When the urge to slow down takes over, to reconnect with my family and nature, to feed my soul, the Blue Mountains call.

In less than a two hour drive from Sydney you are completely transported to another place and experience.

Here’s a list of the satisfying things we got up to on our recent family short break.

Accomodation

On previous visits we’ve have stayed in all sorts of places from Parklands, to Fairmont Resort, to quaint little cottages. This visit we stayed in a gorgeous 1920’s cottage, Evelyn Cottage, perfectly located in a quiet street near the heart  Katoomba and we absolutely loved it! Update: Evelyn Cottage no longer seems to be available.

The house was characterful and tastefully furnished throughout. From the artwork, to the beautiful plants, to the luxurious bath, lovey linen and electric blankets …. No detail was spared! We really appreciated our little breakfast package and cheese and fruit platter. The coffee machine got a workout too!

Isn’t it gorgeous!

Activities

Given I can’t get enough of the crisp, fresh air and mesmerising, serene scenery, our activities always centre around bush walks, preferably featuring waterfalls along the way. I can highly recommend these two breathtaking walks.

Wentworth Falls Undercliff-Overcliff Track

Three Sisters walk to Leura Cascades

On a tip from a friend, we paid a visit to the Logan Brae Orchards, in search of their renowned home-made apple pies, and where we also picked up a box of the most deliciously sweet and crispy apples. Tip: They only open weekends and get in early so you don’t miss out on their apple pies!

Next visit to the Blue Mountains I think I’ll grab a Scenic World’s Unlimited Discovery Pass and check out The Scenic Skyway for the dizzying views, The Scenic Railway, The Scenic Cableway or take a wander along the The Scenic Walkway at the valley floor.

We might also revisit the amazing Jenolan Caves too or maybe a spot of abseiling!

Eateries

You really are spoilt for choice for fab eateries in the Blue Mountains.

Before heading off for our big hike of the day, we enjoyed a satisfying and tasty breakfast at the cute Pomegranate Cafe in Katoomba.

For lunch, you could find us at one of two incredible bakeries –  Hominy in Katoomba (highly recommend the lentil and vegetable pie, custard tart, choc-hazelnut cake- everything really!)  and Bakehouse on Wentworth in Blackheath (just discovered this place, we all had the Tender Beef and Gravy pie and can’t wait to come back to taste more of their tempting offerings).

Then there was that irresistible Devonshire tea at The Carrington Hotel in Katoomba. What a pleasure and relief to come in from the cold and feast on these delicious scones surrounded by old-world charm in front of their fire.

For dinner on the first night we visited Leura Garage with our standout meals being the pizza, paella plus desserts (yep, that’s a Macadamia and Sticky Date Pudding I’m about to dip into!).

The second night we went for Modern Asian with a very relaxed vibe at Basil Nut Cafe and Restaurant where the food was sensational! I would highly recommend the Duck and Eggplant Curry pictured below!

Have you visited the Blue Mountains? What are your favourite things to do?

For other local Sydney short break ideas check out my review on the beautiful Hunter Valley here.

Bren x

We stayed three nights from Friday night. I was a little nervous as I’ve only ever visited the Hunter for wine-tasting and fine dining and I wasn’t sure there would be enough to keep my kids (11 and 12yrs) entertained, especially since I banned all their devices accompanying us on our family holiday!

Doing my research paid off and I can safely say that it was one of the most enjoyable short breaks we’ve had and I highly recommend it for kids of all ages.

Accomodation

Elfin Hill is a gorgeous, quaint, tasteful property in the heart of Pokolbin. It was within perfect proximity to all our attractions, yet offered the beauty and tranquility we all craved for some down time. The weather was perfect the whole weekend and on arrival the kids enjoyed a refreshing dip in their rainwater pool.

Our hosts were warm and welcoming and the breakfast they provided for us was simply delicious.

Here I am looking happy because well, look at those Elfin Hill grounds!

Chillaxing in the common area with a view.

Crisp and sunny breakfast each morning.

