Riding in a 'hot air balloon' was one of many activities I wanted to do and finally had the chance…read moreto do so. We have chosen 'Balloon Aloft' in great confidence after reading that they have over 30 years of flying experience with no fatalities - you can't beat that, at least you're assured that you're in good hands. There are many locations you can choose from to do this remarkable adventure - the location we have chosen was Pokolbin, Hunter Valley. Our booking was 10th January 2017 but to be sure that it was safe for us to partake in this amazing adventure, you need to make a call the evening prior to your flight - contact number and details are provided on the booking details sent to you via email. You will get a recording either confirming that the event is happening or not with meeting venue and time details. The meeting venue was at Peterson's Champagne House - corner of Broke Road and Wine Country Drive in Pokolbin. There we were greeted by friendly staff, directing us where to park, instructing us if we need to go to the bathroom to do so before departing, then meet them in the restaurant where we read 'terms and conditions', filled in our details and select which breakfast we would like when we returned. There was four to select from the breakfast menu, which was 'Apple Pie Pancakes', 'Big Breakfast', 'Muesli' and something else... can't think of it? Anyway, I chose 'Big Breakfast' two poached eggs, bacon, grilled mushrooms and rosemary, seeded mustard rosti (like a hashbrown) while the rest of my family, who doesn't have a strong stomach first thing in the morning chose the 'Muesli' breakfast muesli in a jar with sultanas, raisins and yoghurt, with a mix of cut up fresh fruit (orange, passion-fruit, raspberries and apricot). Then we were instructed to wait beside the bus that will transport us to the balloon location. I was amazed that the guys had no clue where we were going to take-off, they made sure that the location we were to take off met safety regulations regarding high-winds etc. Once they had confirmation from another staff at our 'take-off destination', communicating on a walkie-talkie, then we headed straight to the nominated area - borrowed land from local farmers. We then saw the pilots and crew in action, taking the basket from the truck, attaching the gas bottle and balloon to the basket and even getting volunteers to help out. Before we hopped into the basket, we were briefed how to hop in and out of the basket - mind you, there is no delicate way of getting in or out. You would have received from Balloon Aloft via email, advising that casual clothing with enclosed shoes are the best possible way to dress along with sunnies and a hat. You are also allowed to bring your own cameras and videos but at your own risk. Our pilot was 'Byron', he has 24 years of experience and beams with passion and the love for ballooning, in fact, he was born into the industry! He shared with us the history and stories of ballooning that either amazed us or made us laugh while we were taking in the breathtaking views below us. After a couple of hours easygoing ride, Byron landed the balloon gracefully in some other farmer's backyard. Don't worry, the farmer's do have an incentive to allow ballooning to land on their properties that Byron shared with us. He explained that it was a tradition way, way back in the 1700s (reputed to have started in France) where the pilot was to present a ceremonial bottle of champagne to the landowner of the property where they make their final landing which Balloon Aloft are continuing with the tradition. We also had the privilege to be part in the packing of the balloon and taking 'selfies' while deflating the balloon from the inside and outside - great photo opportunities. Your family and friends who are not participating in the balloon adventure are most welcomed to wave you off and then follow the 'retrieve crew' in their own car to see you land as well. We then headed back to Peterson's Champagne House where our breakfast was served to us in no time at all. The breakfast was truly filling and delicious that we washed it down with a glass of champagne of course! However, if you don't want champagne you do have other options to drink - coffee / tea, juice or water. Paying $269 for this amazing experience is money well spent.

Excellent food, it's like eating poetry!! Excellent…read moreservice!!! Highly recommended!!!!

Hunters Quarter is an amazing culinary experience, that happens to be surrounded by Australian…read morebeauty. This restaurant falls in my top five. It is a MUST.

Spectacular property, beautiful restaurant, lovely staff... lacklustre breakfast. Truly…read more The presentation is amazing. When your plate arrives, your breakfast looks like everything you could ever want for breakfast. The eggs were perfectly poached. The bacon was bland, the sausage was a Bunnings sausage sizzle sausage and... we ordered a side of mushrooms. Big mistake. They were completely tasteless, like chewy, spongey cardboard. I'm pretty certain they came out of a can. Coffee was good (thank God!). So yeah, over all... high expectations and lots of polish, but pretty "meh".

