I love going away, but I don't love leaving the boys at home. I want them to experience the world by our side, so I am always on the hunt for a good, dog friendly accommodation option. And I might have a new favourite!
40 minutes from Merimbula, just outside Candelo, you'll find The Church at Tantawangalo. This beautiful 1905 brick gothic revival style church has been converted in a luxury retreat perfect for your next getaway. Owners, Marie and Simon, have thoughtfully brought life back into the church with a cute mezzanine level (perfect for a little one travelling with you) and the beautiful glass bi-fold doors.
When you step through the dramatic entrance hall, complete with the original arched timber double doors and the cutest doorbell, you walk straight into this huge open-plan kitchen, dining and living space. The first thing you notice is the height. The ceilings soar a massive eight metres with exposed wood throughout. The stained-glass windows and floor-to-ceiling steel bifold doors fill the whole place with natural light, and when the light shines through the stained-glass windows you are left with the prettiest rainbow light. It feels spacious, warm and kind of magical. There’s also a big wood fire that makes the place extra cosy if you are travelling in the cooler months.
The old vestry has been transformed into a gorgeous, luxurious bathroom. The deep, freestanding bath where you can soak while looking out over the reserve through the original arched doorway was a huge highlight as a bath loving girl. I definitely enjoyed a luxurious soak while we stayed (despite the warmer weather).
The bedroom sits slightly elevated off the main living area in the raised vestibule in a slightly more intimate, tucked-away space.
It feels huge and so cosy all at the same time.
Probably one of the best parts of this getaway is there is no TV and there's next to no internet (though, full disclosure, I did have enough to be able to check the cricket score from time to time...so you're not completely off grid). It means you're almost forced to switch off, enjoy the nature and reconnect with loved ones. And honestly...I loved every second of it. I got really into a book, we played a lot of Monopoly Deal and had the best time running around the sight with Becks and Ghost. We packed our own food and cooked while we were there as well and the accommodation has everything you need.
And yes, as I mentioned it is dog friendly! They do ask to not have pets on furniture, which is fine because we travel with the boys beds anywhere we go, and like most pet friendly accommodation, that you don't leave your pets there unattended.
It truly is one of the nicest places I've stayed in the last little while and I would definitely go back!
You can see a video of the accommodation here.
Some other notable thing she did while in the area:
Tura Beach
We obviously couldn't go down near the South Coast and not go to the beach and we ended up stopping in at Tura Beach. Mostly because Tyron wanted to go play golf and chose to go to the Tura Beach Country Club. However, this turned out really nicely for us because Tura Beach is a dog friendly beach, meaning we could take both boys and have them off lead (well Ghosty on the long line, because I don't have complete trust in him yet...) with no issues, but it was also really quiet! Much quieter than Merimbula if you ask me! I love my boys but Ghost does not love people and Becks doesn't always love other dogs, so having a beach that only had a handful of people was perfect. Tyron also rates the golf course if you're into that...
Candelo Markets
Comments
Post a Comment