For all three nights in Margaret River, we stayed at Yallingup Luxury Retreat – a compound with five villas near Caves Road, and a short 20-minute drive from Dunsborough town centre.

I was surprised at how secluded and peaceful it was. There was no office on-site because the management did not want to intrude on the privacy and relaxation of guests so we did not have to go through the typical check-in process. Before we arrived, we were given instructions via e-mail to retrieve the key from a safe on our path to the villa. We did just that and led ourselves in.

In case you’re worried, a hotline will be provided in case of emergencies and you could even text their staff if you needed anything.

The whole retreat is set in tranquil surroundings and designed to exude calm and serenity. It was gorgeous but we were quite amused by the fact that we came all the way to Australia to stay in a Balinese villa. And in winter, no less.

It was only the two of us so we booked the Studio Pavilion and were assigned the smaller of two pavilions in Villa Moana. If you went in a bigger group, you could book the entire villa. It is fully self-contained with a king-sized bed, telly, kettle, refrigerator (stocked with complimentary milk, orange juice, yoghurt, muesli, bread, butter and preserves), etc.

There were full-length glass windows which stretched across both ends of the room and overlooks a little private courtyard. Beyond the courtyard lies the natural bushes and pastures that go on forever.

It’s lovely in the day but at night, I made sure the heavy blackout curtains were drawn completely because our bed was facing the windows. And I think it was meant to be that way so guests could wake up to a lovely view but I have this irrational fear that I would wake up in the middle of the night to the gnashing jaws of a T-Rex outside the window. Or snakes, or lions, or something worse. Don’t ask me why.

There was also a corner with a day bed which L used to do his reading/revision every night. Yes, he studied on a holiday because he had a paper to sit for right after.

The open-concept bathroom was huge. It came with His and Hers sinks, fluffy towels and luxurious toiletries.

It was truly a romantic escape. May be a little pricey as compared to the other accomodation options in Margaret River but, if you ask me, definitely worth the money. If you’re going in winter, do look out for winter deals on their website – it was the deal I got for our stay.

I’d definitely recommend that you check it out if you’re visiting Margaret River. In fact, I’m not the only one who thinks this is a great place to stay – there were nothing but rave reviews on Trip Advisor (which is quite remarkable).

Pity we never got to visit the Studio Gallery Bistro situated adjacent to the villas. We either went to late or on a day they weren’t open.

Nevermind, we’ll be back!
 

Read the rest of my Perth travelogue:
Part 1 – Tapping is home
Part 2 – City sights
Part 3 – Yallingup Luxury Retreat review
Part 4 – Winery-hopping in Margaret River
Part 5 – The other side of Margaret River
Part 6 – Busselton Jetty
Part 7 – Fremantle
Part 8 – Sorrento Quay & my birthday