Country idyll

One of the nice things about Melbourne is that there are some really lovely places in the surrounding regions that are only an hour or two away, and just perfect for a weekend getaway. Take very recently opened 'Twigs on High' luxury B&B accommodation in Trentham, situated between Woodend and Daylesford (two perfect getaways in their own right), it's described on the site as 'luxe country', and looking at these gorgeous pictures I can understand why...

Want to stay at Twigs, then check it all out here.

P.S. Please excuse my absence from my blog the last week or so, while I wish I was somewhere very lovely like Twigs, I was actually in Wellington, New Zealand work. Not quite the same thing!

[All images from Twigs]

Villa in the Huon Valley

The latest issue of Australian House & Garden (January 2011) has a lovely feature on the B&B retreat, Villa Talia located near Cygnet in the Huon Valley, Tasmania. It looks very, very appealing from the front hallway...

To the magnificent vista...

And everything else in between...

I've always wanted to do a road trip around Tasmania, and when I do a stopover at Villa Talia would be quite lovely.

[All images from Villa Talia]

How delightful

How delightful would it be to stay at the Red Brick Barn for the weekend?

Ninety minutes or so up the highway from Melbourne is the town of Castlemaine and nearby the smaller town of Chewton - my father actually lived in this town for a time when he was a little boy. Anyway, two Melburnians (Glenny Eastwood and Daniel Burgermeister) have created the oh so beautiful Red Brick Barn guesthouse in the goldfields town of Chewton. Can you believe that this gorgeous guesthouse is only 3 years old? It's a testament to Daniel and Glenny's keen renovation and recycling skills.

You can click on each of the following images for a close up:

You can find out more about Red Brick Barn and see more beautiful images at their website.

[All images from Red Brick Barn]

Barrenjoey beach house

I love everything about this beach house owned and interior designed by Sydney designer Justine Hugh-Jones...and its available for overnight/holiday rental too...check it our here. If Iwent for a weekend I think I'd seriously want to stay forever...

(Image: Justine Hugh-Jones)

Very pleasant

I have a good friend who lives in the town of Wangaratta in the North East of Victoria. Normally, I would stay with her but the equation is: Husband + 3 kids + small house = no extra space for visitors. So next time I visit I think I'd like to stay here at Mount Pleasant Homestead situated on farming land just outside Wangaratta...

(Images: Mount Pleasant Homestead)

Pearl Beach beauty

This lovely Pearl Beach (NSW) house featured in the latest issue of House and Garden - I really like the both the exterior and interior paint colours and I'm trying to convince my husband that we should use similar colours on the house we've just bought. He wants to go all white on the exterior. A bit boring if you ask me.

The other amazing thing about this house...the family also let it out as a holiday rental! If you're interested you can find more information here.

Anyway, on to the eye candy (click on any of the photos for a closer/clearer view)...

The dark, dramatic exterior...

The light and airy interior...

The house renovation was designed by Connor and Solomon Architects.

[All images from Stayz]

Far away Friday - The George Hotel, Warwickshire

Wishing I was far away this Friday, perhaps somewhere like The George Hotel in Warwickshire, UK. This boutique hotel has 16 rooms, and each room is named after a favourite food (exactly whose favourite food I'm not too sure!!). Right above the bed in each room is a padded headboard illustrating the food for which the room is named. Here's my favourite, the Oyster Room... Another is the Asparagus Room...

And yet another is the Raspberry Room...

The private meeting room looks pretty swish too - love the exposed beams and the chandelier...

And the hotel's library with a beautiful open fire and deep leather armchairs looks pretty cosy...

And here's a glimpse of the exterior...

Alas, I won't be running away to The George Hotel this weekend! Instead I'll be watching my son play competition tennis, cooking and hosting the book club lunch at my house tomorrow afternoon, catching up with my girlfriend Christina on Sunday morning, looking for a new camera in the afternoon, and somewhere in between I'll be trying to do a spot of gardening in my very unkempt garden.

What are you up to this weekend? Would you like to run away somewhere glamorous like The George Hotel???

(Images: The George Hotel)