A Continental breakfast was included in the price. With offerings like delicious bircher muesli, almond milk chia seed pudding, yoghurt, fresh fruit, croissants with home-made jam and green and pear tea.

Cooked breakfast options like this Breakfast Bruscetta are available for an extra price.

Lots of space for morning stretches.

Beautiful rose bushes…

… with adorable, tiny frogs living in them! The kids were enamoured.

ACTIVITES

On Saturday my golfing boys enjoyed 18 holes at The Vintage .

While the girls went horse riding at Hunter Valley Horses.

Followed by the Handmade in the Hunter Markets …

…where we discovered this stall Nutso with THE BEST allergy free cookies. Gluten and Dairy Free and made with lots of organic ingredients too. We bought a packet of almond fig & ginger biscuits. They didn’t last long! 

My daughter loved the art stall below where the lovely stall holder, Vanessa from Apothecary Artist,  taught her all about gold leafing. The little gold leafing kit we bought occupied her for hours once we got back to our accomodation.

These smoothies were so much fun, we couldn’t figure out what they were exactly! They are actually candles made by Sweet Wicks Candles and they smell just like the smoothie they represent! I shudder to think of all the chemicals used to create these, but honestly, the joy they brought everyone who happened upon them, including us!

The markets were small, so we only stayed for a short while then headed to the Hunter Valley Gardens for some lunch and an afternoon of strolling around the stunning gardens. 

My favourite gardens were the Story Book Gardens, such fun for young and old alike. Brought back so many childhood memories. Check me out with Humpty!

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry ?

UPDATE: 5th April 2018

Go-karting was recommended to us at Go-Karts-Go (they also have putt putt and archery), where my husband raced my daughter around a massive 850m long track! Not for the faint hearted this one, with lots of speed demons on the course. Hubby was relieved that he beat his daughter (for now!)

And while my son is an avid golfer who plays off a handicap of 8.8, he’s still completely obsessed with putt putt! There is a great spot for putt putt and aqua golf at the Hunter Gardens. Fun for the whole family.

Wine-tasting (done sneakily so the kids would enjoy it too!)

Greatest idea ever is hiring bikes from Grapemobile Bicycle Hire cellar door in Pokolbin and cycling around the dirt tracks to visit some wineries. NB: If you have younger kids you can hire a tag along trail bike and baby seats.

My kids had an absolute blast cycling the day away, and hubby and I got to stop into 5-6 wineries, to find some previously undiscovered gems like Worthington’s and Calais wines.

Best Part – you can order wine from most of the wineries on the bike tour, and they deliver them back to Grapemobile where you can collect them when you return your bike, pop them into your car boot or onto Grapemobile’s complimentary return bus service.

Worthington’s Vineyard where we tasted some delicious semillions. Love this space.

Scarborough Wines are well known to us, but we’re glad we stopped in because the service here was impeccable. The staff sat us down on the verandah with sweeping views of the vineyard and served us a cheese and dried fruit plate whilst pouring us endless wine to try. All the while the kids played on the grass with all the apparatus provided  like hula hoops, balls, ….needless to say we ordered a case of our faves to be sent back home to us in Sydney. Cheers!

The chardonnay at Calais Estate was a revelation and the Gourmet Picnic Hamper we purchased from there and enjoyed on the vineyard certainly hit the spot for the four of us after a long day of cycling.

We had picked the bikes up at 11am and by 4pm the kids were exhausted, but with Audrey Wilkinson closing in half an hour, we returned the bikes, jumped in the car and zoomed over to taste some of the best wines we’d tasted that day. Soaked in some of the best views too.

UPDATE: 5th April 2018

On our second Easter visit to the Hunter Valley, we found a different bike hire provider, Sutton’s Estate Electric Bike Hire, and this time were able to experience the amazing wineries, cheese shops, chocolate shops and restaurants by electric bikes (which made cycling up hills much easier for the lazier members of the family!). The views along the bike track they mapped out for us were honestly just so beautiful.

They also offer on road servicing and can pick up and drop off from your accomodation on request, and also will run around and pick up all your wines and food for you to take back to your accomodation.

