The Johnsons' Journal

For Queen’s birthday weekend this year we decided to visit the spa towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs about 2 hours north of Melbourne.  They are both known for their mineral springs, local cheese and produce, and good restaurants.

As I was looking for hotels in the area I found this Japanese style retreat and knew immediately that this was where I wanted to stay.   Designed as a traditional Japanese ryokan complete with tatami matting, cedar wood latticed screens, and futon bedding.  It also came with a complete japaense breakfast of salmon, rice, miso, and vegetables.

When we arrived we were asked to take off our shoes and use the slippers provided.  Then we were taken to our room and shown the summer kimonos provided for us to wear.  As we settled in green tea and cookies were brought by one of the Japanese staff.

Rock garden and dining room

Gardens at Shizuka Ryokan

That evening we opted to have a four-course dinner banquet brought to our guestroom in the traditional ryokan style.

Japanese syle dinner in our room

After dinner, we went back to the main dining room and lounge for dessert and tea while the staff set-up our futon for the evening.

Feeling refreshed in the morning we took our japanese style breakfast in the dining room.

Japanese Brekky

After breakfast we set off for a walk around the rural area the resort was set in. It was very relaxing and allowed us to clear our heads of all the stress from work and everything at home and got us ready to relax even more when we got our massages back at our resort.

After exploring Daylesford during the afternoon and touring an old convent/orphanage which has been turned into an art gallery, we dined at what was ranked one of the top country restaurants in Australia, Lake House.

Charger painted by the owner/chef's husband

The food was magnificent and it was too easy to eat too much but loved every moment of it. We immediately were planning our next trip back to sample some of their other wonderful dishes.

The next morning after another Japanese breakfast and a walk we toured more of the town and all the art galleries. On the way out of town we stopped by Cliffy’s Emporium which is a cafe and deli with lovely cheeses, smallgoods and other little delicacies. We shared a cheese plate, veggie plate and the duck pate.

Lunch at Cliffy's

It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend, and what we needed during the start of the cold winter.