This was published 1 year ago
Review: Victorian spa country getaway is too good to miss
Hotel Bellinzona, Hepburn Springs, Victoria
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If there’s one thing you can safely say about Hotel Bellinzona it’s that you can’t miss it - at least in daylight. Ninety minutes north-west from Melbourne (quicker from the airport), once at Daylesford, head straight down Main Road to Hepburn Springs, the historic Victorian spa town. It’ll be that great big, all-black timber building with the large sign in white lettering emblazoned with “Hotel Bellinzona” on its facade. (Don’t be disturbed by the other sign with the word “Virgin” on it as it’s merely the name of the top-notch in-house cafe). Yes, it’s true, you can’t miss Hotel Bellinzona, which is just as well: based on its manifold charms, you wouldn’t want to miss out on a stay here.
The Oxford Dining Room at Hotel Bellinzona, Hepburn Springs.
The Look
Owners Tony DeMarco and Theresa Albioli, the couple behind The Houses Daylesford group with its portfolio of 70-plus upscale holiday rental properties, bought the 43-hotel, formerly the Grange Bellinzona dating to 1903, in 2020. That was during the pandemic, which may explain why the sale went somewhat unnoticed for a while. Named after the Swiss-Italian town, Hotel Bellinzona, has been given the complete gilded designer treatment - and then some. Set in gorgeous, manicured gardens and backed by the dense bushland of the Wombat State Forest, a surprise feature is the hotel’s large indoor swimming pool featuring a black and white mural. Inside the lobby, festooned with a profusion of pot plants and figurines, there is a welcome bar surrounded by leather armchairs that draw guests away from their rooms to commune in the bosom of the hotel.
Guestroom at the Hotel Bellinzona.
The Room
Our comfortable and commodious room overlooks a charming courtyard garden. Overall, the room could benefit from a few luxury accoutrements. And it seems that when it comes to hotel renovations it can be difficult to stretch the funds to what would seem one of the most costly aspects of any revamp - the in-suite bathrooms, which appear to have missed out on the latest revamp. But with so much to entertain you within and without the hotel, shame on you if you’re lounging around your room for any longer than absolutely necessary.
Food + Drink
Hotel Bellinzona’s best attributes are its two food outlets, namely the 60-seat Oxford Dining Room and The Virgin Kitchen cafe tucked away at street level below it. The fine-dining restaurant, floridly decorated like the rest of the hotel and in similar dark tonings, deservedly features in the 2023 edition of The Age Good Food Guide. On the night we visit we’re impressed by not only the quality of the food - including a stunning dessert - but also the polished service. As for the downstairs Virgin Kitchen, it’s a bonus to have a proper working cafe - and one embraced by locals - within the hotel itself, especially for those who’d rather eschew the traditional hotel breakfast buffet bunfight.
The Virgin Kitchen cafe within the hotel.
Out + About
You’re slapbang in the middle of Victoria’s premier spa country here with the Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa complex at the end of Main Road. The popular - sometimes too popular - town of Daylesford, with its array of superior eateries and shops is a short drive, or a longer stroll away. This delightful spa country corner is one of the prettiest regions in Victoria so make some time to explore the nearby towns such as Kyneton, a half an hour away, which rivals Daylesford in scope for its upscale food and retail attractions.
The Verdict
There’s no shortage of decent accommodation in and around this Victorian regional tourism hotspot but Hotel Bellinzona’s impressive combination of regional cuisine and country comforts makes it too good to miss.
Essentials
Rooms from $249 a night mid-week. Hotel Bellinzona, 77 Main Road, Hepburn Springs, Vic. Ph: 03 5348 2271. See bellinzona.com.au; thehousesdaylesford.com
Anthony Dennis stayed as a guest of Hotel Bellinzona.
Our Score Out Of Five
★★★★
Highlight
The standout in-house restaurant and cafe make for a complete and pleasurable country getaway.
Lowlight
The repetition of some contemporary artwork throughout the hotel by the seemingly same artist can feel, well, a little repetitious.
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