A chic seaside getaway that's perfect for a romantic weekend

There can be few seaside towns as pretty as Port Fairy, at the far end of Victoria's Great Ocean Road. 

A long-time summer holiday favourite for farming families and Melbourne high-flyers, this little gem of a town is famous for its annual folk festival. Port Fairy is popular with surfers, fishermen, cyclists and, increasingly, gourmets and luxury seekers. 

Port Fairy is a tranquil spot  

Around 290 kilometres west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean, Port Fairy and is home to over 50 19th-century buildings classified by the National Trust. 

With a population of under 3,000, it is the home port for one of Victoria's largest fishing fleets and has been named as one of the world's most liveable small cities. 

It is also increasingly popular with lovers of fine food and wine with dining options ranging from the atmospheric Merrijig Kitchen (with one of Australia's most intriguing country wine lists); The Stag, L'Edera, Bella Claire, pizzas and cocktails at newcomer Coffin Sally or maybe a beer or two at The Caledonian Inn, the oldest continually licensed hotel in Victoria.

At the Merrijig Kitchen sample delights like Skipton smoked eel on oatcakes with kimchi and labna; grilled quail marinated in miso with daikon salad, local abalone and crispy quail; and maybe char-grilled lamb shoulder with a cous cous salad and cabbage roll. Hearty, satisfying and clever food.

And just outside town is the Basalt Wines cellar door, which serves brilliant little tapas-style meals. 

Now Port Fairy also has accommodation to satisfy even the fussiest of travellers; the adults-only luxury guest house known as Drift House. 

This beautifully restored old home just a block from the water with four luxurious suites in different styles. It is beautifully furnished and equipped (think a maxibar of gourmet treats rather than a mini bar) and within walking distance of all the restaurants and pubs.

Opened in December 2013, it is part boutique hotel, part bed and breakfast, part furnished apartment with colourful motifs, salvaged timber and bathrooms decorated with Japanese tiles. 

I stayed in suite one, which occupies the entire ground floor of the original bluestone building and has exclusive use of the verandah spanning the front of the property. 

This is just perfect for a weekend away with a loved one; featuring an open fire place, sexy bathroom with shower, solid stone bath and king-sized bed, along with kitchen facilities, a relaxing lounge area and that maxi bar with local treats. Fast wi-fi is complimentary and each suite also has a TV, DVD player, radio, iPod dock, bathrobes and coffee machine. Drift House is like a mini five-star hotel with personality. 

A breakfast hamper with eggs, bread, yoghurt and muesli, (dropped off each morning) is a great way to start the day and it is hard to resist the yo-yo biscuits found in each suite. 

There are some nice personal touches from the owners. too, like personal notes listing their favourite local eateries and attractions.

While the front of the house has an 1850s Victorian facade, the building is a clever mix of old and new - and there's an outdoor pool for summer days - although the beach is just a short walk away. 

Drift House was recently the winner of the best luxury accommodation award at the RACV Victorian Tourism Awards for 2014.

Drift House, 98 Gipps Street, Port Fairy. 0439 969 281. www.drifthouse.com.au.  Rates start from $345 per night with a special offer of a free bottle of local Basalt riesling or pinot noir for those booking through the Mr and Mrs Smith website. www.mrandmrssmith.com.  

Room rage: What to do when an online booking goes horribly wrong

What are your options when the "luxury" hotel you have booked online turns out to be anything but?

It was not an auspicious start. The lift containing myself and two French guests was standing stock still on the ground floor, refusing to budge.

After much pressing of buttons and bemused Gallic shrugs, it finally jerked its way into action, depositing me on the fourth floor, where the carpet looked as if AC/DC and Cold Chisel had been partying on it for the past few weeks.

My room was not much better than that carpet. Although I had requested a double room when booking, I had been allocated a hostel-style room with four single beds, covered with tired '60s-style quilts. And with no air conditioning, or fan, the room was insufferably stuffy. The choice was to open the window and let in the considerable street noise, or eventually expire from lack of oxygen.

While the bedroom was minimalist at best, the bathroom was worse; the shower had virtually zero pressure and I was left standing under a few dribbles of water. Not happy.

All this was, to a certain extent, my own fault. I'd left a free night in my London schedule and made a late booking on wotif.com without taking the precaution of checking the hotel out on TripAdvisor.com.