Full of beans at Sutton’s Estate and ready for our bike ride winery tour.

Tintilla estate

Dining

If you book Elfin Hill online then their continental breakfast is complimentary, so we didn’t really venture out for breakfast and really only dined out for dinner on two nights.

The aim was to find delicious local food, whilst avoiding the fine dining price tag. On our first night we drove 20 minutes to Lillinos Bar and Trattoria, because Italian is always going to be a winner with the kids. It didn’t disappoint. We had Gnocchi al Pomodoro, Pizza with Proscuitto, Roast Potato, Mushroom and Rosemary, Tagliatelle all Ossobucco and a lovely St Clements Merlot 2009 to wash it down. 

Photo courtesy www.winecountry.com.au

On Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner at The Royal Oak Hotel. Our hosts at Elfin Hill recommend eating in the bar section for a more affordable option (though one day I hope to eat in their fine dining restaurant in the back).  We arrived early around 6pm before it quickly filled up. My daughter and I enjoyed every bite of our simple but perfect meal of Pan Fried Tasmanian Salmon served with green beans, chips (proper hand cut ones!) and aioli,  hubby and son where stealing the beans off our plates they were so crisp and tasty. Everything on the plate was cooked perfectly. Our son surprised us (not) by ordering the House-Made Classic Beef Burger with Jack cheese, caramelised onion, tomato, spinach, pickles, ketchup and chips and my husband ordered the best dang Gourmet Margherita with local ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella and olives. Audrey Wilkinson also made a guest appearance : )

Now for the moment the kids had been waiting for, a visit to the Sabor In the Hunter Dessert Bar. This was planned as their Easter indulgence and it did not disappoint.  I think the website and the photos below says it all! 

Lemon Curd Meringue

Toblerone chocolate cheesecake with vanilla bean ice-cream. Yep, you read that right!

UPDATE: 5th April 2018

A newish restaurant to open in the Ben Eaton/Lindeman Estate, was Baume, pronounced (bow-may). A lovely family-style restaurant with large meals for everyone to share as you can see we did here. We ordered Saganaki Prawns to share as a starter (not pictured), and for mains, a 16 inch chicken and mushroom pizza plus spanner crab pasta and a delicious and fresh rocket, fennel, orange and pecorino salad. Yum! Highly recommend this place.

After my husband and son played 18 holes at Cypress Lakes golf course, my daughter and I joined them at the bistro for dinner. The vibe was super casual, with live music, a gorgeous view, and great food, everyone was happy. My daughter and I ordered the Pork Belly dish with Quince Aioli and Slaw (crispiest of crackling, this dish didn’t dissapoint), plus we shared a tender and super-tasty calamari. The boys had burgers which were some of the better burgers they’ve had. Prices were reasonable too.

All in all this was a wonderful short break and we’ll definitely be back to do it again.

Have you been to the Hunter Valley with the kids? What activities did you get up to? Let me know in the comments.

Other posts you might like are How to Spend Three Glorious Days in the Blue Mountains and Connecting With Your Kids.

Bren x

If you read my previous blog post then you would know that I was tentative to leave my family and go, but go I did to celebrate the wonderful 40th milestone of my beautiful friend Jo, without a clue of what awaited me.

After an easy 5hr flight from Sydney (I got upgraded to the seat with leg room, always appreciated when you are 5ft 9) and started and finished my fab book, The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes. We landed around 9pm to the hustle and bustle and beautiful warmth of Bali.

We arrived at our accommodation around 10pm, so our best bet was to grab a bite and drink at the oh-so-swanky W Hotel just down the road. Given my very distant history as a bit of Sydney nightclub/dance party lush (think circa Goodbar, Kinselas, Blue Room, Rat Parties), I’m not adverse to a bit of uber- fabulousness and the W Hotel had it in spades. With it’s absolute beachfront setting, landscaped gardens, tiered swimming pool, modern lounge beats and cocktail service, we had officially arrived. It’s worth noting that as ‘visitors’ to the W Hotel, we had to sit in a designated area of the resort, which is totally fair enough if you are a customer paying the huge $$$ it costs to stay there. As you can see there was really nothing to complain about : )

Bali sunsets are breathtaking.

