LINDENDERRY AT RED HILL BY LANCEMORE
Interior designers Hecker Guthrie recently made over this 1990s estate on 13 hectares of gardens and vines, reviving the 40-room property. The work is confined mainly to public areas, especially the restaurant with its grey wood panelling, Quaker-chic chairs, forest green carpet and massive arched window. Spacious, comfortable but slightly dull guestrooms retain much of the existing detailing and furnishings, albeit with a lick of fresh paint, smartened bathrooms and marble trim around fireplaces. There are five guest lounges, a heated pool, sauna, and board games for indoor types; outside there are tennis courts, walking tracks and, beyond, the bounty of the Mornington Peninsula. 142 Arthurs Seat
Rd, Red Hill, (03) 5989 2933, lancemore.com.au/lindenderry The glorious gardens, a slice of rural England in regional Victoria, include stands of elms, avenues of birches, an orchard, rose gardens and a “grand axis” view from the restaurant over vines to cypresses. Have the kitchen prepare a picnic hamper to enjoy in the grounds or at the beach – Point Leo and Merricks are nearby.
Breakfast is a buffet of jarred yoghurts, fruit smoothies, baked treats, and cooktop casseroles stocked with eggs, bacon, mushrooms and mini snags ($27.50). At lunch and dinner chef Paul Witherington keeps things local and lush with, say, tartare and charcoal aïoli or squid-ink pasta with Flinders mussels and calamari. The limited room-service menu is available during reception and restaurant hours.
Minibars are big on local flavour, featuring Lindenderry Estate wines, Mock Red Hill pear juice, and Mornington Peninsula Brewery pale ale.
WHERE Red Hill, on the Mornington Peninsula, about an hour’s drive from Melbourne. COST From $320, without breakfast. AT A GLANCE 40 rooms; bar, restaurant, pool, sauna, tennis courts, free parking. IN ROOM Free WiFi, smart TV, Bose Bluetooth speaker, some baths and balconies, pillow menu, Molton Brown toiletries. BEST ROOMS Garden and balcony rooms are the most spacious, with king beds, sofas and views over the gardens.