A spa weekend away with girlfriends
Earlier this year, three of my good friends and I drove just under two hours from my home in Canberra to Bundanoon which is a small country town in New South Wales. My friend Natalie had told us about this great place where we could go and have facials/massages and take country walks…so one Saturday off we all drove.
We arrived at a winding driveway which took us up to the main accomodation where we checked in and registered for exercise classes and treatments.
We started off with some beauty treatments and then a couple of us took a walk around the gardens which really were quite lovely and so well maintained.
All meals were included and the food was excellent. Lunch was a buffet with a variety of dishes from Mexican bean casserole, to vegetable dahl and tofu stirfry served with a variety of salads, fresh wholemeal damper [absolutely delicious] and fruit. The daily salads included a fabulous brown rice salad and an Asian peanut cabbage salad. And evening meals were three courses served with wine.
Around sunset we had some lovely visitors which we could see from the main windows in the restaurant; probably around twenty but I only managed to capture one with my mobile phone.
And the clear blue sky and lush green grass and trees were lovely to look at whilst reading a book or just talking in the fresh air.
And sunset was particularly lovely…
On our first morning, two of us got up early to take a walk around the town whilst my other two friends took in a yoga class. Bundanoon really is a lovely old town with all sorts of nice things to see.
Our last day we took a hike with the retreat’s guide to Morton National Park; great way to start the day and lovely views. This was followed by an exercise class and other beauty treatments…oh and a great night’s sleep.
But after three days and two nights it was time to depart; relaxed and feeling great – what a great way to spend time with friends.
Time to say goodbye to Bundanoon…
I left school ‘many’ years ago and for the past fourteen years a few of my school friends and I catch up annually. This year with my friends Belinda, Lianne and Michelle we went to Sydney to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the iconic Capitol Theatre.
We laughed pretty much non-stop for two hours after which we popped into a local bar for a cocktail before heading back to our Airbnb.
We decided to walk back towards our apartment and on the way found this fabulous Thai restaurant where we enjoyed satay tofu, salt and pepper tofu, curried vegetables (and tofu) and my friends ordered two meat dishes. I think we were ‘tofued’ out at the end of the evening but we all said the food was exceptional.
I started off with a pot of peppermint tea and the girls ordered coffees, followed by poached eggs on sourdough toast. This came with a side of avocado (more than anywhere else we have seen – half an avocado!). I ordered a vegan dish of coconut feta and quinoa fritters with coconut labne, avocado, fatoush salad and hazelnut dukkah – oh my goodness I have never tasted coconut feta but it was the best and the rest of the dish was amazing!!
When we finished I wanted to walk through an alley I had seen the previous evening – Spice Alley – what a great find.
We wished we had eaten there the previous evening with its gorgeous coloured lanterns, wooden stools and seats and a large range of Asian restaurants. But we decided we were more than happy with our Thai choice.
Spice Alley is quite small but definitely worth the visit to see its paved pathway, colourful signs and street art…
And vibrant posters of Asian women and lovely rooftops above the restaurants…
It was so lovely walking through mid-morning as the restaurants were just in the process of lunch preparation so no-body was around.
We finished our walking tour and stepped onto another slightly wider paved street that runs parallel to Spice Alley which has more lovely restaurants and an actual Tuk Tuk parked on the kerb. 
We walked a little further to Central Railway Station through the country train station which is rather lovely with a beautiful clock hanging in the grand concourse…
And time to depart once more until we meet next year!
(Firstly apologies but this post is a little longer than my usual posts)
And a nice view of the city from my window…
We then walked to Aria. The entrance is not what I expected; it’s a little unassuming but once you are inside it’s a completely different story – the walls are full of original art, the atmosphere is fabulous and the views….wow!!
The restaurant is located down near the Opera House with those magnificent views I just mentioned and as its web page says Aria is one of Australia’s finest restaurants. 
