Hotel Name: Loaring Place Bed & Breakfast Dates of Stay: 24-Apr-2009 - 25-Apr-2009 Site Rates To Go - www.ratestogo.com Customer Comments: We had such a good time, we will be coming back again

Jim & Devika, Sydney, 29/5/09. Thank you Dirk for a wonderful stay and your recommendations of local sights. Best wishes for the future success of your venture.

Hotel Name: Loaring Place Bed & Breakfast Dates of Stay: 04-Apr-2009 - 06-Apr-2009 Site Rates To Go - www.ratestogo.com Customer Comments: Beautiful place, very friendly owners. Nice breakfast. Rooms are tidy, very nice bathroom with spa!

Hotel Name: Loaring Place Bed & Breakfast Dates of Stay: 08-Apr-2009 - 09-Apr-2009 Site Rates To Go - www.ratestogo.com Customer Comments: This is an excellent B & B. It is newly built and the bed rooms are very well appointed, with double spa bath and twin hand basins etc. Great lounge area for relaxing and the breakfasts were excellent. The muffins to have with a cup of tea or coffee were a nice treat. Overall what is shown on the web site is very accurate and we would highly recommend this B & B for those looking for a quite and relaxing location with good and friendly service.

Hotel Name: Loaring Place Bed & Breakfast Dates of Stay: 04-Apr-2009 - 06-Apr-2009 Site Rates To Go - www.ratestogo.com Customer Comments: it was a very nice room with great facilities, nice bathroom with lovely spa bath! Everything was very well done, great service and style of the room! Would definitly recommend it!

Breony & Andrew, Collie, 27/5/09. Thankyou Dirk & Pam for the lovely three nights we spent with you. Coming back here after a day out has been a great experience, relaxing, enjoyable and peaceful. We will definitely be recommending you to our friends and family. Great room, good breakfast and of course the spa!!. Thank you.

Tim, Cairns (soon to be Arakun), 27/5/09. Thank you for two totally relaxing nights. Had a fantastic time checking out the local surf breaks & looked forward to coming back to the B&B each night....to thaw out! Thanks again & all the best. Will hopefully return over the next 12 months.

Kangaroo in the garden

This morning there were some kangaroos out the back, having a nibble on the lawn. When I went out later to pick some chives and parsley for the scrambled eggs that I was making for a guest, I noticed the tops of the parsley had been neatly clipped. The roos had also eaten the tips of some native plant seedlings that Pam had planted on the weekend.

Providore, Chocolate Factory and Gaby's Muesli Factory

Went to the Providore for lunch today. This is a restaurant on Harmans Road linked to the Coward & Black vineyard and also linked to the next door Margaret River Chocolate Factory. The restaurant has a garden attached to it and produces a range of condiments and olive oils as well.

I had an artichoke and potatoe pie with a lovely salad and Pam had a salad, both very good, as well as a bottle of their SSB 08 that was very refreshing. The setting amongst a vineyard was very peaceful and the service excellent.

The Chocolate Factory has recently been enlarged with an enourmous show room full of ...things made of chocolate - what else! You can stuff yourself silly on little buttons of chocolate tasters which makes you feel warm and generous so you immediately go a buy some chocolate for later or for a friend.

Gaby's nut and cerial factory makes toasted muesli that we serve for our guests. It is a very fresh and a lovely blend and I've arranged to get it wholesale which will be better for us as we have just been getting it from the supermarket before.

Tracey & Dave, ACT, 22/5/09. We have really enjoyed our stay in Margaret River and especially at the lovely Loaring Place. The whole place is immaculate and we especially loved our room with all its special little pleasures and comfy bed. A big thankyou to Dirk for his friendliness and helpful touring advice - much appreciated. Thank you.

Sylvia, Mei & Eunice, Perth & HK, 22/5/09. Thanks for giving us a chance to share this beautiful place. A lovely place, a peaceful and happy stay.

Judy & Max, Auckland, N.Z. 21.05.9. This is a beautiful place, bush setting very special. We have been very well looked after, very comfortable - luxury! Many Thanks.

Good Rains

66mm of rain from a very windy night. 9 guests for breakfast this morning so quite busy. 

A Canadian lass and her big beau (Patricia and Mark) were going back to Canada but were already planning to stay here again in September with some friends.

Dani & Si, UK, 19/5/09. Lovely place to stay with lots of information on local attractions. Lovely location & warm welcome especially from Casey. Thank you.

MTB

This is the near the mouth of the Margaret River, with the coast behind me and looking East. I'm standing on the cliffs that have given the area its name - Wallcliffe. The house that the Bussells built is on the right, but it has been substantially modified, most recently by Michael Chaney.

Siying has sent in some pictures she took of Eske, Casey, her Mum and Dad and some roos out the front.

Early morning sunlight through the smoke haze, looking at the forest through our kitchen window. The smoke was from a bushfire 50km away.

