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| Harvest Deli |
We departed Coffs Harbour earlier than planned, eager to get to our final destination. More importantly we were hopeful that an earlier arrival at Newrybar would give us a better chance of eating at the much hyped Harvest restaurant. It was not meant to be. We were there too early! We would have got a seat for all 10 of us had we been prepared to wait until the opening time of noon but we settled with coffee and munchies from the Harvest deli instead. The rain had given us a reprieve and we wanted to push on.
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| With good coffee in hand, we can do anything! |
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| Harvest had its own local garden for produce |
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| Christmas time means mince pies! Yum! |
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| Our lunch selection from the Harvest deli. Delicious freshly made and toasted sandwiches and Spanish omelette |
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| A very nice banana bread |
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| A special treat to take away |
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| The tiny quaint town had 2 very upmarket shops! |
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| Rustic playground |
Next up was Bangalow,a small pretty town known for its historical federation architecture. We wandered around and stocked up on snacks (on account of the predicted 5 days of rain...boo) before making tracks. We had an important appointment to keep...gin tasting at Cape Byron Distillery! By the time we arrived, the skies had opened up again. We were fortunate to be under the management of Fiona's organisation, who had the foresight to make the appointment. The distillery was only open on the weekends and this was going to be our only change to visit! We left the children in the car with food and water...and strolled in, prepared for some gin goodness. We walked out with a few bottles of gin goodies including a Cumquat gin aptly called Shirl the Pearl! That she is!
We timed our arrival at Elements of Byron to perfection. Because of Covid-19, guests are not allowed to check in earlier than 3pm and not allowed to use facilities prior to check in. We rolled up to reception right on 3pm. Unfortunately our villas were not remotely close to each other, but the mild disappointment soon dissipated when we saw the interiors of the 2 bedroom deluxe villas. We definitely hit the jackpot! If we were going to have be stuck indoors anywhere this would be the perfect place for it. This trip was booked on the back of a deal on the wellness package on offer earlier in the year which saw the price of the villa slashed dramatically. We were so glad we booked it! The villas were luxurious and well appointed with a complete kitchen, laundry, outdoor fully netted sitting area as well as an outdoor bath. I will add more photos of the resort facilities over the next few days.
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| Pretty & historic shopfronts of Bangalow |
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| Of course we all know of the CWA (Country Women's Association) but I had never actually seen a building! |
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| Matching handbags! |
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| Yeah we didn't see no superman coming out of that phonebooth... |
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| A very fancy schmancy "old-fashioned" pharmacy! |
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| It is gin time! |
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| The distillery with a backdrop of the family macadamia farm |
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| The G&T made with their dry gin and garnished with aniseed myrtle and finger lime. Yum! |
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| We had to share this so one of us could still legally drive... |
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| Cheers! We walked away with some cumquat gin called Shirl the Pearl! |
We timed our arrival at Elements of Byron to perfection. Because of Covid-19, guests are not allowed to check in earlier than 3pm and not allowed to use facilities prior to check in. We rolled up to reception right on 3pm. Unfortunately our villas were not remotely close to each other, but the mild disappointment soon dissipated when we saw the interiors of the 2 bedroom deluxe villas. We definitely hit the jackpot! If we were going to have be stuck indoors anywhere this would be the perfect place for it. This trip was booked on the back of a deal on the wellness package on offer earlier in the year which saw the price of the villa slashed dramatically. We were so glad we booked it! The villas were luxurious and well appointed with a complete kitchen, laundry, outdoor fully netted sitting area as well as an outdoor bath. I will add more photos of the resort facilities over the next few days.
Ming and Jean (uni friends) were also here! It was last evening at the resort and we took the opportunity to dine together. The children fortunately were able to look after themselve and the adults could enjoy their meal with no distractions. The food was tasty and the serving size EXTREMELY generous. A bonus saving from the Accor membership added to the joy of the day! All in all, despite the gloomy and rainy weather, we still had an incredibly enjoyable day! We shall see how the predicted cyclone like conditions thanks to La Nina will affect our time here...
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| Sprawling resort with standalone villas. Simple on the outside |
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| Awesome on the inside! The living room. You can see the outline of the outdoor sitting area beyond it. |
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| Kitchen |
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| Laundry |
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| Bedroom 1 |
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| Bedroom 2 |
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| Bathroom 1 |
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| The "outdoor" bath |
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| Bathbombs included |
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| Outdoor sitting area |
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| A rare opportunity to dine with adults only |
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| Gnocchi, one of the blackboards specials. Looks simple but packs a punch in flavour! It is also massive... |
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| The yummy waffles with pecan praline |
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| The oldest, entertaining the youngest. They seemed to be conversing endlessly |
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| The children, minus a shy Ari |
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