 |
| Breakfast at Big Blue Backyard |
Big Blue Backyard
56 Paradise Drive
St Andrew's Beach, VIC 3941
Ph: (03) 5988-6011
I know it was a couple of months ago, but I'm super excited to be telling you about the wonderful B&B we stayed in during our weekend in the Mornington Peninsula: Big Blue Backyard. Big Blue Backyard offers boutique accommodation on secluded St. Andrew's Beach. As I mentioned in my round-up post of the weekend, it had been on my wish list for ages, ever since I came across it whilst absentmindedly Googling fabulous accommodation (I can't be the only one who does this, can I?). So I was beyond thrilled when Sandra surprised me with a weekend away there!
There are only three cabins (or hideaways) at Big Blue Backyard, each with their own theme, and we stayed in the "beach" hideaway. "Hideaway" really is the right word to use - it was so secluded, private, and peaceful. You can really tell it's a labour of love for owners Paul and Lisa - there is so much thought put into the little details, from homemade Anzac biscuits, to a personalised welcome message on a chalkboard, complimentary soft drinks and juice in the mini bar, a fragrant bouquet of rosemary flowers and more.
The cabins were built by Paul, using an eclectic mix of reclaimed materials.
 |
| Beach Hideaway |
 |
| Beach Hideaway |
 |
| Shower |
 |
| Double vanity |
I loved that the "beach" theme even extended to the choice of DVDs available. (P.S. The Life Aquatic and Whale Rider are two of my favourite films ever!)
 |
| DVDs |
Like my favourite lifestyle guru, Colin Cowie, I adore an outdoor shower, and this cabin came with its own outdoor shower and bath. So indulgent! Luckily the cabins are totally surrounded by trees and very private, tee-hee-hee!
 |
| Outdoor shower |
 |
| Outdoor Bath |
The property is technically on St. Andrew's beach, but it's a tricky walk through bushland without a proper path from the cabins down to the beach. This is fine if you fancy a little nature walk, but if you wanted to pop down to sunbathe and swim, it would be easier to take the longer walk (or drive!) down the road to the St Andrew's beach carpark with your gear.
You can have dinner made and brought to your cabin too. Based on the quality of the breakfasts, I'm sure the dinners would be excellent, but we decided to skip it on this trip - you see, you have to order a dish and dessert to share, and the menu at the time didn't have anything that we thought we'd both enjoy equally. (The perils of being a pair of fussy foodies!) The dinners are priced at $160 a couple, including canapés, main and dessert to share, which sounds expensive but is actually quite reasonable when you consider that for each meal, Paul and Lisa would have to go out marketing, prepare the meal specifically for each couple, and bring it to the cabin. (They'd also never make more than three meals at once, so wouldn't benefit from bulk discounts from their suppliers). Perhaps next time!
So, apart from the fabulous breakfasts, the dinners at Wunderbar and Port Phillip Estate, and the brief visits to different shops that I told you about in my round-up post, we did very, very little. It was bliss! Our mobiles didn't have reception, so we were totally unplugged, and just relaxed at the cabin - reading books, drinking tea and eating biscuits, and watching TV. I also got to unleash my inner child by colouring in the arty colouring book they provided as a guest book. Fun!
Speaking of relaxation, we did get massages - you can have local massage therapists come to the accommodation. It was a mild and sunny day, so the masseuse set up her table on the deck outside, and played some relaxation music while we had our massages. Lovely! While Sandra was having her massage I decided to do some yoga in the cabin, which was so nice and peaceful with the relaxation music going in the background. I've always wanted to be one of those annoyingly smug people who exercises and practices yoga whilst on holiday, haha! Whilst we were checking out, I was having a chat with owner Lisa, and she told me that she does Iyengar yoga too. Amazing. A lady who owns a luxury gourmet B&B and practices yoga? I want to be her!
Obviously, we totally loved the Big Blue Backyard and had the most wonderfully relaxing weekend there. It was quite expensive, at almost $500 a night, and I had been looking forward to it for ages, so I was a little nervous that it might not live up to expectations, but I'm pleased to say that we loved it! I definitely recommend it!
 |
| St. Andrew's Beach |
 |
| St. Andrew's Beach |
 |
| St. Andrew's Beach |
One of the distinguishing features of Big Blue Backyard is their breakfast offering. You just let Lisa know what time you'd like breakfast, and it appears right on time. Both mornings, we were greeted with massive trays of freshly cooked breakfasts - omelettes, bacon, roast cherry tomatoes, fruit salad, warm bread and croissants and more. Wow! I was seriously impressed! I just felt bad we couldn't finish it all. (Although you can be assured I gave it a red hot go!)
 |
| Omelets, roast cherry tomatoes, bacon |
 |
| Fruit Salad |
 |
| Breakfast |
 |
| Breakfast take 2 |
You can have dinner made and brought to your cabin too. Based on the quality of the breakfasts, I'm sure the dinners would be excellent, but we decided to skip it on this trip - you see, you have to order a dish and dessert to share, and the menu at the time didn't have anything that we thought we'd both enjoy equally. (The perils of being a pair of fussy foodies!) The dinners are priced at $160 a couple, including canapés, main and dessert to share, which sounds expensive but is actually quite reasonable when you consider that for each meal, Paul and Lisa would have to go out marketing, prepare the meal specifically for each couple, and bring it to the cabin. (They'd also never make more than three meals at once, so wouldn't benefit from bulk discounts from their suppliers). Perhaps next time!
 |
| A good book, the paper, a cup of coffee, a colouring book and a home made Anzac biscuit |
So, apart from the fabulous breakfasts, the dinners at Wunderbar and Port Phillip Estate, and the brief visits to different shops that I told you about in my round-up post, we did very, very little. It was bliss! Our mobiles didn't have reception, so we were totally unplugged, and just relaxed at the cabin - reading books, drinking tea and eating biscuits, and watching TV. I also got to unleash my inner child by colouring in the arty colouring book they provided as a guest book. Fun!
 |
| Beach Hideaway |
Speaking of relaxation, we did get massages - you can have local massage therapists come to the accommodation. It was a mild and sunny day, so the masseuse set up her table on the deck outside, and played some relaxation music while we had our massages. Lovely! While Sandra was having her massage I decided to do some yoga in the cabin, which was so nice and peaceful with the relaxation music going in the background. I've always wanted to be one of those annoyingly smug people who exercises and practices yoga whilst on holiday, haha! Whilst we were checking out, I was having a chat with owner Lisa, and she told me that she does Iyengar yoga too. Amazing. A lady who owns a luxury gourmet B&B and practices yoga? I want to be her!
Obviously, we totally loved the Big Blue Backyard and had the most wonderfully relaxing weekend there. It was quite expensive, at almost $500 a night, and I had been looking forward to it for ages, so I was a little nervous that it might not live up to expectations, but I'm pleased to say that we loved it! I definitely recommend it!
Posts
5 comments
What a beautiful beautiful location! I'd love to stay somewhere like this, if only for the novelty of having an outside bath. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the accommodation! What a great indoor and outdoor shower :D I'ma ll about staying in and enjoying a space :D
ReplyDeleteOmg totally in love with the outdoor bath and shower. And no you're not the only one to google fabulous accommodation!
ReplyDeleteSo so beautiful! The outdoor bath looks really cool. Plus great looking food - sounds like a pleasant holiday.
ReplyDeleteI'm so so so glad you did this post even though it's a couple of months late and haha my posts are always later than yours :P I've already saved this place because I'm looking for a few places to go for staycations hehe can never stay in one place :)
ReplyDeleteNew comments are not allowed.