Live From Melbourne

Reporting live from Melbourne City, this manx is having such a great time that it’s hard for her to choose what to blog about today.

<Chucks third-person POV out the window, which lands in the icy-cold swimming pool with a loud splash>

I <heart> Melbourne. I really do. The vibe here is mature and mellow, and not afraid to be a bit silly at times. The weather is PMS-temperamental, but in comparison to broiling Singapore, the rainy-gusty-haily-scorchy days are, frankly, quite enjoyable.

I’d have blogged earlier, but couldn’t find an Internet connection that was both reliable and free (cheapie me, I know). I will (hopefully) write a bit more in the next few days, but for now, will content myself with posting some pictures of where Mr. Manx and I have been resting our patooties o’ nights.

The stairwell of the Tolarno Hotel in Melbourne City, an artsy boutique hotel with Italian roots and original paintings in every room. I've never seen a stained-glass window in a hotel stairwell before.

Why am I showing you a picture of a giant safe door? Because it's now the kitchen door of a super-unique place called The Bank. It really was the town bank in Koroit many years ago, but got refurbished into an apartment. With a functional old-fashioned fireplace. And we had it all to ourselves.

 

A miniature English manor on stilts? Close enough. These are two of Paradise Gardens' cottages, in Apollo Bay. We had the entire right half of this structure, named Plum Tree Cottage, with a loft bedroom and immaculate furnishings, and a deck overlooking the pond, which had ducks swimming in it. Can someone say idyllic?

There are more, but it’s time to head out to dinner. I must say, I think I’ve been lucking out on my choice of accommodation so far. All these places are comfortable, beautiful, and, best of all, fall in the range of A$120 – 190 per night. Thank God for the Internet!