2 Best Hotels in Yarra Valley and Healesville, Victoria

This resort has it all—stylish suites and apartment-style accommodations overlooking the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, plus a ton of other amenities. But even though it's one of the bigger valley properties, it still has a boutique feel and snuggles nicely into the 7 acres of vineyard contours. The one- and two-bedroom suites have balconies and glass-enclosed whirlpool baths from which you can watch the sun set over the vineyards. The hub is its new 1309@Balgownie restaurant, which includes the restaurant serving contemporary dishes using Valley produce, the wine cellar, a café, and the outside deck, where you can sit and drink in the views along with a glass of sparkling wine. Free wine tastings showcase the range of Balgownie wines from the Bendigo vineyards, such as the flagship White Label Bendigo Cabernet Sauvignon and the White Label Shiraz. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are produced from the younger vines surrounding the resort. Balgownie Estate is also the launching place for early morning balloon rides across the Yarra Valley, which finish with a champagne breakfast at the estate. 

This famous local lodge in a restored 1910 pub has a renowned dining room and seven colorful, modern rooms upstairs, with high ceilings, tall windows, and genteel touches such as handmade soaps. The three bathrooms are shared, so be sure to pack a suitably funky robe to wear for the short walk along the hallway. Downstairs you can dine beneath pressed-metal ceilings in a stylish restaurant ($$) that's won awards for its fine cuisine made with local and seasonal ingredients. Take a table in the garden, where you'll find a wood-fire grill and rotisserie: try the slow-cooked lamb shoulder or roasted local trout. The hotel's front bar has been transformed into a bistro for casual lunches and evening meals, and you can also pick up fresh produce and gourmet foods at the hotel's Kitchen & Butcher shop. A more secluded option is Furmston House, a three-bedroom house right behind the hotel—priced from A$320 a night for two occupants, and the two new Brookland apartments (from A$230 a night for two).