Alpine Review: Trackers Mountain Lodge

Mountain life.....

Even though I’m from the UK, and mountains are a stones throw away, I have never actually been to an alpine resort! It’s been on my wish list since I was sixteen.  I remember forfeiting my first ski trip with the school to The Pyrenees in France to attend a National dance competition. The whole time I was showing off my Jazz hands I wanted to be throwing myself down a mountain, trying something new! Fourteen years have passed (don’t count my age!) and skiing was back on my mind. I honestly didn’t know that Australia had ski resorts until last year. Us Brits are brainwashed with parched fields, kangaroos and  TV show Neighbours, so this is a girl that moved to Australia with no coat.  No exaggeration! After researching the slopes here it was an easy decision to choose Falls Creek in Victoria., and Trackers Mountain Resort. The village is in the mountain and you can literally ski to your door. White snow and serene views. Definitely an Instagram dream!

After five snowboarding classes at In2Ski in Sydney, it was time to experience the REAL slopes, so ventured on a road trip this weekend to one of the most quaint, welcoming, family run hotels I’ve experienced in a long time. Our Honda HR-V got us there in one piece and always opt to travel with a bigger car for these kind of road trips. This new model isn’t as big as the CR-V that we took to the Blue Mountains recently but it was just as comfortable for the seven hour drive. 

When we pulled up to Falls Creek, Janette (the owner of Trackers) came to meet us with the snow buggy (puppy tagging along in the back). I knew after meeting Pup Pup the dog this weekend was going to be good! After a backy to the hotel door, a nice hot drink was in order and we arrived just at the right time! Afternoon tea is served daily between 3-5pm so it was nice to meet some of the other guests and take in the magnificent view of The Summit, which you could see from the dining room and also from our room! The sun was shining so didn’t want to miss a minute of photography in the glistening village. Chris and I took a walk around to familiarise ourselves with the surroundings. We must have struck gold, as by 6:30pm dinner was served back at our hotel. ALL 7 COURSES! We didn’t work up an appetite as much as our fellow guests, but gave the menu a good go. Janette and some of the other staff joined us for dinner and it was great sitting with the people that live and breath skiing for the winter season. That’s one thing I rate in a small hotel: personable owners. When I used to manage a small hotel after graduating university, I used to try and get to know the guests a bit at breakfast. That’s why people choose the small hotels, to get that extra special customer service from the heart. I have most certainly experienced excellent customer service at bigger chains (such as Pier One Sydney a few months back) but this hotel was a little different: It made me want to go back, and that’s the reason most of the guests are returning for their 3rd and 4th season. 

The mountain air is dry, so woke up on the second day with a terrible cold. That didn’t stop us from our first snowboarding experience in the real snow though!! A good hearty breakfast at the hotel consisted of homemade pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, eggs and fresh fruit. Was a fan go the fresh T2 teas available. We kind of chose the worst day in the year to head out to the slopes, it rained! After two hours with our instructor we were soaked to the bone! We called it a day and decided to pick up from where we left off on day three. After numerous Snapchats on the ski lift consisting of jingles and breathtaking views, we were pumped to try the mountains in the snow instead of rain! A couple of hours smashing the mountains we felt good to finally get the hang of it! 

I definitely recommend Falls Creek for beginner snowboarders and skiers, even intermediate or advanced level individuals who are looking for a resort within Australia. Trackers Mountain Lodge is the perfect spot that’s only a healthy ten minute walk to the lifts and bars. Plus you are fed and watered the whole time with friendly service and good homemade cuisine.  What more could you ask for! Did I mention endless tea and coffee too? Added bonus! And if you love dogs, you can make 2 new canine friends in the process. Heads up for all you bendy lot,  they are offering a yoga retreat this September! More info on their website here: 

http://www.trackers.com.au/contact-us/

Pier One Sydney Harbour Review

A couple of months back, I had the pleasure of attending an Appelles Skin event at Pier One Sydney Harbour Hotel. I was instantly impressed with the rustic feel to the lobby and couldn’t help but look up at the wooden beams and take in the homely smell of cooking drifting from the kitchen. I instantly knew I wanted to spend a few nights there, so last weekend I headed with my boyfriend for a relaxing weekend. 

