Our Top 5 Family Friendly Mornington Peninsula Activities

Left to it we could go on all day about how fabulous the Mornington Peninsula is – not just in terms of landscape (we have the ocean and so much green shrubbery for shade and camping adventures galore) but also in terms of amenities for families.

As you’d expect from a popular tourist area like Mornington Peninsula there are too many paid for and voluntary family friendly activities and attractions to list them all. So we’ve put together a list of our top five favourite attractions for families, we hope you enjoy them when you stay with us!

1. The Enchanted Maze Garden

Kids and adults alike will love this huge Mornington Peninsula adventure park with:

• not one but three hedge mazes;


• two huge slides with inflatable tubes;


• an artificial ski slope;


• a host of themed gardens and;


• an outdoor sculpture park


• (not to mention a 3D indoor maze).

We predict you and your family will end up spending a whole day here. And probably come back the following day for more fun.

2. Gunnamatta Trail Rides

These trail rides are a horse lovers dream and a great attraction for both adults and kids since both can join in. Even the beginner rider can enjoy a canter or two on a pony if the horses prove too big and scary. This beauty of this horse riding activity is that it’s done on the beach with the atmospheric roar of the waves in the background.

3. Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne

These stunning gardens – now six years old – with more than 170,000 individual native plants are designed in an unusual and dramatic way. Main attractions are:

• the Lily Pad Bridge;


• the Eucalypt Walk and;


• the impressive modern water system.

There is no entry fee and the whole family will have fun trying to spot native birds and lizards (even snakes). Pop on the little cart which takes you round when you start to feel tired or enjoy lunch in the impressive café.

4. Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park

This wildlife park holds thrilling and magical guided tours by lantern light and which are certainly worth letting the kids stay up late for. During the day time there’s the opportunity to meet kangaroos, koalas, wombats and dingoes. Bring along the camera too to capture the amazingly colourful birds on show. You definitely don’t want to miss this one.

5. Frankston Beach

The kids will love viewing the life-sized sand sculptures at this popular family friendly beach. With clean sand and designated safe swimming areas (as well as supervision by lifeguards) this is the perfect place to while away the hours. There’s also a pleasant local café to lunch in if, like us, you don’t fancy sand in your sandwiches. You might even be lucky enough to see a skim board competition while you’re there.

The above are just a handful of some of the fantastic family attractions we have right here on the Mornington Peninsula. For more information on these and to find out about our holiday rentals then please do get in touch with us here at our Mornington Peninsula accommodation.

 

Photo www.enchantedmaze.com.au

Our Top 5 Family Friendly Mornington Peninsula Activities

Rescued...Rehabilitated...Rehomed: Ocean Blue Supports Rescued With Love

Ocean Blue Coastal Retreats is proud to support the Melbourne based charity Rescued With Love. Rescued With Love is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers who take in small dogs from pounds and shelters and look after them in their own homes. The dogs have their vet work done and learn (or re-learn) how to be well mannered and loved pets, then they are adopted out to good homes.

Since our pet friendly accommodation on Mornington Peninsula welcomes dogs of all kinds, the work Rescued With Love does is close to our hearts!

Charli Enjoys Our Pet Friendly Accommodation

The difference Rescued With Love makes to abandoned dogs’ lives is extraordinary. You can read more about the care and attention received on their Dog Diary blog.

We help out whenever we can with their fundraisers and we often have new owners bring their rescued dogs to stay at our pet friendly accommodation on Mornington Peninsula  for some added pooch pampering.

Just recently we were pleased to host Charli an ex-Rescued With Love dog and her new owners who stayed for a weekend in St Ives, one of our Blue Moon Cottages. It was Charli’s first holiday and she loved the freedom of  the big back yard for playing ball. She also enjoyed dipping her paws in the ocean, though she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first!

Support Rescued With Love

Dogs like Charli who are adopted by loving families are Rescued With Love’s success stories, but there are many other dogs that desperately need the support of kind hearted benefactors. The following are some of the ways that you can help support Rescued With Love:

• 
  

  donation;

  
  


• 
  

  membership;

  
  


• 
  

  knit a dog sweater;

  
  


• 
  

  buy a RWL scarf, t.shirt or hoodie;

  
  


• 
  

  buy animal themed jewellery;

  
  


• 
  

  sponsor a foster dog.

  
  

You can find out more details about Rescued With Love and other organisations we support via our pet friendly accommodation Mornington Peninsula. We look forward to seeing you and your pets soon at Ocean Blue!

 

Photo by Rescued With Love

Rescued...Rehabilitated...Rehomed: Ocean Blue Supports Rescued With Love

Mornington Peninsula Luxury Accommodation Ensures A Warm Welcome

It’s always important to us to receive feedback from our guests about their stay in our Mornington Peninsula luxury accommodation. A while back we published a post about what guests say about our holiday rentals and one item that stood out is how much guest love the welcome they receive at our pet friendly accommodation.

First of all we pay attention to the small details, little things that help you to relax into your holiday such as:

• 
  

  turning on the lights in anticipation of your arrival;

  
  


• 
  

  making sure the property is adequately heated or cooled;

  
  


• 
  

  playing soothing music.

  
  

What’s In Your Welcome Pack?

