Six of the best places for a Melbourne staycation this festive season
Summer has arrived, and with it a slew of festive events to see us through to the new year. Whether it’s beach days, river fireworks or family feasting you’re looking forward to most, why not level-up the occasion by checking into one of the Melbourne’s best hotels or hitting the road for a regional getaway?
Christmas lunch: W Melbourne
Festive bites at Lollo, W Melbourne.
Did someone say dessert station? W Melbourne is putting on a four-course Christmas Day lunch at Lollo restaurant with the types of indulgent flourishes you’d hope for on such an occasion – that includes a festive-inspired dessert station and, for the adults, a glass of NV Adrew Clouet “Grande Reserve” Brut. Turn things up a dial with a beverage package from $78 a person.
Get a room: From $361 a night. See marriott.com
New Year’s Eve views: Sofitel Melbourne on Collins
Countown Dinner ... salmon and kingfish sashimi, plum gel, dashi kewpie, pickled daikon, salmon caviar.
Rising 150 metres above the CBD, Sofitel Melbourne on Collins is quite the perch for the annual December 31 festivities. The hotel is putting on a five-course dinner at the No.35 restaurant from $395 a person (an additional $35 a head for a window table for unobstructed fireworks views), with free-flowing beverages and dishes including sashimi topped with dashi Kewpie and salmon caviar, Gippsland tenderloin with braised short rib Wagyu, and champagne and mango delice. The price includes a glass of champagne on arrival and live entertainment.
Get a room: From $699 a night for a Superior Room. See sofitel-melbourne.com.au
Shopping base: Hotel Indigo Melbourne on Flinders
Fashion forward: Hotel Indigo.
Intercontinental Hotel Group gave the Flinders Lane property a $20 million overhaul before relaunching it under its trendy Hotel Indigo brand. Within strolling distance of the gleaming Emporium Melbourne and David Jones department stores, it’s a fashionable home base to shop until you drop.
Get a room: from $175 a night. See hotelindigo.com/melflinders
Beach holiday: Prince Hotel, St Kilda
The Prince suites, St Kilda
It’s true, this trendy pub, rooftop bar, wine bar and hotel rolled into one does not have absolute beachfront real estate. But with a cool inner-city vibe, luxuriously revamped suites and a prime location just eight minutes’ walk from St Kilda Beach and Luna Park, it’s the urban beach stay you never knew you needed.
Get a room: From $210 a night. See theprincehotel.com.au
Seaside escape: Intercontinental Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula
Poolside glamour on the Mornington Peninsula.
Smart, sunny and aggressively glamorous, where better to channel French Riviere holiday vibes than the Mornington Peninsula’s refurbished Intercontinental Sorrento? With a celebrity chef-fronted restaurant (Scott Pickett spearheads the menu with a seafood focus), and flanked by prime coast and Victorian wine country, this five-star stay is worth the two-hour drive from Melbourne.
Get a room: From $595 a night. See sorrento.intercontinental.com
Country escape: Lake House Daylesford
Lakeside bliss in a foodie hub.
Situated in Victorian spa country, this charming regional stay on the shores of Lake Daylesford enhances its already serene proposition with some serious foodie credentials. Chef and owner Alla Wolf Tasker is one of the godmothers of regional dining, with more than three decades of accolades under her belt. Brace for wholesome delights such as the duck with orange braised witlof or truffled Pecorino tart with artichokes Barigoule, eel, Murray Cod and trout.
Get a room: From $1175 a night. See lakehouse.com.au
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