It is always great to pack your bags and get away for a few days. This time around we stayed at the great Surfside Beach House on Phillip Island, Victoria. We fell in love with the closeness to nature and the nautical feel this place had. The house had 3 levels (top floor was a cosy little loft with ocean views and it was a favourite hangout spot for the kids who loved to spot birds with the binoculars).
The loved how the owners had styled this architectural gem. There were plenty of bespoke furnishing and the cool tiki influences was a nice touch. The kitchen and living was on the second floor which boasted large windows with lovely nature views. It was so easy to relax here and the dining table nook was our favourite spot to hang out and playing cards and share some lovely meals in the evening. It felt like you were down in the galley on a ship accompanied by the soft light in the roof and the stars outside the windows.
We also loved the assorted books that was available to read in the book shelves.
Before going on this holiday I had tried to find Jules Verne's 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea for my husband. He had mentioned he really wanted to read it again, but I ran out of luck finding it in my local book shops before leaving. As I was going through the books on the shelves, my eye caught a familiar name... and low and behold there it was..a original edition of Jules Vernes book! It was almost like it was meant to be that we came here. Needless to say my husband was absorbed by the book and finished reading it while we were there. We also read through some great architect inspirational sources like Frank Lloyd Wright and the kids loved reading Ray Harryhausen's Animated Life.
Fortunately for us this place was also pet friendly so we brought our cat Kirby (who honestly is more like a dog than a cat) who absolutely loved this place. He was glued to the windows and enjoyed the odd walk on the beach with the kids.
At night we set up our little portable projector and watched some old classic movies like The Black Hole and The City of the Lost Children. After our 4 days were up we sincerely wished we had a few more to stay... all the saltwater air and great views really put us in a relaxed state and we all agreed we would have to come back to this little gem of a place again very soon.