Running two business, a family and focusing on making wholesome meals from scratch for my family means shopping is something I’ve chosen to let go of in my general life. But when you go to Bali with some hard core shoppers (and hagglers!), you surrender and make the most of that energy and interest!! We explored all different types of shopping particularly while we were in Seminyak. From market stalls to funky little boutiques, to beach stalls. We shopped hard, then rested hard whilst nursing cocktails.

This is one of my favourite dresses, it’s got a gorgeous cut out in the back you can’t see. Bag, necklaces, bracelets, belt, also new : )

When we weren’t shopping, we were relaxing at our accomodation, Petingest 501 Seminyak

Or one of many funky beachside cocktail bars or beach side bars such as this vibrant Spanish beach bar, La Plancha.

Or eating at one or another fabulous cafe or restaurant.

Cafe Organic’s speciality was their smoothie bowls, smoothies and chia puddings – so good!

Sisterfields was my favourite breakfast place.

The Bircher Muesli with saffron poached pear, raw date & chia seed granola, yoghurt and ramutan honey was divine.

But the Blueberry & Ricotta Pancake with pistachio & pumpkin seed granola, cultured butter and Canadian maple syrup was the real highlight with everyone digging their forks into this beauty. Lucky we ordered two.

For Jo’s birthday dinner, the tropical setting and beachside location Kudeta was the perfect backdrop for a special celebration and the food was super – delish. I shared the lamb shoulder for 2 with smoked eggplant, cucumber yoghurt, fattoush salad and grilled flatbread. Afterwards we couldn’t resist a bit more lounging around the pool followed by a walk on the warm sand with a dip of our toes in the ocean.

After 3 nights in Seminyak,  it was time to set off on our next adventure in Uluwatu, around an hours drive away. We had heard so much about the sheer beauty of the place and the resort we were staying at, and it didn’t disappoint. The vibe was totally different from Seminyak. As soon as we arrived at the incredible Alila Resort we were washed over by the peaceful energy. The air seemed fresher and the natural surroundings,breathtaking. No shopping here!

I had to pinch myself.

Our private pool!

Guest pool.

Mainly just relaxing and reading.

And ordering in.

And visiting more super cool places for dinner and cocktails like El Kabron Spanish Restaurant & Cliff Club which is positioned on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean.

Felt like a movie set.

The paella was to die for.

And catching elevators down to Sunday’s Beach Club for more relaxing, swimming, eating and cocktails.

On our final night at the Alila, the manager invited us for private drinks and canapes at their newly opened annexe. Check.It.Out.

Not too shabby huh : )

It’s not to say the trip went without hitch. Let’s just say 6 gals for 6 days, different personalities getting to know each other doesn’t come without, well, at least an itsy bit of drama. Also, after travelling to the airport for our night flight home, we discovered the flight was delayed for 5 hrs (departing now at 3am!) then waiting in the check in queue for hours, then being told our flight was cancelled for 24hrs! (Note: won’t fly Jetstar to Bali next time, might give Garouda a go). Dodgy taxi drivers, exhaustion, sunburn, confusion and kids needing to be sorted back in Sydney for the extra day. None of this could dampen the incredible time I had in Bali…. on my own!!

The taxi driver who returned us to the airport couldn’t believe that in that whole time we had only visited Seminyak and Uluwatu. When I return I’ll be seeking a more spiritual experience. I feel drawn to Ubud and the more remote Bali locations. I’m dreaming of waterfalls, rice paddies, temples, traditional markets, volcano treks and more stunning beaches. 

I was more than ready to see my kids once back. Daily texts from them kept me happy and connected, but there’s nothing like kissing their beautiful soft faces and seeing the love in their eyes. Now I’ve done it though, going away on my own will feel like a piece of cake next time. Though my next goal is to get a holiday with just the hubster and I. Gosh we need it.  Not as easy to orchestrate, but where there’s a will…

Bren x