Great chocolate selection. Something for everyone get. Chili chocolate gets my vote.read more

I have had many 'farm to table' meals in my life but never have i gotten the chance to frolic…read morethrough the vegetable garden before sitting down to eat its produce. And maybe I shouldn't have froliced but it was just too tempting. This restaurant seems like a secluded fairytale cottage with a beautiful garden and wine grapes surrounding it. Our large group had almost everything on the menu and it was all equally adored. The waiter was very accommodating with our individual food issues (allergic to sesame, can't have peppers) which made us all feel at ease. I had the scallops to start, the trevalla for the main, and then the chocolate cake to finish along with tidbits from everyone else's plate. My one food recommendation, since everything on the menu is amazing, is that if you get the valley rib eye for two be sure you are hungry. Eat here. Frolic, they won't mind.

Truly an astonishingly good meal here…read more The surroundings don't hurt a bit, of course. A beautiful old cottage which is a stunning venue, overlooking a magnificent kitchen garden. Five of us rocked up here for lunch on a mini tour of the Hunter, and we were very pleasantly surprised with the fantastic food, and beautiful presentation. Especially the presentation, artfully done with local produce and flora, perfectly rounding out a staggeringly good wine and outstanding lunch. Around the table we had oysters, lobster, quail, tuna, followed by beef, lamb, pork and fish. None of us could fault a thing, except possibly we waited a bit long for water top ups - but they were pretty busy, so I'll give them a pass on that. The house made bread was incredible... Well worth the trip.

Icon catering catered our wedding in September and Roger and the team were an absolute delight to…read moredeal with and a stand out from the dozens other companies I researched for the job. Through the entire planning process, Icon's professionalism, attentive communication and guidance they provided was wonderful, helpful and calming for us. They offer such a high level of professionalism and put passion and beautiful presentation into their food. All our guests were so impressed and the service was wonderful! Thank you , Roger and the whole team at Icon!!! Highly recommend!

I would definitely recommend Icon Event Catering for anyone that want's a worry free, smooth…read morerunning function with all the food taken care of so you can relax and enjoy the occasion. I was so impressed with how things turned out for my son's 21st birthday that I felt I must share this information. I wanted the party to be a very special and memorable event as there were relatives coming that I had not seen for many years. The manager, Roger was so helpful in helping me choose an appropriate menu and explaining all the different menu items, despite the fact I could not pronounce the majority of them. I told him that I wanted lots of food so that people would not be going through the McDonalds drive through on the way home, also I wanted there to be "WOW" factor with all the food served. We had about 25 guests in our small three bedroom unit and there was certainly not enough room for a sit down meal. This was all taken into account and the type of food served was specifically suited to our needs. It was magical to have a chef turn up at our house before the party to set up beautifully presented platters ready as the guests started to arrive. Then throughout the entire afternoon, he created dish after dish after dish of exceptionally presented gourmet canapes that I proudly went around and served all my guests. The quality and beautiful presentation as well as the exceptional taste of the food was the topic of everyone's conversation. I will never forget how everyone just stopped what they were doing and came to see as the chef torched the banana brulee just before serving. Everyone had their iPhones poised to capture this magical moment. Words cannot describe that moment....you just had to be there! At the very end, everyone clapped and cheered the chef for making this a truly memorable and enjoyable occasion. I received so many compliments on how amazing the food was and what an extraordinary party it turned out to be. I attribute the great success of the event to Icon Event Catering and the fact that Roger took the time to listen carefully to what I wanted and certainly provided a highly trained chef with exceptional, gourmet food and loads of it.

As an Aussie expat I really expected and wanted to have an awesome experience here, but now have…read moretrouble expressing how disappointing the whole place was. The lack of wow factor and clear direction for the many sections of the gardens definitely hurt. The woman at front gate talking up the place as this "64 hectares" of magic and wonder as she dryly told us they were going to charge $32 for each of us no matter what. In reality, they should heavily discount the admission for a midwinter garden walk through such as on our visit, where we walked around the entire "64 hectares" of garden in little over one hour. And if you're going to charge $32 just for admission (admission does not include amusement rides, Snow Time rides, or food), can at least a little portion of that hefty fee be spent on maintaining the most basic guest amenities such as toilets that flush? "Oriental garden" was the only part of the property that had a hint of a resemblance of a well-thought out and well-maintained garden, the likes of which we have seen plenty of in the U.S. and at the fraction of admission fee. "Storybook garden" is another puzzling example of mediocrity, where I could think of several ways to make the place truly magical for all visitors, especially children. Did I feel absolutely ripped off? Yes. Would I ever go back? Perhaps to demand a refund on our admission fees.