Taltarni Vineyards

Warrenmang Vineyard Resort

Wimmera Hills Winery

From the Pyranees, the Great Grape Road swings south to the nine wineries of Ballarat region, where the climate is ideal for chardonnay and pinot noir.  The long growing season here produces complex and subtle wines - flint and citrus in the chardonnay and spice and rich berry character in the pinot noir.

Captains Creek Organic Wines

Eastern Peake

Gold Fields Winery

Michael Unwin Wines

Mount Beckworth Wines

Mount Buninyong Winery

Mt Coghill Vineyard

St Anee's Vineyard

Whitehorse Wines

This drive takes around 3 days.  If you have the time, take a few more days and indulge.

The list of vineyards is amazing.  The girls at Luxury Oz Stays can suggest some great accommodation to rest your weary head after all that vino.  Or even find you a driver so you can indulge in the lap of luxury.

Once again folks, eat, drink, be merry.

You only live once.



Thank you to  http://www.visitvictoria.com for the great information.

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Stories from the Suitcase...Bali

It's Friday, ladies and gentlemen and it's time for you guys to share your travel stories.  We want to know the good, the bad, the ugly.  Let others know if you found your dream destination or if your holiday turned into a nightmare.  Just drop us an email to share your stories from the suitcase!

This week Hayden revisits his first trip to Bali.

1. Destination?

Bali.  We flew Jetstar from Darwin to Denpasar.  It was a short flight.  The airport in Denpasar is a bit overwhelming.  Make sure you have some US dollars to pay for your visa (about $20).  Our host at our Villa organised for us to skip the queues and got us past customs in about 2 minutes. 

2.  Where did you stay?

We stayed at a Luxury Private Villa called Villa Hening.  It's in Jimbaran Bay and overlooks Benoa Harbour.  It had a great pool, jacuzzies, a spa (which the wife took full advantage of), private theatre and fitness centre.  It'd be a great place to take a bunch of friends there (which we plan to do).

We had a great time having drunken parties with some Japanese guests, surfing in the pool.

Our room was right next to that Bali hut and that's where we ate breakfast everyday, right next to an awesome infinity edge pool overlooking the whole valley.

Our room had its own outdoor tub and luxury shower.

No pokey hotel room here!

It was a bit strange to have staff at your beck and call 24 hours a day at first, but we got used to it pretty quickly.  The villa was only 15 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes to Jimbaran Beach and Nusa Dua shopping complex.  The good thing was the staff organised all our transport, recommended the best places to eat.

3. What time of year did you travel?

We went to Bali in February.  The weather was pretty hot and occasionally there was a light shower (which was actually refreshing).  Most days were spent in the pool.

4. Who did you travel with?

My wife.  It was our wedding anniversary.

5. How did you get around?

We had a driver from the Villa drop us off if we wanted to get anywhere then made our way back in Taxis.  Apparently you should only go in the blue taxis with birds on them because all the others are dodgy.

All the balinese get around on scooters.  It's really freaky seeing 3 people piled onto a scooter.  They're a bit mad with the road rules, but it all seems to work.

We decided to be rebels though and took a walk through the suburbs.

That's a cow in the bushes.

These poor dogs are everywhere.

6. Food?

We took full advantage of the restaurant at the Villa.  I seriously nearly ate every single item on the menu.

We also tried a few restaurants on the beach in Bali.  Our favourite was this outdoor restaurant with red furniture, weird food and a pool.  

In between cocktails we'd have a swim.  It was a bit expensive though.  There were cheaper Asian style places to eat that had great food and cold beer.

Jimbaran Bay seafood restaurant was awesome as well.  Really fresh fish.

It was weird to see rice on offer in their KFC and McDonalds.

7. Trip Highlights?

We visited the monkey forest and that was pretty cool.

Sitting in the private theatre and watching about 20 dodgy DVDs while getting room service was definitely a highlight.

We had fun shopping in the markets and bought a bunch of cheap knock offs like Billabong shirts and shorts, sunglasses and the wife bought a few hand bags.

The furniture and historical places are visually spectacular, too.

8. Trip low point?

The poverty.  Outside of the rich area where we stayed you can see that people are really struggling.  The open sewers in the streets were also gross.  We saw an old lady just squat and pee into the gutter right in the tourist strip in Kuta.

Seeing all of the neglected dogs roaming the streets was pretty bad too.  The wife just wanted to feed them all.  

Getting hassled by every single local trying to sell you something got irritating after a while too.  You try to be polite but they don't take no for a answer.

9. What would you like others to know about your destination?

We only explored a really small part of Bali.  I know there are beautiful destinations all over the island but we just wanted a relaxing trip away. 

It also really threw us how poor and dirty the country is.

If you want a really relaxing holiday rent a private villa.  It's luxury accommodation but it's not expensive and the service is impeccable.

Next time we plan to stay there, explore other areas of the island and go surfing.

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