Lancemore Lindenderry

If you’re the kind of traveller that prizes classic elegance, you’ll find plenty to like about Lancemore Lindenderry. This serene 40-room boutique hotel is the perfect base for a weekend exploring Red Hill.

The experience begins on your drive up to the entrance: the hotel is up a tree-lined driveway surrounded by acres of golden vines, terraced gardens and an orchard filled with apples, pears and figs. The building itself is a grand country house framed by neatly shaped hedges and white rose bushes.

The 20-year-old hotel’s interiors were refurbished by acclaimed architecture firm Hecker Guthrie in 2018. The muted green and taupe colour palette throughout is warm and modern. There was an emphasis on creating public spaces for guests to enjoy during their stay: cosy reading nooks, grand lounging areas with toasty fires, and seats with views out towards the gardens.

Choose between a variety of different luxury suites for your stay, including the Garden Room or Balcony Suite. Some rooms open up onto a garden terrace, others have king-sized beds and open fireplaces.

At The Dining Room – which is also open to non-guests – enjoy Lindenderry Wines paired with farm-to-table dining. Executive chef Diego Cossio (formerly Gimlet, Marion and Quay) leads a menu that champions produce from the Mornington Peninsula, with a pinch of Peruvian flair.

A summer menu may start with house-made sourdough from an eight-year-old starter; or new season asparagus with buffalo milk, sharp grapefruit and spicy Kampot pepper. For mains, there might be spanner crab with cucumber gazpacho and green almonds; or hearty lamb loin with a side of baby kipfler potatoes from local farmers at Hawkes Farm, Boneo. If there’s room for dessert, the dark chocolate with coconut and cherry is a rich end to your meal.

Over summer, the kitchen can assemble picnic baskets for guests to take to the estate’s lake – or farther afield on a little road trip to the beach. The indoor pool is open year-round, and there are two tennis courts, a bocce pitch and a croquet area.