Our table was not right next to a window but we still had good views of the Bridge, Harbour and a docked cruise ship.
We decided on three courses; entree, main and dessert and started off with a bottle of French champagne before selecting our dishes. Some of the vegetarian options contained non-animal rennet cheese and all desserts contained gelatine so the waiter kindly brought me a vegan menu.
I was rather disappointed with my first course which although arrived beautifully presented, was cold. But…it was supposed to be cold but I didn’t know that and unless the dish is a salad I am not a fan of cold food…perhaps I should have checked before I ordered!!
Ray ordered a seafood bowl which was very nicely presented and Nat had the blue-eye trevalla with almonds, capers and razorback prawns. That was presented so beautifully.
Service was top quality; our waiter was so friendly and our Sommelier was extremely knowledgeable. We ordered a glass of wine each for our main course and a different wine for our desserts. My next course was a sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke and nasturtium – this was lovely.
Ray ordered a duck dish with treviso, sausage and sweet potato mash and Nat ordered another fish dish; the Murray cod with an angasi oyster, white radish, miso and celeriac…they loved all their dishes.
Our sides which I think were complimentary, were a mashed royal blue potato (absolutely delicious) and a beautiful leaf salad with a delicious dressing which Nat kindly displayed with serving utensils for my photo.
My dessert was pineapple, coconut and almond (forgot to photograph this) and we were also given complimentary cones with a raspberry sorbet which was a very nice way to finish our mains and wait for dessert.
Nat and Ray ordered some nice desserts but I think Ray’s was the winner. Nat’s is the pie and Ray’s is the chocolate ball with a chestnut, cognac and cocoa crumble which once broken there flowed an amazing caramel like thick sauce. How good does this look!!
Nat also chose a selection of Australian and international cheeses to share with Ray which came with quince paste, grapes, fruit and lavash bread…
And then more complimentary dishes; some dark chocolate and small treats. I could only eat the nougat on the small treat platter as the lemon sweets contained gelatine. But lucky I had very willing friends who managed to eat them. It was a lovely few hours and I am glad I have been; it’s not a cheap restaurant but the service, food and views were all part of the wonderful experience.
After our long lunch we went back to our respective hotels and I met Nat a little later to walk to the Harbour. I did pop into Ray and Nat’s room at the Intercontinental Hotel to see fabulous views of the harbour.
We had good seats and both Nat and I loved the opera (Ray is not an opera fan so he didn’t come). 
The usual merchandise could be purchased of course…
And wonderful sunset views over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge…
When I bought our opera tickets on-line I also bought two drink tickets for intermission as there was a pop up bar which was beautifully decked out with tables, stools and lovely fresh flowers. It was a nice way to spend thirty-minutes so Nat and I enjoyed a white wine each.
A great opera after which we walked back to our hotels for a comfortable sleep. And the next morning, I went to the restaurant for my complimentary breakfast from the huge buffet [I don’t usually have this much tomato sauce; it poured out way too quickly].
I love going away for short breaks and this was such a lovely weekend away.
We decided to share an entree and chose a tomato bruschetta with a difference. This one was huge, it was a large wood fired Italian bread with tomatoes, red onions, basil, olives and oregano and some extra virgin olive oil – delicious!
I ordered the vegetable risotto which was absolutely delicious and came with baby spinach, asparagus, mushroom, shallots, sliced avocado, semi-dried tomatoes and fresh chilli, topped with a perfectly cooked poached egg.
Katrina ordered the lamb salad with avocado, feta, oregano, fresh rocket and semi-dried tomatoes with a garlic aioli dressing – fabulous she said too.
And Sharon ordered the beetroot salad with roasted pumpkin, goats cheese, shredded carrot, roasted walnuts and fresh rocket with a raspberry dressing along with a side order of haloumi. The food here was an absolute winner. This is a chain restaurant and is also located in other locations in Sydney and Melbourne…just wish it was in Canberra.