Champagne on arrival is not a bad way to start the day, and valet parking is definitely a bonus if you know how annoying parking is in Sydney! We were lucky enough to stay in the most swish room in the hotel: The harbour view balcony suite. This room is absolutely breathtaking for a number of reasons:

• Freestanding bath tub over looking the harbour (cue romantic movie music)
• Extensive Balcony directly next to the harbour bridge
• King sized plush bed on looking the water
• Delonghi coffee machine for endless caffeine hits
• Double shower and double sink 
• Plenty of wardrobe space

As soon as we made our way to the room, we were greeted with more champagne (I swear they were trying to get us tipsy!) and a fresh fruit bowl. Arriving at the hotel for 2pm with dinner at 6pm, this tied us over nicely as we didn’t want to spoil our appetite at The Gantry Restaurant which we were looking forward to the most! After a couple of hours shooting a style post, it was an hour of relaxing and then dinner time!

For those who have never dined at The Gantry, it is highly recommend. The executive chef knows a thing or two about cooking. He was The Beckham’s private chef, has worked at the palace for the British Royal family and sources all ingredients from local farms. Are you sold yet? Having worked at restaurants in the past, you always know a guest has had an enjoyable evening if still at the table 3 hours later! And this was the case for us. We started with The Gantry Gravalax which was served with a delectable jalapeño salsa. For Mains I opted for The barramundi and Chris had the sea trout. As we had lamb for lunch, the fish was the right option. Cooked to perfection. Dessert was a struggle but we had to finish with the chocolate torte, which was rich and sweet. Chris actually thinks that might be the best chocolate dessert he has had in a long time! That says it all! The service was 10 out of 10, and our waitress Zoe couldn’t do enough for us.

After feeling content and impressed, it was an early night watching the Vivid light show from our room. At that point, we felt lucky to live in such an amazing city. 

It’s hard not to sleep in when the bed is super cushy with the best view of Sydney, but my body must have known the sunrise was going to be breathtaking and woke up at 6:30am! I was so warm and snug in bed, but had to grab my camera and get a snap of the amazing contrasting sky and reflection on the water. No sound, no one around. Perfect! Just wish I grabbed the fluffy dressing gown instead of braving it in my PJ’s!

We opted for a late breakfast. I was adamant I wanted a bubble bath to admire the view, and secretly because my plug hole has been misplaced in my house, that’s the truth! To put this into perspective, the bath tub took 25 minutes to fill up it’s that big! A nice cup of coffee and luxe toiletries from Appelles Skin was the perfect excuse to melt and watch the boats go by. Just what you need on a crisp winter’s morning. 

Breakfast was a relaxed and delicious buffet! Heaps of food to choose from: the standard hot Aussie style breakfast and a selection of pastries and cereals. I liked that we could choose whether to sit in the restaurant, bar, or outside tables. We chose the bar as it was overlooking the water. The waiting staff were serving fresh coffees and tea’s and this is table service so it was nice to not have to keep getting up once eating.

I’m sure you can gather from this review, that there’s not a bad thing about this place. If you are after a luxurious city break, this is the place to go. It’s great for a romantic weekend. We didn’t feel the need to venture out the hotel the whole time, as we wanted to absorb the view and relax. Even though you are in the city, there’s calmness and tranquility to Pier One which makes the experience so much better, especially if you work in Sydney like Chris and I. 

Here’s a link to their website and restaurant:

http://pieronesydneyharbour.com.au

http://www.thegantry.com.au

All photography is my own. To use this imagery, please email me and I will be more than happy to share the imagery with you in exchange for full photo credit. Thanks.