3 Best Hotels in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

This cute little retro motel has been renovated with the 1950s top of mind—to bring back the days of simple beach holidays. And the location is perfect, with a long, sandy strip of beach directly across the busy Point Nepean Road. The self-contained rooms include doubles, queens, kings, and family rooms, the largest sleeping up to five. There's a communal lounge on-site, and an outdoor kitchen for summer barbecues, and each room includes a small kitchen with all the essentials, including tea and coffee; breakfast hampers can be arranged (costs extra). The motel is just a few minutes' drive to Rye, or rent a bike from the motel for a short cycle along the bayside walking-cycling route to reach its excellent cafés, wine bars, and shops.

A stalwart of 30 years on the peninsula, this boutique hotel channels a stylish country house, with generously sized rooms, each with doors leading out to Mediterranean-style terraces or gardens overlooking a landscape of Australian bushland and manicured vines. Room highlights include the vast balcony rooms, with French doors that open to private verandas. The 30-acre estate produces its own wines exclusive to the small hotel group; nonguests can drop in to taste at its cellar door on weekends only. For a casual bite, grab a pizza hot from the oven in the gardens. Otherwise, order ahead a picnic hamper with a bottle of Lindenderry wine to enjoy on the grounds, by the billabong perhaps, or set aside a few hours for lunch or dinner in the excellent in-house restaurant, featuring local organic produce presented with a European twist. Kick-start with a glass of Lindenderry Estate's hard-to-find Blanc de Blanc.

The Continental Hotel has been a staple on Sorrento's main street since 1875—it now has a dash of international panache as part of the InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula. The vibe is Amalfi glamour, with penthouse suites and rooms with bay views, heritage suites and a rooftop, guests-only pool. The precinct—for that is what it has become—includes the fine-dining seafood restaurant Audrey's by celebrity chef Scott Pickett, the more casual European bistro called The Atrium, and, its original beating heart, the good-time Conti bar. It is also home to destination spa Aurora Spa and Bathhouse, with its magnesium float room and Finnish sauna.