Hunter Valley -- Day Nine

December 5, Friday
Australian Time: 2341

9th Day

Location: Hunter Valley, NSW
Accommodation: Madigan Cottage
Cost: $350 for two nights
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1

Pancakes for breakfast this morning, and sad to say, it wasn’t as nice as one would have hoped. It was just plain. Bland. The redeeming fact was that the butter we had with it was great! Otherwise, it would just be boring.

Checking out was an arduous task. We had to rip out the bedsheets, empty all the food in the “otto” bin, rid the fridge of and traces of food, wash up all the dishes we’d used, switch off the central heating and close all the windows. They call this “self-conditioned cottage/villa”. You can’t really leave anything behind or they’d just charge it on your credit card. I’ve never met the owners of the villas, they just call themselves Kenny and Ross Smith. We just give them the number of our credit card, and they have free access to it until we leave. -_- So best not give them a reason to charge us extra.

After that it was about two hours trip to Hunter Valley, where we searched a very long time for a place to stay. We came across Leisure Inn which cost about $400 per night, which simply blew our minds away. No way were we gonna pay that much! Another promising villa was Crowne Plaza, which looks nothing like the one you see in Singapore! Crowne Plaza Villas look absolutely luxurious, with huge windows and balcony for you to simply enjoy the scenery. $300 per night.

Another shockingly expensive one was set in a classical house, with expensive tea sets, 1980s armchairs and intricately carved cupboards. It was, no doubt, luxurious and zapped us back in time, but the price was eye-popping. $480 per night!

After sifting through more motels and B&Bs, we finally decided to call Crowne Plaza to reserve ourselves a villa. However, on the way there, we came across Madigan Cottages, which was set in a secluded piece of land and near a vineyard. It was similar to a Scottish Cottage, wooden walls and staircase, and two-storeys high. And even more amazingly, it was $350 for two nights!

My parents loved it, so it was an immediate yes. I ended up being the one to break the news to Crowne Plaza, feeling guilty all the while doing the cancellation.

In the evening, my sister and I went driving around our backyard. It was so awesome that we lost complete track of time, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Dinner was an easy affair, having driven past a Chinese restaurant by chance. We ordered Prawn Omelette, Mixed vegetables, Mongolian Combination (Tie Ban Shao), long soup (Noodle soup) and steamed rice.

I think I liked the omelette and the rice the best. :P They rest was all gooey and watery…as per usual. ;)

To work off some calories, we went to Woolworths (similar to NTUC in Singapore) to get our breakfast.