Bunny Orchids

Five Bunny Orchids have appeared in the last week along our front drive and two are just by the front entrance. These are the first orchids to appear.  Soon there will be lots of orchids to investigate. On our block are 5 different spider orchids, Cowslip orchids, rattlebeaks, enamel orchids as well as lobelias and many trigger plant species.

Don & Fiona, Houston/Perth, 15/5/09. This place is much like our house in Houston on 6 acres. It is really nice to see the stars so clearly. Such a great location, close to everything. Thanks for the very nice friendly reception, great breakfast, great room, etc. Thanks and best of luck.

Gerry & Meg, Canberra, 15/5/09. The perfect place to relax after days of visiting the many great tourist attractions in the area. Great hospitality and food. Thanks for everything. Hope to come again!

David & Chris, Adelaide, 14/5/09. We have thoroughly enjoyed the unique hospitality and tranquillity of our stay. A warm welcome after our 3 day Cape to Cape [walk] . . . . Luxury. Casey won't forget the boot incident in a hurry. Thanks for it all!! . . .  We'll be back!  P.S. We forgive Casey!!

Jo-Anna & Matthew, Canberra, 13/5/09. Such a lovely place! We were delighted to spend three days here, and we hope to come back for more adventures. I love the special touches in the room - the blanket, bath salts, soaps etc. and we really appreciate your help and advice Dirk. I'm sure your B&B will be very successful. Best wishes.

Peter, Vic Park, WA, 11/5/09. Was in Capel on a project and have always wanted to visit the SW - so on the advice of some friends ended up here! Enjoyed the new and varied scenery. The bed was warm and the hot tubs a refuge after a day of walks or cycling. Also enjoyed the wide-ranging talks with Dirk & his scrambled eggs on toast. Looking forward to visiting the area again! Cheers.

Breakfast

The most important meal of the day is almost a four course affair at Loaring Place!














Start with some muesli, poached fruit and Margaret River yogurt then move on to a gourmet cooked Australian breakfast complete with mushrooms, bacon, sausage, free range eggs cooked to order all served with herbs and vegetables fresh from the Loaring Place garden.

If you still have room, treat yourself to some freshly baked muffins before you head out for a day of sight seeing.















What you don't eat, Casey gladly will! Here she is enjoying poached eggs in her very own Royal Doulton doggy bowl - she's certainly more spoilt that she was on the sheep farm!

Wildlife

The Margaret River region is renowned for beautiful landscapes featuring unique flora. Loaring Place has a variety of beautiful flowers in the peaceful bush surrounding the Bed and Breakfast - nature on your doorstep.

Accommodation

Loaring Place has four luxury rooms, each with en-suite, double spa and private courtyard

Roger & Laura, Gold Coast, 7/8/09. Very relaxing and enjoyable stay.

Jennie & Steve, Box Hill, Melbourne, 7-8/5/09. Thanks for a lovely time. Enjoyed the beautiful room and Breakfast.

Siying + family, Singapore, 8/5/09. A beautiful place! Thank you for being such great hosts! 

Eric & Angie, KL, 7/5/09. Thanks for a great stay. Rooms very well appointed and hospitality exceptional. Will definitely recommend you to my friends.

Courtney & Luke, Sydney, 7/5/09. Thank you for your hospitality during our stay. The room was extremely comfortable & the setting very rexaxing. We will definitely recommend your place to others visiting Margaret River. Thanks again!

Kangaroos in the garden

It's been a busy week so far. Siying with her brother and mom and dad from Singapore stayed only the one night and wanted to do so much, but quickly learnt to relax a bit and just enjoy the moment. A bad moment was this morning when they went out the front door about 8.00am. In the garden were three kangaroos. I wanted to throw a stick at them and shoo them away, but of course the Singaporeans got out their cameras and were ooing and ahhing at how pretty they were. Later on when Pam was watering the garden, she noticed three native seedlings had been reduced to stalks.  I guess the experience gained by the visitors outweighs the cost of the seedlings, so we just have to factor in the cost of the damage by kangaroos as a cost of business.

Eric and Angie from KL had a good time here and they covered a lot of ground during their 3 night stay. Pity he had a few smokes outside and put the buts in the bin in the bathroom.  I had to clean the bin really thoroughly with lots of disinfectant and it still smells a bit. So far I have resisted putting signs out but may have to do that in the end.

Last Wednesday I went for a horse ride with Terry in Karridale. He has two horses and loves to go riding. We went around a blue gum plantation and had a few canters and gallops, just enough for me to notice this morning a few aches that I can attribute to the riding, which is great. No pain - no gain.  Will definitely go again next week.

Ben from Tasmania stayed last night, having checked out of a resort at Prevelly that was not to his liking. He flies a Cessna over all the big cities for Virtual Earth taking detailed aerial photographs and is doing Perth at the moment. He had a few days off while his plane was being serviced and so came down for a bit of surfing. He seemed very happy with his room and was looking forward to coming back again.

