weekend away to daylesford, part three: where we stayed and dinner under the stars on warm evenings

Now that I am in the swing of the New Year, let's visit the great weekend away I had in Daylesford and have a look at our gorgeous accommodation. You can see part one and part two of this weekend here and here.

After our indulgent afternoon tea, we went to the what would be our home for the night, courtesy of dayget, a huge house called Holly Lodge. When we arrived, our jaws dropped as we explored the house and sprawling gardens. It felt so nice to be in the cool shade of a sturdy historic building and to open all the big windows to the warm spring air. There were four double rooms, each with an en suite and private sun rooms and balconies. I had the vintage style Harpers Bazar room. My sun room had the Bally Blonde. I love this poster! This is the library. There were so many rooms it was hard to keep track of them all; perfect for a larger group for several days stay, in that you could spend time together and still have plenty of space for time alone, too. We had a look at the gardens. There were several separate areas and it was almost big enough to feel quite deliciously lost in. Leeyong and I sat in the rustic benches and then made shapes in the orchard. Almost all of us: Sarah W, Sarah K, me and Leeyong; Iolanthe was taking the photo. Of course we decided to have dinner outside later. But first I did some reading in bed, which might or might not have turned into a bit of an afternoon nap. Then it was time to prepare dinner. I love this lemon chandelier in the kitchen. So much so that it deserves a close up. Watching the sunsetting through the plants that bloomed outside the kitchen window. It was so quiet and still. A very important step when cooking with friends, don't you think? And we all enjoyed a dinner under the stars, talking about feminism and a giraffe bus that used to visit Australian primary schools. It was a wonderful setting for such a special evening. Bon appetit!