Holiday house hunting is a sport I take very seriously. I have quite a few years of training under my belt in this arena and I will stop at nothing to find the perfect holiday house. No rock is left unturned. I have my criteria and I don’t stop until I have hunted that bad boy down.
So when I was thinking about a little weekend getaway to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary it was game on my friends. Time to warm up my fingers and start scrolling.
A couple of years ago I tried to get Mr Chardy off the station for a few days just the two of us, in the end, it didn’t happen and he ended up falling out of the road train and snapping his femur – lesson learnt: we should have gone to Port Douglas!
I have had my eye on a few places that looked like the ideal getaway. My friend had told me about Spicers Peak Lodge. She had gone there with her husband and it sounded amazing and just what I was looking for. Private, with a spa on the deck and stunning views. It looked beautiful.
I mean look at that spa and view. After seeing that I knew what I was looking for. I wanted a private spa like that and a view to go with it. The price tag that went with this place was not what I was looking for though. At $2,600 per night with a minimum 2 night stay it was a no from me. But I didn’t let this deter me – like I said, this is a sport I take very seriously, game on moles!
My platform of choice is usually Stayz but my criteria was very specific. It had to be within 2 hours of Brisbane, have a spa on the deck, self contained – kitchen etc, clean and beautiful, oh and private. I couldn’t find what I wanted on Stayz. Then another friend posted their trip on Facebook at O’Rielly’s Rainforest Retreat. The spa on the verandah definitely caught my eye.
It seemed to be everything I wanted: self contained, private, spa and view. The price tag was also very reasonable (compared to Spicers) at $520 per night. I suppose anything seems reasonable compared to $2,600 per night doesn’t it. Anyway, I kept looking at this place but didn’t actually book – big mistake, or was it?? In the end when I did go to book it was booked out for the weekend that I needed it. But maybe the universe was speaking to me.
So my hunt continued, I would not let this knock me down. I moved from Stayz to Airbnb. I didn’t have my heart set on a particular area, so I was very open minded when searching for a location. Then I stumbled upon this little gem… Wallaby Lodge. I will wait while you have a snoop. The pictures really do speak for themselves. It was a SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY kind of yes from me. It ticked all of the boxes plus some.
Are you hearing me? I totally nailed this one – giving myself a big pat on the back. And how much was it I hear you ask… about $555.00 for 2 nights – that is a total of $555! So about $277 per night!!! CRAZY!
Wallaby Lodge is at Ocean View… basically in the middle of nowhere in the hills…
We were skeptical about the locality of “Ocean View”… was there an ocean view… was there??? But like I said the location didn’t really bother us. But when we wound our way all the way to the top of those beautiful mountains you could see all the way to the coast. It was absolutely stunning, you could see Caloundra and the Glass House Mountains. We had also never but up this way before. We headed out Waterworks Road through the Gap, up through Samford Village, then Dayboro and onto Wallaby Lodge. What a stunning drive. It was so lovely to go somewhere that we had never been before, a mini adventure if you will.
We stopped at the Great Western Super Centre at Keperra, on the corner of Settlement Road & Samford Road, to head into Woolies. We stocked up on dinner supplies for the next couple of nights. We were all set! So easy!!! The drive through Samford Village and Dayboro was just so pretty and then just kept getting more stunning the further you went. Lots of steep, windy roads and Mr Chardy can be a bit heavy on the breaks but we got there.
I was a little worried that Mr Chardy might be bored for 2 nights doing nothing but he can’t stop raving about it. He loved our little mini break as much as I did. We have never been somewhere like this – just the two of us – and just relaxed! It was the best. No pressure to do ANYTHING. A spa anytime you please, no worries. Crack the rosé at lunch – yes please. Mr Chardy had about 3 sleeps, meanwhile I sat on the lounge on that gorgeous deck, sipped on my Rosé all day and watched Netflix. I mean come on, at this stage in my life it doesn’t get much better than that! Guilt free!
Wallaby Lodge is down behind the owners main house, it is very private. Set on a 5 acre block. You can wander down to the back of the block where there is a creek. I did a little bit of exploring down there but that was it, then it was back to the deck, lounge and spa! I was definitely not bored. 2 nights was long enough – just the perfect amount of time.
I think it took us about 2 hours (not really sure) to get from Toowong up to Ocean View. The traffic was a bit heavy going on Waterworks road but I think it was school pick up time. I only felt slightly bad heading out Waterworks road and not dropping in to see Harry at Boarding School. The guilt passed quite quickly. What a monster!
So there you have it my friends, the best little Airbnb find ever! Calley – the owner was just so lovely. Wallaby lodge was absolutely spotless and I could not fault it. It was even better than I had imagined. Could not recommend this place highly enough for a little weekend getaway. Run don’t walk my friends. I feel like I deserve some sort of trophy for excelling in my chosen sport of “holiday house hunting”. A certificate of merit at the very least.
I would love to head back in winter and snuggle by the fire inside with a glass of red.
Now it is over to you. Have you got any little hidden accommodation gems you have found? Tell us everything!!!! PLEASE!!!
We were skeptical about the locality of “Ocean View”… was there an ocean view… was there??? But like I said the location didn’t really bother us. But when we wound our way all the way to the top of those beautiful mountains you could see all the way to the coast. It was absolutely stunning, you could see Caloundra and the Glass House Mountains. We had also never but up this way before. We headed out Waterworks Road through the Gap, up through Samford Village, then Dayboro and onto Wallaby Lodge. What a stunning drive. It was so lovely to go somewhere that we had never been before, a mini adventure if you will.
We stopped at the Great Western Super Centre at Keperra, on the corner of Settlement Road & Samford Road, to head into Woolies. We stocked up on dinner supplies for the next couple of nights. We were all set! So easy!!! The drive through Samford Village and Dayboro was just so pretty and then just kept getting more stunning the further you went. Lots of steep, windy roads and Mr Chardy can be a bit heavy on the breaks but we got there.
I was a little worried that Mr Chardy might be bored for 2 nights doing nothing but he can’t stop raving about it. He loved our little mini break as much as I did. We have never been somewhere like this – just the two of us – and just relaxed! It was the best. No pressure to do ANYTHING. A spa anytime you please, no worries. Crack the rosé at lunch – yes please. Mr Chardy had about 3 sleeps, meanwhile I sat on the lounge on that gorgeous deck, sipped on my Rosé all day and watched Netflix. I mean come on, at this stage in my life it doesn’t get much better than that! Guilt free!
Wallaby Lodge is down behind the owners main house, it is very private. Set on a 5 acre block. You can wander down to the back of the block where there is a creek. I did a little bit of exploring down there but that was it, then it was back to the deck, lounge and spa! I was definitely not bored. 2 nights was long enough – just the perfect amount of time.
I think it took us about 2 hours (not really sure) to get from Toowong up to Ocean View. The traffic was a bit heavy going on Waterworks road but I think it was school pick up time. I only felt slightly bad heading out Waterworks road and not dropping in to see Harry at Boarding School. The guilt passed quite quickly. What a monster!
So there you have it my friends, the best little Airbnb find ever! Calley – the owner was just so lovely. Wallaby lodge was absolutely spotless and I could not fault it. It was even better than I had imagined. Could not recommend this place highly enough for a little weekend getaway. Run don’t walk my friends. I feel like I deserve some sort of trophy for excelling in my chosen sport of “holiday house hunting”. A certificate of merit at the very least.
I would love to head back in winter and snuggle by the fire inside with a glass of red.
Now it is over to you. Have you got any little hidden accommodation gems you have found? Tell us everything!!!! PLEASE!!!
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