But as the Wotif.com website claimed the rack rate for this rundown hotel in a trendy quarter of London was £500 and described the place as "luxurious", the £128.85 I paid should have made it a bargain.

It wasn't. The room was grotty, plain and simple, with free wi-fi just about the only saving grace.

And the "direct walkway" between Paddington Station and the hotel that featured in the online description was non-existent.

I've stayed in plenty of cheap hotels in my time but by leaving it late to book in an unfamiliar city that was hosting several conventions I'd put myself at the mercy of the market (lesson learned) - and a handwritten "hotel full" sign in the window told me it would be pointless asking to switch rooms.

Other rooms in the hotel may, to be fair, be much better but I wasn't going to let this disappointment pass without seeking some reimbursement.

In addition to Tweeting about my experience, and doing a TripAdvisor report, I emailed the booking service with my comments.

The initial response was not encouraging.

"It's really disappointing to hear that the service you received from Hotel [Abominable] did not meet your expectations. I'll make sure that your feedback is passed on to the hotel's management to raise their awareness. The product manager responsible for this region has also been made aware of this matter and your comments will be recorded for our future reference. If we were to find a recurring issue, the hotel's listing on our website would certainly be reviewed."

There was also the usual verbiage about how much they appreciated customer feedback etc, etc.

My email reply was to the point: "Not good enough. As I stated in my complaint, several of the statements on your website are misleading and deceptive and I demand some recompense."

I was then assured: "I have passed your email onto our Customer Relations department so they can look into this matter further."

A further Tweet finally jolted them into serious action a week later, with an email saying: "The property has confirmed if you had advised upon your arrival that you were not satisfied with the room allocated, they would have been happy to provide you with other room options. (As mentioned, the sign said they were full). Hotel management have confirmed they are in the process of updating the carpets in every room and expect to have new carpets in every room shortly. (It was the carpet in the corridor I was more concerned about)."

The email said the old building made water pressure an issue, but confirmed the hotel did not have direct access to the station via a footbridge. I was then offered a 50 per cent refund "due to the inconvenience caused".

So I got £62 back - probably paying what the room was worth. And the website removed references to "luxurious" and the non-existent footbridge from its website listing. The hotel is no longer listed.

This was a few years back and the hotel in question now claims "every room has been thoughtfully decorated to give a fresh, relaxing and warm homely atmosphere". So things may have looked up. And rooms online seem to now start from a reasonable £70 - although a TripAdvisor ranking of 828 of 1,064 hotels in London still doesn't sound too good.

Consumer advocacy group Choice advises making sure you have as much evidence as possible (photographs, conflicts between what was advertised and what was provided) before complaining.

They say you should be firm and polite with your complaint and try to get it resolved at the time, as making a complaint to Consumer Affairs can be "long and drawn out". Choice says saying exactly what you want; a refund, or a free night, gives a hotel a way out of the impasse. If you get an inadequate response you should then threaten to escalate the complaint to the hotel owner, or chain.

Choice says many hotels and restaurants make advertising claims that are "not justifiable" and the group has called for a travel industry ombudsman. "A complaints process dedicated to the travel industry would be very useful." 

Using social media to get your point home also puts pressure on the service provider as they are no doubt keen to avoid criticism in a public arena.

As it stands, anyone using an online booking service to secure accommodation overseas has very little recourse if things go wrong.

While contacting consumer affairs, or the local tourist board, might work in Australia (or at least get you heard), it is much harder once you have returned from overseas.

The British Government website DirectGov advises any items sold must be "of satisfactory quality", "fit for purpose" and "as described". The hotel clearly failed those guidelines but it would be a long and complicated process to gain satisfaction from the other side of the globe.

Similarly, you could contact your credit card provider and stop payment, saying it was "in dispute". Again, a tiresome fight would ensue.

My advice is to complain long and loud at the hotel if things are not up to scratch, or to keep the pressure up on your online booking service if they don't appear willing to resolve matters to your satisfaction. It certainly pays to stand up for your rights. 

A chic city centre hotel for $80 a night? Believe it.

City centre hotels in Australia tend to be expensive. Particularly in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne. where you can easily spend $250-300 a night. 

Hobart, the delightfully laid-back capital of Tasmania, is rather more affordable, with choices like the Hotel Collins and Grand Chancellor often available at on line booking sites like www.wotif.com for around $135-145 in the off-peak seasons. 

