2 Best Hotels in Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Small and perfectly formed, this intimate hotel on the Great Ocean Road has its heart in France. Run by two former nurses seeking the quiet life, they have filled their boutique hotel with works by Australian artists, with a backdrop of Parisian decor. While all four rooms are different---the most popular is No. 3, with its outdoor bath---all have fireplaces and private verandas with ocean views. Toiletries are by Melbourne’s own Aesop and the rate includes a breakfast in the courtyards of fresh pastries and a platter of seasonal fruits and veggies, omelets, from strawberries to avocados, and mangoes in summer.

One of Victoria's oldest inns, this beautifully restored 1845 Georgian-style building overlooks Port Fairy's working wharf from King George Square. The locally sourced seasonal dishes on the daily changing menu may include ingredients like fresh-off-the-trawler seafood, bacon and pork from nearby farms, local buffalo cheese, and organic apple juice from a local heritage orchard. The restaurant serves dinner only. Accommodations are a mix of its popular ground-floor queen suites with snug sitting rooms and iPod docking stations and the cheaper storybook attic bedrooms. The roaring fireplaces are perfect for whiling away the hours with a good book, while breakfast is served in the light-filled conservatory with views of the charming cottage garden.