Roses by the Sea
The ladies arrived at the cottage with pooch in tow and were pleased to find
a breakfast sitting on the table.
In the bedroom, they oohed and aahed over
the luxurious linen, and the bathrobes to snuggle up in. In the kitchen,
they
noted the user-friendly equipment that would make cooking (spaghetti the first
night, roast the next) a breeze.
On the sofa and Japanese- style chairs, they
lounged luxuriously, enjoying their wine.
Meanwhile, the pug puppy was similarly delighted with its arrangements, especially
the establishment's
dog rule No1: "Whatever you do at home you can do here"
- which even includes sleeping on the bed,
provided owners bring a sheet to
cover the duvet. And the charming fenced garden with its nooks and crannies
is,
well, nothing less than canine paradise.
Roses by the Sea is listed as dog-friendly accommodation and it certainly delivers.
High on a hill with a stunning
view of Port Phillip Bay and the You Yangs, it
offers accommodation for humans in a self-contained cottage,
or bed and breakfast
with your own entrance, dining room and courtyard and barbecue.
Host Elizabeth Soutar and Wendy Brabham came to the area five years ago. Some
time in, “we wanted to go on
a holiday but couldn't take Rosa [their Maltese
terrier]”, Soutar says. Thus thwarted, they decided to turn their
own
home into a “for you and your dog” B&B, then built what is now
“the cottage” on adjoining land.
Soutar's father was born in Japan and the influences of his upbringing there
are everywhere in the decor of the
one bedroom cottage. Relaxed in the Zen-like
atmosphere, we dined at leisure. In the morning, we roused ourselves
for a lazy
drive along the coast, walked along Portarlington jetty and beach, then enjoyed
a pint at the grand in Newcombe Street.
And although golf clubs, wineries and restaurants beckoned, we opted instead
to enjoy another quiet day of
creature comforts with our four-legged friend,
before heading home. Take a bow-wow Roses.
Miranda Tay
Courtesy of the Age Newspaper