During peak times, including the Taste of Tasmania Festival, MOFO and the Wooden Boat Festival, it can be hard to find anywhere to stay at all - let alone on a budget.

Which is why anyone visiting Hobart, or Tasmanian locals who don't want to have to drive home after a big night out, should mark The Alabama Hotel into their little black books. 

The Alabama has been open for around 12 months now - and its virtues have largely been spread by word of mouth. Rooms here start from $80 a night and larger, more comfortable rooms cost $100. That's a flat rate, so it pays to book early before the Alabama gets booked out, as it often does. 

In Liverpool Street, in the city centre, the Alabama re-opened late in 2013 after being closed for a decade. The building was erected in the late 1830s but didn’t open as a hotel until 1867, while the art deco facade was probably added in the 1930s.

It describes itself as a "boutique budget hotel" filling the gap in the accommodation market between a backpackers' hostel and a chain hotel. 

There are 17 rooms, each different, styled with original artworks, vintage touches and very comfortable beds. The retro-chic rooms are clean, comfortable and secure, but don't expect flat-screen TVs, iPod docks and fluffy robes. 

"By keeping the layout as it is, we can keep our rates lower for guests and maintain our “boutique budget” descriptor," the owners say. 

There is, however, fast and free wi-fi, a very comfortable lounge and bar area and helpful staff. The lounge bar, with a lovely balcony, serves quality beers, wines and spirits but does not sell cocktails or shots and closes at 9pm. It's a great spot for a pre-dinner drink. 

The setback, and you knew there was one coming, is that there are no en suite bathrooms - but shower and toilet facilities are shared - which, in my book, is fine for one or two nights is less than ideal for a week. 

Cosy standard queen-bed rooms are priced at $80 per night, twin rooms at $90 and deluxe queens, with a view down Liverpool Street, are $100. There's no suites. The rooms overlooking the street can be a little noisy, so it pays to choose your room with care. 

I loved the vibe of the place, its location and the obvious pride the staff have. It's a little gem if you can live without your own bathroom, and want to spend less money on a bed and more on Tasmania's outstanding food and wine.

Alabama Hotel, Level 1, 72 Liverpool Street, Hobart, Tasmania. 0499 987 698. www.alabamahobart.com.au. 


   

People of the Vines: What you need to know about Launceston and the Tamar Valley

Drive up to the Holm Oak cellar door and you might well find it deserted. Hang around for a few minutes and winemaker Bec Duffy may wander in after blending some parcels of pinot noir. Or you may have to hit your car horn a couple of times to alert her viticulturist husband Tim, who will drive in from the vineyards on his tractor.

The Tamar Valley is one of Australia's most relaxed wine regions, where everything moves at a country Tasmanian pace. Or has – until now.

Holm Oak cellar door

During the 2014 vintage, a traumatic one with reduced yields for most grape growers, a TV crew led by wine writer Tyson Stelzer ranged around the district following the trials, tribulations and triumphs of six winemaking teams; Natalie Fryar at Jansz (who has since departed), Bec and Tim Duffy at Holm Oak, Fran Austin and her husband Shane Holloway from Delamere, former first-class cricketer Joe Holyman from Stoney Rise, Jeremy Dineen from Josef Chromy and Tom Wallace from Tamar Ridge.

The Tamar Valley Wine Region is actually three regions in one – all of which are a short drive from Tasmania's second city of Launceston. The Tamar Valley lies to the north, Pipers River to the north-east and Relbia to the south.

Although there are plenty of cellar doors and a handful of winery restaurants, the Tamar is largely undeveloped in terms of mass tourism. There are no chain hotels or mass-market fast food restaurants outside Launceston city.

“People now are starting to get a good understanding about food and wine tourism in regional Tasmania, and it’s a whole new ball game for smaller vineyards,” says Shane Holloway of Delamere. “We have no idea what changes, if any, may follow the screening of this program.”

Where there is a reality TV show, tourists follow, however, and there is much to enjoy in and around the vineyards and the city of Launceston itself.

The biggest cellar doors in the region include Tamar Ridge, Josef Chromy, Bay of Fires, the Jansz Wine Room and Pipers Brook Vineyard but there are also several smaller, family-owned producers worth visiting.

As the Tamar is a cool-climate region, visitors can expect to find sparkling wines, chardonnays, pinot noirs, and aromatic whites like sauvignon blanc, riesling and pinot gris.