It was great to catch up with these friends and enjoy good food and after a while another friend joined us and he chose a healthy option of a marinated chicken salad with cos lettuce, sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, shredded carrot, feta, semi-dried tomatoes, roasted capsicum, mushroom and cucumber with a chilli aioli dressing…looked pretty good too.
Like me, two of my other friends retired last year, so I said I would travel to Sydney and go out to dinner to celebrate their retirement. I chose a restaurant serving South East Asian cuisine and known for being very popular (Longrain) and had come highly recommended by my ‘foodie’ friend Jane.
Some of the girls tried the desserts which I was told were very good and presented beautifully. A coconut sorbet and a coconut ash ice cream swirl with a cashew nut praline were the desserts of choice.
In the main the food was very good but it was an incredibly hot restaurant (too many tables with too many people I think) which made me rather uncomfortable and extremely noisy. Made it very hard to hear friends across the table and those up the other end of the table, I had no idea what they were saying!
A little later we walked up to Surry Hills, an inner city suburb and found our restaurant which was pretty cute inside along with a very sweet and attentive waiter.
Another four of my friends met us and we ordered some fabulous food; everyone decided on the vegan menu which was great for me as I got to try all dishes. Our entrees were home made spring rolls with a light sweet chilli sauce, deep fried vegetable puffs and steamed dumplings with a side of dipping sauce.
All were very good. Our main dishes consisted of two curries; one a lemongrass tofu curry and the other a deep fried tofu with vegetable dish. Then a mock chicken dish with finely chopped lemongrass and onions. All ‘yum’. I was so lucky to enjoy such a large selection of food.
As for my second visit, every year since we attended a 25 year school reunion twelve years ago, three (now four) of my school friends and I meet together for a long weekend, usually at one of our houses, but last year we decided to meet in Sydney and see the Carole King musical ‘Beautiful‘. We all grew up with that fabulous ‘record’ ‘Tapestry‘…
The musical was excellent and we sang along to all the songs and had a bit of a tear during some parts. No photos allowed during the show of course but I managed one of the stage before the show commenced.
As we attended a matinee session, we were finished around 5pm so decided to walk back to our Airbnb through the city, Hyde Park and then through the main street of Paddington where we stopped and had dinner at an Indian restaurant I used to go to when I worked in Sydney all those years ago. Great to see it was still there.
Last year my friend Tracey leased a lovely little home in the southern highlands of New South Wales, which is about a two hour drive from Canberra, and invited me to visit her for the weekend. The home has two bedrooms and a newly renovated bathroom and kitchen. The gardens are just gorgeous with a small pond and waterfall.
After I arrived and Tracey had shown me around the garden and house, we took her dog Laddie for a walk up the laneway and back – a nice little walk in the countryside which takes about half an hour or so. For the next two mornings, I would get up early and do this same walk with Laddie. He really loves his walks and is fine to walk off the lead [unlike my furry babies].
Along our walk there were beautiful meadows containing many cows…so lovely to see the countryside and take in its smells; good and bad!!
The views in the early morning and late afternoon were particularly beautiful…
One morning we went to the local markets where we both bought some locally made jams and condiments followed by a drive to the local village of Fitzroy Falls where within the bushland you will see a beautiful 81 metre waterfall.
There are also some stunning cliff face views and mountain scenery along the way; not a place I think you would want to get lost…
And some interesting Australian bushes [being shown off by Tracey all rugged up for the cold weather].
On our way home we stopped off at a local supermarket which sold great home made soups, desserts, biscuits, jams, pickles etc and bought up a storm both to eat that evening and for us both to take home!
On our first afternoon we went for an hour long walk along the boardwalk [in the rain] to Darling Harbour which is one of Sydney’s popular waterfront areas comprising cafes, restaurants, IMAX cinema, maritime museum and lovely Chinese gardens.
We were immediately seated at our table and I was one of the lucky ones to have a view of the water.
