This place is amazing!!! Large spacious historic hotel nestled in Yering. Lots of wineries around…read moreinclude hot air balloon rides. To start off, we had lunch here and the dining area had gorgeous garden views as well as Yarra valley views. Very clean and decorated nicely with orchids and portraits. The food looked amazing and every bite was tastier and tastier. We had entrees, main food, as well as desserts. The beef brisket was aged for 17 hours and was so tender.The mackerel was surprisingly tasty and the eggplant was perfect. Perfect pairing with pickled shallots and mascarpone mousse. Their side dishes of Brussels sprouts and pumpkin was also quite tasty. Now on to desserts!!!! My favorite part of any meal. Let's just say the cappuccino cake with espresso and sweet & sour apple tart was equally superb. The apple tart looks like Snow Whites !!! Beautiful dish arrangement and the shortbread was good. Lime apple cinnamon cream was amazing. You open the core and there are even more yumminess inside. their cappuccino, cafe, and tea selections were good too. If I could I would give this place 6 !!!

Sometimes it pays to get out of the big smoke, hide your mobile phone, and breathe in nature. I was…read morefortunate to get to do this last week when I attended a health retreat and I really wasn't sure what to expect of our venue, Amarant Retreat in Don Valley. Arriving at Amarant was part of the charm. It's a long winding road from the main road and as you climb higher and higher in to the hills it gets cooler, the bush more dense and the sound of birds louder. I even saw a little Wallaby on the side of the road! The building itself is stunning. From the entrance is doesn't look like much but as you move from room to room, it opens itself up to big open living spaces, cosy sitting areas and warm nooks all surrounded by huge windows that give sweeping views of the bushland and valley below. Breathtaking doesn't even begin to describe it. You couldn't not be relaxed in this space. For large groups wanting to rest and recharge Amarant is perfect. I believe there's beds for around 20 guests, and the large dining area and countless lounges (all complete with wood fires) mean there's space for everyone to relax separately or altogether. The Celestial room is perfect for yoga classes or contemplating the world while lying on your back and looking out of the glass ceiling. The surrounding bush land has a number of trails carved out meaning you can go and explore in nature in between yoga or reading sessions. If you're looking for a place to host a health retreat, then Amarant is well worth investigating.

I guess the thing that annoyed me about this place is that it wasn't quite open when we were here…read more I say wasn't 'quite' open, namely because the bottle shop was open, and you could actually buy a drink from then, and then take it out the back to the beer garden where you could sit down and drink it. Yeah, that I did think was pretty cool, though it was a shame that I couldn't quite see what it was like inside. However, the beer selection was pretty awesome, and they have a great beer garden as well. Yeah, this place actually wasn't too bad.

A warm welcome, just the beginning?!?…read more On arrival (after 1pm) we were 'enthusiastically' informed that check in was from 3pm without 'prior written arrangement'. Although hilarious, a simple hello and welcome would have been nice. If the room is ready why not let guests check in a little early? When offical check in time did come around, I asked about in house dinner reservations, where we might order some casual drinks, what facilities the hotel offered. Finding out any information was like extracting teeth. No information about what might make the stay more comfortable was offered. The room itself was comfortable but very basic. No bar fridge for that bottle of wine acquired from the Yarra Valley, no built in robes - 2 coat hangers (with a do not remove sign) hung from a shelf. 'Hotel policy - they shouldn't have'.... On checkout, I went to settle the bill for incidentals with the same card that I registered upon checking in. Surprisingly, I was informed the hotel doesn't accept that type card. Very strange considering that the same card was accepted and processed by their colleague just the day before. Apparently a breach of policy. My firm view is that staff at the Healesville could greatly benefit from some basic hospitality training. If you're happy to share a bathroom with the other hotel guests, an acceptable room awaits - certainly not a 4 star hotel and certainly not worth $200 per night.

My visit did not start well. Reception staff were rude and inflexible. I have not had such an…read moreexperience at a country hotel before. The hotel itself is new owing to the fires in 2009 and the rooms are of a nice size and well appointed. The views are good, but the layout itself is a bit of a maze with about three different corridors and twists and turns to get to my room on my floor. Once you are used to all this the views are nice and the town is picturesque. I'm looking forward to trying the attached day spa.

Excellent brand new hotel. At check in the staff matched the best price I could find online & all…read morestaff were welcoming & helpful as was everyone else we met in town. Rooms are spacious, clean, modern & well equipped as is the rest of the hotel with a heated lap pool, gym, bar, cafe, restaurant, spa & more.