Mornington Peninsula: Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat

For the weekend we were in the Mornington Peninsula, we were extremely fortunate to be put up in absolutely gorgeous accommodation: Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat.

Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat
206 Bittern-Dromana Road
Merricks North
Ph: 0408 976 410
Website

Aah! Fliegenpilz! You may remember these from my mushroom-picking expedition in the Lorsch forest! We saw these as we came up the driveway of the property, and had to pull over and take some pictures.  (No eating though, because these are very, very poisonous!)

Fliegenpilz - deadly mushrooms, do not touch!

But aren't they just so pretty?

Fliegenpilz

When we arrived, the sun was just about to set and, thankfully, the rain had cleared up, so we were able to have a walk around the gardens with owner Sioned Rees Thomas.  Tussie Mussie was historically a functional rose farm, and has now been converted into boutique accommodation, with space for up to fourteen guests.

I love these views across the vineyard!

There were mushrooms sprouting up all over the place - they really thrive in the damp conditions!

Fliegenpilz

There was a big clump of (what I think are) pine mushrooms - I would have loved to pick them and have them for breakfast the next day, but I'm no mushroom expert so thought it was safer to leave them in the ground. Sioned says that you can often see little old ladies picking mushrooms on the side of the roads during mushroom season!

Pine (?) mushrooms

There are quite a few different areas across the property that guests can enjoy for meals or other functions. Below we have the Long Table - can you imagine how pretty it would be all covered in flowers and flickering lights for a wedding?

The Long Table

The Pizza Oven was actually here before the current owners bought the property, and it was one of the features that attracted them to it.

The Pizza Oven

You can hire a personal chef to cook dinner in the Vineyard Kitchen - or even cook in it yourself if you're feeling energetic!

The Vineyard Kitchen

The dining experiences are all created individually, so obviously prices would vary depending on what you're after.  According to Sioned, they can do everything from a casual pizza supper right up to a multi-course dinner with canapes and matching wines.

Now, as for the accommodation itself, we were staying in the gorgeous Old Laundry Room, a spacious, self-contained suite with its own entrance and a lovely outdoor seating area.

The suite actually was the laundry back when the property was a working farm, and the history of the room is reflected in its current decor.

Laundry decor

We were greeted by a veritable cornucopia of provisions: local cider, bread and marmalade, home made peach and nut muffins, muesli, coffee, tea, local apple juice, fresh eggs and more!  (Sausages and bacon were waiting in the fridge).

Breakfast provisions

Despite the rustic look, the suite was fully stocked with modern amenities, like a flat screen TV and DVD player with a little DVD library, a Nespresso machine, an air conditioner, a dishwasher, microwave, electric frying pan and a Neil Perry barbecue!

Given the weekend's wet and windy conditions, I was very impressed with the enclosed fireplace...

Fireplace

...and even more impressed by the heated floor in the bathroom!  Aaah... luxury!

Bathroom

And speaking of luxury, the incredibly fluffy goose-down doona and 1000-thread count cotton sheets were just heaven!

After a very early start and a long day, I was absolutely exhausted, and the bed was so super comfortable - if we didn't have dinner at Stillwater at Crittenden to get to, I could have very easily fallen asleep!  (That dinner will come up in my next blogpost).

To finish off this post, let me show you breakfast I had the next morning!

Yummy muesli, a sweet little muffin and an espresso, and I was all fired up and ready to start another day of touring and eating!

Sarah and Sandra stayed at Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat as guests of Mornington Peninsula Tourism.

This is the third post from my 2012 Mornington Peninsula Trip series.