Moores Hill, Goaty Hill, Leaning Church, Delamere, Sinapius, Stoney Rise, Marion's Vineyard, Native Point, Holm Oak and Winter Brook all offer boutique hospitality, while it is worth making an appointment to visit idiosyncratic Grey Sands. New producers Wines for Joanie opened this week.

Cellar door pening times can vary seasonally, so it does pay to check ahead whether the tasting room you want to visit will be open.

Visitors can follow around 170 kilometres of trails marked by yellow and blue “Wine Route” road signage and several small producers, including Gryphonwood, Sharmans and Humbug Reach, offer tastings at the award-winning Harvest Market held every Saturday morning.

People from the Tamar and surrounding farming regions sell gourmet cheeses, locally-grown organic vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers and plants, pasture-raised pork and farmed rabbits.

Josef Chromy, with a top-notch restaurant specialising in Tasmanian produce; Velo Wines, with a delightful vineyard cafe; and Tamar Ridge's Rosevears cellar door, offering local platters, are the best places to break your journey for a meal.

Settled in 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and is home to many historic buildings. It was named after Launceston in Cornwall and retains a very English feel. Many of the buildings in the CBD date back to the 19^th and early 20^th centuries and there are several well-preserved Victorian and Georgian homes. Low-rise buildings dominate and there are many leafy, and sometimes hilly, side streets.

The Seaport precinct on the CBD fringe is lively with its marina, cafes, restaurants and river boardwalk, while spectacular Cataract Gorge, with its chairlift rides, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and City Park with its Japanese macaque monkeys are all popular leisure destinations.

Launceston is home to several excellent restaurants including Stillwater, Black Cow Bistro (which specialises in Tasmanian grass-fed steaks), Pierre's, Smokey Joe's Creole Cafe, Mud, Brisbane Street Bistro, Me Wah and the Terrace at Country Club Tasmania.

For kicking back and relaxing, PX Tapas, Burger Got Soul, Elaia Cafe, the Red Brick Cider House and Saint John are all popular with locals, while the James Boag Centre for beer lovers offers regular brewery tours and tastings. Garden of Vegan and Fresh offer vegetarian options.

Josef Chromy Wines

Launceston is also home to one of Australia's most quirky gourmet stores; Davies Grand Central, where you can buy petrol and papers, deli goods and local wines 24 hours a day. So if you need a slice of quiche, or a good bottle of Tamar Valley pinot noir at 3am, no problem.

Another top destination for visitors wanting to take a few bottles home is the Pinot Shop, which features a wide range of boutique Tasmanian wines – including the producers featured on the show.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Launceston Travel & Information Centre. 1800 651 827. www.visitlauncestontamar.com.au.

Tamar Valley Wine Route: www.tamarvalleywineroute.com.au.

STAYING THERE

The Hatherley Birrell Collection offers a choice of five styles of luxury apartments in Launceston, within a short drive of the vineyards. All are beautifully decorated and offer the most upmarket accommodation in town. Check out the two chic new garden pavilions. www.hatherleybirrell.com.au. Other good options include the Hotel Charles, Peppers Seaport and Balmoral on York. 

People of the Vines is broadcast nationally on TEN at 1pm on Saturdays. 

# The writer was assisted by Tourism Tasmania and hosted by the Hatherley Birrell Collection and a version of this story originally appeared at www.traveller.com.au/new-tv-series-follows-winemakers-of-tamar-valley-tasmania-11ieg1. 

Back on the rails: One of Tasmania's most dramatic travel experiences

After months of uncertainty, followed by grindingly slow bureaucratic meanderings, Tasmania’s West Coast Wilderness Railway is moving full steam ahead in time for the peak summer tourism season. 

The steam train, which travels between the coastal fishing port of Strahan and the mining town of Queenstown of Tasmania's west coast, has launched two new itineraries for passengers keen to explore the rugged and largely untamed countryside - and the steepest rail line in the Southern Hemisphere. 

A restoration of the Mount Lyell Mining line built in 1896 to export copper from Queenstown, the 34.5 kilometre line was a feat of remarkable engineering but was closed in 1969. 

Reopened as tourist attraction in 2002, it features new carriages fitted out with Tasmanian native timbers and modelled on the original carriages.

It closed again last year after the operators handed in their license following damage to part of the track. 

