Weekend Getaway

LOVE a hotel!

Last weekend we (Mr G, Miss 7, Miss 3.8 and I) headed up to the big smoke (Melbourne) for a weekend away. It was a last minute decision which found us looking at "Lastminute" for accommodation and we are so glad we did!

We had been invited to celebrate a friend's daughter's 1st birthday on the other side of Melbourne and although we drive there all the time (me for work 3 times a week), its kind of exhausting to do it again on the weekend. So, we booked the Novotel in Glen Waverley (not the usual glamorous inner city...but I read that it is now the demographic centre of Melbourne!)... because it was fairly close to the birthday party and also close to Knox shopping centre where we were heading the next day for the "Phineas and Ferb" show.

We had such a fabulous time. I LOVE hotels and seeing the kids squeal in delight at exploring the room took me back to when I was a kid and we went on our first holiday to Queensland. We stayed at "Palm Rose Lodge" and it seemed soooo glamorous (it wasn't!)

Kids amusing themselves in the hotel room

We went  for a quick wander around the hotel and adjoining Century City Walk which consists of a Village cinema including two Gold Class, Strike Bowling Bar, restaurants and a gaming venue within a ground level mall. Stepping just outside the complex,  we were sorry we had stopped at Subway for lunch because there were so many great noodle bars and dumpling houses all about.

We went to check out the pool (a swim was our plan for the afternoon before the party in the evening) only to be greeted by a sign saying that it was closed. My blood boiled immediately, given that the pool was very high on our list of criteria for choosing this place and we marched to the reception desk, kids whinging at our heels. We were told that someone had "spewed in the pool" and it had to be cleaned. Now you can't really argue with that...who wants to swim in spewy pool but soooo disappointing!

After a quick re-group we decided to go bowling at "Strike" and that was pretty fun. Miss 7 was really into it and Miss 3 lasted 3/4s of the time before whinging for food and drink.

Bowling shoes!

Little bit of help for Little Miss!

Then...after a pit stop back in our room we headed off to the party. It was especially special as this little 1 year gorgeous girl was born really early and her first few months of life were very rough. Her whole family had a wonderful celebration and also raised money for the Life's Little Treasures Foundation. We are so blessed and I can't bang on enough about how we should take every opportunity to celebrate.  Great, great party. (It  was at a play centre which they had booked out for the evening and there were kids everywhere...awesome!)

We had our first Melbourne weekend away last December and have vowed to try and do one at least once a quarter or once a season! Although I am really starting to enjoy living in G Town my heart does still pang a bit for Melbourne and I think this will keep it at bay. On our way home we were driving near to where we used to live in Glen Iris and Mr G asked if I wanted to swing past. I couldn't do it. No point looking back...must look forward.

I look forward to writing about the next getaway and I also think Phineas and Ferb deserve their own post!!