A room with a view. That's exactly what it is. Using a description as the name of your lodge is quite a bold idea I must say, and not something many places can do successfully. I imagine if Marina Bay Sands were to adopt that approach, it would be called, A Casino and Queues and Tune Hotel would be A room with a bed (and not much else). Not exactly names marketing think tanks are raving about, I dare say. But nevermind that, A Room With A View completely justifies the name and what a view it is. In this chapter, I will be reviewing the B&B in which I stayed for 2 peaceful nights, away from the hustle and bustle of the city life that I have grown so accustomed to.
Booking it online is pretty easy. It's all done the old school way so back and forth emails with the very friendly and helpful Angelika, who owns and runs the place. There's something a little quaint about a place that doesn't have credit card facilities and so payment options are either cash, or wire transfer. A small fee can be placed through paypal to secure your reservation.
Driving up to the place is another matter. From the main road up to A Room with a View is a 2km single lane unmarked road with no barriers and more cutbacks than the Malaysian Government. Believe me, driving up this road any time after 5.30pm (when it gets dark) is like watching a penalty shootout where the losing team will be executed. Intense and sphincter clenching the whole way.
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Like this, but winding and without markings.
Let me get you a pair of new pants.
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Once you do get there though, it is a nice small place and Gary Millar bounds up smiling to meet you as you exit your car. A strong handshake later, the keys are in your hands and the 2-storey suite is yours. No pre-auth, no let's see some ID, no this is how you adjust the temperature or anything of that sort. It's refreshing. You have a small compendium basically just stating the basic rules and some additional information about the place, and a form to order the next morning's breakfast.
Step through the doors and boom, my jaw hits the floor and stays there for a good 2 minutes. This is why this place is called A Room with a View. Simply stunning and majestic. I can honestly say I have never stayed anywhere that has a view that rivals anything close to it. Lush green rolling hills (which you just drove up) all the way down to the ocean which then stretches as far as the eye can see. If you are as lucky as I was, you can wake up to a sunny day with double rainbows and all kinds of birds chirping just outside the window. Even if this were just a shack and a roof, the view alone would more than justify staying here (well not quite, but you get my point).
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| Some say there is still a dent on that floor today. |
There's so much more than just that though, and I'll continue to the facilities. The 2-storey suite comes with an outdoor patio to have your breakfast on with the birds if you so wish to do so. My favourite part though, is that it comes with a 2-person jacuzzi and bath foam to go with it. Fantastic and perfect for a romantic getaway or a honeymoon. 2 things it does not come with is a toothbrush, and wifi. Gentle reminder then to bring a toothbrush with you, because I did not, and let's just leave it there and move on to the lack of wifi. This is an absolute blessing. No wifi and a very very weak phone signal means you are completely disconnected from the world and truly in a bubble (no pun intended) of your own. If you have not tried this, I suggest you do so. The freedom you feel is refreshing and for the first time in a long time, the lack of distraction from the constant social media updates actually gave me time to listen to my own thoughts.Being so secluded also means I experienced some of the best sleep I have had in a long time. All you hear is the distant wish wash of waves and then soft bird chirps in the morning. It is absolutely pitch black as well. Once you turn off the lights, on a moonless night you can hardly make out your own hand if you put it in front of your face. Look up outdoors and the sky is filled to the brim with stars, something we city folks probably don't see or appreciate too often.
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| My hand. And no, this is not just a black square from MS Paint. |
Last but not least, is food. Breakfast was complimentary during my 2 night stay which was very kind of Gary. Chocolate croissants, scones and butter croissants with jam and marmalade. Latte and orange juice. I almost took a bite out of my screen just typing that. Some of the best croissants I've ever eaten and it's all home made by Gary himself as well. Sublime.
Apart from breakfast though, there really is nothing to eat anywhere close by. The only option is to take a 15 minute drive to Apollo Bay which has quite a few restaurants on it's main street. The food there is pretty good, but that's for the next chapter.
If you're travelling to the Great Ocean Road and have plans to spend a couple of nights there, I really cannot recommend A Room with A View highly enough. Hit up Gary and Angelika Millar and unplug from the world for a few days. Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Again, there is a lot more to come in the next few chapters and this is just the beginning. The rest of the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles, and Melbourne City are just some of the highlights that will be coming soon so stay tuned. If you missed the first chapter, feel free to read it here.
For more pictures, feel free to visit my Facebook album here. Alternatively, Google+ has a great “story” feature which looks great, here. And finally, I will be making a short compilation video of the pictures which will hopefully be coming soon.
As always, if you have any feedback, or just want to say hi, drop me a comment. Thanks a bunch for reading, I hope you have enjoyed it so far. Come back for the next few chapters.
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