We spent a relaxing long weekend at Leanne's house in St Leonards.
The house is charming, with lovely views across the tree tops to the bay. It's beautifully furnished with lovely additions such as a teapot and vintage cups and saucers - perfect for our afternoon teas.The wood fire was a highlight (all firewood supplied), cosy to sit around plus it warmed the house beautifully.
It's a 5-minute walk to the beach and to the Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve - a lovely walking trail with native flora and remote beaches where we saw an array of birdlife.
The house and garden are set up to take advantage of all seasons. While we were warm and cosy during our winter stay, in the warmer months it would be glorious sitting on the upper deck or one of the peaceful spaces in the large garden. It's a perfect space for a few friends or a family to gather year-round.
Leanne's house is perfect for cyclists. We took our bikes with us and rode to Portarlington for lunch. It's a flat ride and took about an hour, along an off-road gravel trail that runs alongside the coast - the views are stunning. We're planning a future cycling trip where we'll catch the ferry from Docklands to Portarlington, riding to Leanne's for a few nights and exploring the local area by foot and bike, then riding back to Portarlington for the ferry back to Melbourne. There's a carport at the house which will be ideal for storing bikes out of the weather.
Note that there is no wifi - this wasn't an issue for us (we could use our own data, and the internet reception on our phones was perfect). There is a DVD player and some classic DVDs- it was actually fun to all sit down together to watch a DVD after dinner.
Access was easy, and Leanne was quick to respond to all our queries prior to our arrival.
We'll definitely head back to Leanne's and would highly recommend it to other travellers.