A Review of Our Stay at Balgownie Estate, Yarra Valley
- Ava Lyn
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley
1309 Melbourne Highway
Yarra Glen, VIC 3775
Australia
For the first time whilst travelling around Yarra Valley, we decided to do something different and stay at a vineyard instead of a bed and breakfast. Our typical choice is always a bed and breakfast because we would get the whole place to ourselves and also access to a full kitchen. However, our trip to Yarra Valley this time was just one night so we went with a resort type of accomodation at Balgownie Estate instead.
Location
Located just one hour drive away from Melbourne, Balgownie Estate is an award winning estate that is really beautiful. You see the rolling hills in the distance and it is complete with contemporary and large rooms.
Our Stay
We booked in the One Bedroom Suite for a rate at 400 AUD. The room is approximately 55 sqm and upon check in, we were told to park in a separate block where the accomodation was located. The accomodations were spread across 6 different buildings and 2 levels. Do note though that if you are located on the upper floor, you would have to carry your bags up the flight of stairs.
The toilets were also very spacious and beautifully simple. We enjoyed that very much, though at times, thought it would have been a much better experience if we had a tub as well.
Because Balgownie Estate is located on a hill in Yarra Glen, it has a gorgeous vantage point of the vineyards and also an outstanding view of the hot air balloons in the distance. We loved that it was our first view upon waking up.
Facilities
Balgownie Estate features a small indoor pool as well as a fitness center as well as a separate area for Endota Spa for massages and wellness packages. We checked the spaces out but decided after a long day on the roads, to retreat to our room for some well deserved rest instead.
One of the standouts of staying at Balgownie Estate is that guests are treated to a free wine tasting session called Group Splash Tasting in a private area within the Cellar door to try a curated selection of the estate's wine with a very generous pour by the sommelier. They also provided discounted rates of their wines for staying customers. Remember to book this early or when checking in to ensure you get a slot.
The onsite restaurant 1309 at Balgownie offers both a set course and a degustation menu for dinner. However, we were completely stuffed from our day of eating around Yarra Valley and decided to have some oysters and a charcuterie board at the bar which was equally beautiful. Whilst not exceptional quality, we enjoyed having an attached restaurant and not having to head out for a meal.
Breakfast
Breakfast is included in the room rates and is served at 1309. We enjoyed our breakfast very much. A good selection of hot food and continental selections. And an absolutely gorgeous view of Yarra Valley with full length windows and sun rays streaming in. This is exactly how we envisioned our stay-cay to be like.
We didn't have any special offers or entitlements on this stay but it was nice that we tried something different this time round. After our stay, we certainly felt very refreshed.
Would We Recommend?
Maybe. It is not a type of stay we typically go for and there were some unfortunate inconveniences that we wouldn't typically have to experience at a self contained bnb, like hearing our neighbouring units when they were in the balcony or loitering around the lobby to get attention for check out. However, it is also extremely convenient to have an attached restaurant, vineyard, spa and breakfast sorted out for your stay. So if you value convenience, this will be your type of accomodation. It is clean, everything is taken care off, and you get spectacular views of Yarra Valley. Not for us, but we see the appeal and had a good stay.
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