Our jolly crew of seven boards the luxury minibus waiting outside the Mercure Melbourne Doncaster, eager to set off on our progressive feast around the Yarra Valley.
Hailing from all over Australia, where the wines of Queensland's Granite Belt, Western Australia's Margaret River and the Hunter Valley in NSW are all roughly three hours by road from the capital cities, our group is pleasantly surprised when the bus pulls up at our first stop just 35 minutes into the trip.
The starter course for our day on a plate is waiting inside at the Yarra Valley Dairy, where a delectable array of artisan cheeses must compete for attention with the luscious fields-meet-mountains landscape.
The 160-hectare former dairy farm now produces soft cheeses by hand, with cow's milk supplied by nearby farms and goat's milk delivered from the neighbouring Mansfield region.
We gather in the former milking shed, now the dairy's shop, tasting room and cafe, where sampling sessions start at just $5 per person. Paired with locally-baked bread, the cheese, coffee and sweeping farmland views make a memorable first course.
Back on the bus, congratulating ourselves on newly-purchased cheese knives and brie dishes, it turns out we are all thinking the same thing. With stops at Four Pillars Distillery, Chandon, Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery, and Levantine Hill restaurant ahead of us, perhaps we should have gone easier on that moreish cheese.
Grapes were first planted here in 1838, with the area now celebrated for its chardonnay and pinot noir, plus a sprinkling of sparklings. Fresh produce also flourishes in the riverside paddocks and orchards with the area's food bowl bulging with cherries, oranges, berries and preserves.
Easy conversation and laughter on the bus is flowing now just as the sparkling wine soon will when we arrive at the world-famous Chandon vineyard, where flights of five different drops are lined up for us to taste. Located along the so-called golden mile, named for the land's suitability for growing premium grapes, this picturesque property is owned by French champagne house Moet and Chandon and is one of only six Chandon wineries in the world.
Our host Sam is a barrel of fun facts: according to a Melbourne university study a glass of champagne contains more than 11 million bubbles. To open a bottle of fizz properly, tradition requires you twist the bottle, not the cork, six-and-a-half times. (And for those now wondering, the wire that holds the cork in the bottle is called a muselet).
Chandon's grapevines flourish under the gaze of the Great Dividing Range, a panorama you can drink in from the restaurant, the lounge bar or the lawn if you opt for a signature garden picnic experience.
On to Levantine Hill Estate where our hosts generously pop a bottle of their highly prized 2018 Optume Shiraz for us to sample. It's $880 a bottle, and my red-wine-loving companions are excited to experience the drink created from grapes from five separate sources across the valley. The wine is so exclusive a purchase limit of two bottles applies for those with deep enough pockets to take it home. Lunch in Levantine's restaurant is a tasty collection of Mediterranean-inspired share plates and cheeses, plus we taste an array of Family Paddock wines matched with the food.
After a whip around a chocolate factory so delectable that it would inspire Willy Wonka, we are back in the hotel in no time. We're told this part of Melbourne is not only an easy launch pad for day trips like ours to the Yarra Valley, it's equally close to the Dandenong Ranges, a wellness and walking destination also famed for its historic steam-train rides through the rainforest.
My suite on a high floor of the Doncaster is spacious and sunny, with sweeping views across to the Dandenongs from both the bedroom and separate lounge area. I have a moment of genuine bathroom-decor envy and immediately run water into the freestanding bath.
Opened in December 2021, the hotel has a relaxed outdoor terrace, also with those mountain views, a smart yet casual eatery and a peaceful indoor-outdoor lap pool.
With the rise of remote working, hotel general manager Cameron Abbott says Doncaster and the surrounding eastern suburbs are thriving as a meetings and events hub, with the Mercure's six function spaces and terrace popular with locals as well as out-of-towners.
Serious shoppers keen to indulge in some retail therapy are also fans, says Abbott, with the hotel being less than a two-minute walk from Victoria's flagship Westfield shopping centre, home to premium boutiques, including Kate Spade, Chanel, Max Mara, Zimmerman and Armani.
Chadstone, Australia's largest shopping centre is also nearby, with 550 stores and its own hotel where we spend a blissful 60 minutes at the in-house spa, Holism Retreat. This is the place if you happen to be nursing an uncomfortable case of retail remorse brought on by overexcitement at the shops. There are dozens of tension-easing ways to help you clear the mind and focus on how the maths of cost-per-wear turns any purchase into a bargain.
For me the Mindful Massage was just the ticket - with a guided meditation playing through headphones while tight muscles are soothed on a heated table, it doesn't take long for total mind and body relaxation to kick in. The spa is a popular stop on girls' getaways to the shopping-mecca hotel with treatment packages that also include time in the jacuzzi and pool.
It turns out there is a lot to love about suburban hotels. And with the Melbourne CBD only 30 minutes away, a trip from Doncaster to the city's famous theatre district or the MCG is an easy train or taxi ride, meaning you can sample city attractions without having to face what can be eye-watering mid-city hotel-room rates.
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TRIP NOTES
Getting there: For Yarra Valley food and wine tour ideas, see visityarravalley.com.au
Staying there: Mercure Melbourne Doncaster, 6 Tower Street, Doncaster, has rooms from $229 per night, see all.com
Explore more: holism.com.au; visitmelbourne.com
The writer travelled courtesy of Accor.
