
Ahhhhh…an entire night’s sleep with no little people!
Last weekend I was treated to an overnight stay in a new hotel.
With hubby. WithOUT kids. WINNING!!
I was thrilled to be invited as a guest of the hotel, and the timing couldn’t have been better. After a tough few weeks (packing, moving, unpacking, cleaning and repeat!) we decided to take a break from our kids and our troubles. We are extremely lucky to have grandparents who were able to take our FOUR kids for the night. I will even go so far as to use an irritating hashtag, but in this case it’s appropriate – #blessed! Yes, they deserve the award for “Grandparents of the year!”
Now, let me tell you a bit about the hotel, and our wonderful 24 hours of freedom!
Sage Hotel Ringwood opened up late last year and is located halfway between Melbourne’s CBD and the wineries of the Yarra Valley. It is set over 5-levels and sits conveniently atop the Eastland Shopping Centre (utopia for shoppers!). The 120 room property has a range of boutique king, twin and family rooms. But who is interested in spending too much time in the room when you can shop ’til you drop downstairs ?!

Checking in at Sage Hotel

Contemporary and sleek interior
I checked in ahead of hubby and hit the shops for some retail therapy. How enjoyable is shopping sans kids? What a pleasant experience! For some reason, though, I always find myself in kids’ stores, even when they’re not with me (hello, Cotton on kids). But I did manage to pick myself up some super comfy jeans from H&M, as well as a blush pink cushion for our new house (because, well, blush pink!). I loved the interior fit out of the hotel. The hotel lobby and lounge features polished exposed aggregate concrete floors, contemporary styling and sleek furniture. Plus, THOSE bookshelves! A walk-way of books leads you to the lifts. I spent some time poring over the impressive collection of books. Interiors porn is my thing at the moment!
After my hit of retail therapy, it was time to hit the bar…and hubby timed his arrival perfectly for happy hour. We enjoyed a lovely pre-dinner drink ahead of our super-civilised booking of 7.30pm (no family friend 5.30 sitting for us). It was wonderful. The food at Partake restaurant was outstanding. And it was such a nice change to be able to eat a meal with flavour and spice! But the best thing, perhaps, was being able to have uninterrupted conversation with hubby. Just the two of us.

Stylish ‘High & Dry’ bar at Sage

It’s thirsty work, all that shopping!

LOVED these comfy booths!

Almost time for dinner at Partake restaurant

Shared seafood entree for two!

Next stop…baby barra!

Breakfast Entree…why not?!

Breakfast main…nothing beats poached eggs!

Books and a cuppa!
The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Everything tastes so much better when you haven’t cooked it and you get to eat it while its’s warm. Ah the joys…
I didn’t want to leave but we had to return to *reality*. Which, for us, meant moving into our third temporary accommodation as we wait for our house to be finished. But, the mini break did us the world of good and I would love to go back. It would be nice to take a girlfriend next time, or go all on my own as a little “mum retreat”, which is something I highly recommend.
*Disclosure: Sage Hotel Ringwood kindly hosted my stay. All opinions are my own. Clearly, I loved it!!!