Now backed by the state government, the Wilderness Railway boasts four steam locomotives, including ABT 1, which dates back to 1896. 

They are used to pull the train, which crosses the King River and several dramatic rainforest gorges, using a rack-and-pinion system to conquer the steep gradients.

The journey has been described as one of the world’s few remaining authentic railway experiences and passengers are able to disembark at fascinating old mining settlements.

From December 15, the Queenstown Explorer will depart on Mondays and Tuesday mornings from Strahan’s original harbourside Regatta Point station returning to Strahan around 6pm.

During the trip, guests will have the chance to explore the historic mining town of Queenstown and to try their luck panning for gold. 

The Queenstown Explorer experience is available for $149 per adult and $65 per child or $335 for a family of up to two adults and two children in a heritage carriage.

More upmarket are the wilderness carriages, which cost $195 per adult and $110 per child with sparkling wine on arrival, morning tea, buffet lunch and afternoon tea. 

For visitors looking for a shorter journey, the new half day River and Rainforest experience starts operation on December 17. 

This afternoon journey, available Wednesday to Friday, offers a relaxing ride from Strahan (pictured below), taking in harbour views as the locomotive follows the foreshore and then the river as it journeys deep into the wilderness. 

Heritage carriage tickets are available for $95 per adult and $40 per child or $220 for a family of up to two adults and two children. 

Or guests can enjoy the luxury of a first-class experience for $135 per adult and $70 per child which includes seats in a balcony carriage, sparkling wine or juice on arrival and a delicious high tea served during the journey.

West Coast Wilderness Railway general manager Michael Saville said the new experiences follow an extensive upgrade of the track.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer passengers the chance to experience the complete railway experience which makes up an important historical part of Tasmania’s West Coast," he said, pinpointing an injection of around $12 million from the former Federal Government and the Tasmanian State Government. 

Around 12,000 sleepers, many kilometres of track and one of the 40 bridges have been replaced. Having enjoyed the journey in the railway's previous incarnation I can strongly recommend it. 

For information and bookings on the West Coast Wilderness Railway phone (03) 6471 0100, visit www.wcwr.com.au, or email enquiries@wcwr.com.au.

Every gourmet region needs a boutique hotel like this one

Choosing a boutique hotel in a gourmet region of country Australia can be a process fraught with danger. 

Many rural Australian properties promise a lot more than they can deliver; sometimes offering untrained staff, rooms that need a good renovation (although they look good on the website) and restaurants that are only open on certain days of the week, or when guest numbers are high enough. Otherwise it can be pub grub or no grub. 

That's why staying at Lindenwarrah in Milawa, north-east Victoria, last weekend, was such a pleasure - and pleasant surprise.

From a cheerful check-in to excellent buffet breakfast and well-equipped rooms, thoughtful touches like a personalised greeting card in the rooms, jars of colourful macarons and umbrellas at the ready when it was raining, this is a boutique hotel that gets the details right.

Part of the Lancemore Group, Lindenwarrah was opened across the road from Brown Brothers in 2001. It is an ideal base from which to explore the Milawa Gourmet Region and the neighbouring King Valley - and is less than three hours' drive from Melbourne and just a short detour from the Hume Highway linking Melbourne and Sydney. 

There are 40 guest rooms here, an on-site restaurant and bar, a swimming pool and day spa. The reception staff are a fount of local knowledge and can recommend the best local cellar doors and eateries.

Staff are generally alert. I noticed the breakfast buffet was constantly being monitored to make sure nothing ran out, and a request for an extra bath towel proved no problem. 

The only complaint I had was a very minor one; insufficient morning newspapers when the hotel was busy at the weekend. 

Restaurant Merlot, overlooking vineyards, is open daily for breakfast (which runs until 10am at weekends) and for dinner every night bar Monday serving "modern Australian cuisine". There is a range of local wines by the glass. 

The buffet breakfasts were excellent (the mushrooms are outstanding) and there are bicycles for hire to work off any excesses.

There is free wi-fi throughout the property (great to see) and a good selection of brochures and travel magazines. 

Rooms overlook either the vines or a garden with ponds; and several share a balcony area with chairs that are perfect for taking in the sunset with a good book. All have king-size beds, high ceilings and modern furniture, writing desks, flat-screen TVs and mini bars. 

Lindenwarrah, Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road, Milawa, Victoria. 
(03) 5720 5777. www.lancemore.com.au/lindenwarrah