On arrival at our Mornington Peninsula luxury accommodation you’ll also find a small welcome tray set up, we know how nice it is to relax with a hot drink after a long, tiring journey!

You’ll find refreshments such as tea, coffee etc. plus something taken from the garden. We put fresh milk in the fridge and the coffee is freshly ground for you to enjoy.

Since our beach houses and cottages are fully self-contained we’ve also included a basket of kitchen essentials: foil, gladwrap, washing liquid, new dishcloth, bin bags, scourer, gloves etc. All those necessary items that you need in a kitchen but don’t want to buy when you’re on holiday.

Good Value For Money

Our guests say a top reason for staying at Mornington Peninsula luxury accommodation are the extras included in the price, items such as:

• 
  

  fresh bedding and towels;

  
  


• 
  

  toiletries;

  
  


• 
  

  free WiFi;

  
  


• 
  

  provisions for pets;

  
  


• 
  

  entertainment: books, magazines, DVDs etc.

  
  

We pride ourselves on making your stay as comfortable as possible, so if there’s anything you need don’t hesitate to ask!

Loyalty Guest Membership

Guests who stay more than once at our Mornington Peninsula luxury accommodation can take advantage of the Beach Club Family Loyalty Membership. With this you’ll receive the following rewards depending on the number of times you stay:

• 
  

  a complimentary breakfast hamper;

  
  


• 
  

  a bottle of champagne;

  
  


• 
  

  special offers only available to Valued Members;

  
  


• 
  

  5%, 10% or 15% off all bookings.

  
  

For more details about the Beach Club Family Loyalty Membership or to book a holiday rental contact Mornington Peninsula luxury accommodation. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to one of our pet friendly properties for a rejuvenating and relaxing stay!

Mornington Peninsula Luxury Accommodation Ensures A Warm Welcome

Winter is a very special time on the Mornington Peninsula.  Staying at any one of our cottages and larger beach houses you will always find a fire, with plenty of logs and kindling for your stay.  The beaches are deserted and the scenery is spectacular.  Walk along the National Park and wonder at the coastline.  Walk or drive into Sorrento (depending on which property you are staying in) and have lunch by the fire at the Continental Hotel or Portsea Pub.  Visit the Peninsula Hot Springs and indulge in some mineral bathing.  Just perfect for winter, much better than the boiling hot days of summer.  This is when you need to soak in hot mineral water, when the ambient air temperature is below 20 degrees.

So what do we have for you:

Winter Weekend 3 for 2 Offer:
Stay for Friday, Saturday and Sunday and pay for only two nights.  Even if you have to get back to work on the Monday (Dammit!) make a day of it on the Sunday and leave very, very, very late!  Costs you nothing anyway.

Midweek Escape to the Hidden Mornington Peninsula:

Stay 4 nights Monday to Thursday and we will through in two Mornington Peninsula Attractions Passes, breakfast, Wine, Bathrobes and Slippers and a list of our hidden treasures! Things are are just not written down.

or in some of our larger properties stay for 4 nights midweek and only pay for three.

There is no excuse not to visit....come on you know you want to:

The moment we won!!

Blue Moon Cottages Wins Victorian Tourism Awards

We are very proud to announce that on Monday 14th November Blue Moon Cottages was outright winner of the Standard Accommodation Category in the Victorian Tourism Awards.

After hundreds of hours of work by the whole team at Blue Moon Cottages we were very proud of our submission and hoped to be recognised as a first entrant to this prestigious event but we were completely blown away when our name was called as outright winners.

It takes a lot of work by many, many people to ensure that the cottages that our guests stay in are as near perfect as we can possibly make them.

Our submission was focused on the history of the cottages and the fact that they have been around probably since the 1940's and until we took them over six years ago were being slowly run into the ground.  It has taken a lot of time and effort (not to mention money) to bring them slowly back up to beachside cottages that suit guests in 2011.  Not only have we installed air conditionig, new water heaters, additional heaters, completely overhauled the interior design, installed new kitchens, new roofs and in the case of the Shell Croft Cottage almost the entire structure, ensured the properties were put onto mains, installed a new driveway and landscaped gardens but we have taken the time to find the best staff and train them well.  They are proud of what we offer and put in 100% to get our cottages ready for our guests.

With strong core values:

1. Be consistent

2. Be creative

3. Be Honest and Open

4. Provide an harmonious environment

5. Act with integrity

6. Value and reward Loyalty

7. Embrace family - encourage a feeling of belonging

8. Seek and share Knowledge

we follow a strict customer service and environmental policy.

So, can we win the Nationals?  Anything is possible - can Blue Moon Cottages be the best Standard Accommodation in Australia.  We'll have to wait until March 2012 to have the answer to that question...Wish us luck.

The Art Scene

What a wonderful birthday last week.  Spent the afternoon at the wonderful Manyung Gallery.  Can't believe that I live only around the corner and I have never been.  The food at the cafe was glorious.  Large open log fires everywhere and the art and sculpture was amazing.  Didn't manage to get a pressie though - maybe next time.  Check out the fantastic artists.  The Mornington Peninsula really has a fantastic wealth of artists. Sooooo clever....one day maybe I could do the same.  Dream on!!!

www.manyunggallery.com.au