Had Dereck the bob cat driver come and re-surface the drive at our front entrance. He put some finer gravel down and after wetting it, ran over it to really compact it and bring the clay to the surface and make it smoother than it was before.  We have really dry, warm weather at the moment so it will dry in a few days and we can use it again. The re-planted lawn is requiring lots of hand watering at the moment also.

Kylie & Stewart, Esperance, 3/5/09. Thank you very much for your great hospitality. Our stay was absolutely lovely.

Vintage Stomp at Voyager

Had a wonderful time at Voyager Estate this afternoon. The Vintage Stomp is like a village fair and held on the grounds of the magnificent Voyager Estate. There was a stage with school kids doing songs and dances, bands playing (Italian theme) with Black Nonas and other singing groups. Lots of fun for the kids and a tasting area and lots of food. Voyager had a tent serving seared whiting on polenta and parmisan slices also fried on the BBQ, olive tapenade and a salad, absolutely superb, washed down with a Cowaramup Brewery dark ale. Pam had a spinach canelloni and salad washed down with Cape Grace Chenin Blanc. Also all very good.

The weather was great and it was sad we had to leave. Pam caught the bus back to Perth and I am now on my own again with lots of work to do.

Question from guest Re Cape Leeuwin and wineries

Dear Dirk,
 
I am sorry to bother you on some questions.
Could you kindly advise me on the below:
 
- how long does a drive to Cape Leeuwin (from Loaring Place) takes?
-  what time does the sun usually set nowdays?
- Would it be difficult getting dinner after 7pm? Which wineries are open for dinner?
- Any special winery worth recommending?
 
Thank you for your time. 

Best Regards

Siying 

My reply:

It is only a 30 minute drive from MR to Augusta on Bussel Highway but about 45 minutes via caves road. But there are lots of things to see and do on Caves Rd such as visit Lake Cave or Jewel Cave, the Boranup Karri Forest, Hamelin Bay.

 

The Leeuwin Lighthouse is 5 minutes from Augusta and there are tours to climb to the top and see the old lamp workings.

 

The sun sets at 5.30pm. Go to http://www.bigpond.com/weather/ and type in 6285 in the bar that says "My Weather" and Postcode or suburb.

 

Many of our guests make a day trip, having lunch in Augusta after visiting a cave and the lighthouse. They then drive up Warner Glen Rd (which goes through beautiful countryside) and visit the Rockfield Estate Winery (which has won many awards) and the Berry Farm, which does beautiful afternoon teas in the gardens of an old farmhouse, and there are lots of jams, pickles, chutneys and sauces to taste, as well as more wines.

 

No problem getting dinner in town on Thursday night after 7.00pm. There are many restaurants open til 8.30pm and the town is only 5 minutes away. Only problem is whoever is driving will have to watch how much wine they drink as police are hot on drink-driving.

 

I can prepare a dinner as well to your requirements, then you do not have to drive. Cost is $35 per head 2 courses and $45 per head 3 courses. You will have to give me a day's notice and let me know what you would like (anything is possible - sort of). We have a lovely lounge/dining room.

 

No wineries are open for dinner on a Sunday night. Most of the wineries close at 4.30, a few at 5pm.

 

All the wineries here are very good and a large number have fabulous resaurants open for lunch. Just around the town are Cape Mentelle, Voyager, Leeuwin, Xanadu, Redgate, Edwards, and then another 80 or so to choose from.  It is a problem that people ask which is the best winery or best restaurant. All are very good and you will not be disappointed at any of them.

 

People come and stay with us for 3 days and still have only just scratched the surface of all the great places to visit. When you come, we will see how you feel and what you would like to do and I will suggest an itinerary that hopefully will accommodate you all. 

Gerad & Taryn, Johannesburg, SA, 01/05/09. Your B&B has a fantastic setting! Thank you for the wonderful food and great hospitality. [A kangaroo hopped out of the bush and had a look at them while they were having breakfast this morning]

Tempranillo

Gerard and Taryn left to fly back to Joannesburg tonight. They had booked in for only one night and were going to go to Pemberton but decided to stay another night and see more of the region. 

Had a mens only pizza night last night while the girls went to a quiz night. Terry brought a Stella Bella 06 Tempranillo which is lovely and fruity, we then moved on to Vasse Felix 08 Tempanillo which  is smoother and then Thornhill 07 Tempranillo which was so good I had to open another bottle. I could a couple of pizzas which went down well, and then Terry and Graham rounded off the evening with a glass of port. 

About this time we got a desparate call from the girls that they had been abandoned in town as Pam had shot off home without them. Sure enough 5 minutes later Pam arrived and realised her mistake, so she had to fly back into town and pick them up. All the girls were very cold by this stage as the temperature had really dropped (4 deg this morning) and they quickly poured Graham and Terry into the car for their drive back to Augusta.  

Pam made me sleep in the spare room which was a good thing as I woke up at 1.30 and had a technicolour yawn and then snored so much I have a sore throat this morning on top of my headache.