Located on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, RACV Cape Schanck Resort offers a luxurious retreat where modern design blends with the natural environment.
Just 90 minutes from Melbourne, RACV Cape Schanck Resort offers an easy escape from the city. The drive along the Peninsula Link freeway provides stunning coastal views and charming pit stops. And once you have arrived, you’re a short distance from the local attractions including the Peninsula’s best beaches, bathing destinations such as Alba and Peninsula Hot Springs, cliffside hiking trails, gentler walks and iconic wineries. Nearby towns such as Portsea, Sorrento, Red Hill, and Flinders offer unique local experiences and family-friendly activities.
A Coastal Welcome
As you drive along the winding driveway the coastal-inspired architecture immediately stands out. RACV Cape Schanck Resort is quite impressive. While unmissable, the striking design mimics the natural landscape harmonious weaving into the backdrop of coastal ridges. Inside, large windows and tasteful decor create a warm, inviting atmosphere. There’s plenty of natural light highlighting the resort’s commitment to blending in with the outside, not imposing itself upon it. Â
Comfortable Accommodations
The accommodation is equally open, light and windows from floor to ceiling soak up the view from every angle. There are a variety of rooms and villas accommodations to suit different needs. You can choose from well-furnished rooms and villas, all designed to maximise that feeling of being home and showcase the ocean views. The two- and three-bedroom villas are ideal for families and groups, with large living areas, private balconies, fully equipped kitchens, and all the mod cons.Â
I stay in an over-sized Spa suite offering panoramic views over the golf course, out to Bass Strait. The wrap-around balcony is perfect for enjoying the sunset, and it would be rude not to follow this natural light show up with a soak in free standing spa bath.Â
Dining Options
There’s a number of dining experiences to suit every taste:
Cape Restaurant: Fine dining with a focus on local produce and sophisticated European culinary techniques.
Samphire Restaurant: Contemporary Australian cuisine with stunning bay views and a menu designed for sharing.
Mantellina Café: Family-friendly, Italian-inspired dishes, including stone-baked pizzas and all-day dining.
Cape Bar and Terrace: Casual spot for snacks and light meals, featuring local ingredients and a selection of drinks. Perfect 19th hole.
Preferring to enjoy the sunset on my balcony to the sounds of stillness, I choose to have room service. Not your typical room-service menu, with a lot of the restaurant options, yet not overwhelming. Warmed local olives, home-baked Focaccia and a nourishing poke bowl was the perfect meal to end a wonderful day.
Wellness and Fitness
While RACV Cape Schanck Resort is renowned for its 18-hole golf championship course, you don’t have to be a golfer (which I am not) to enjoy this property. It’s a great spot to connect with nature – walks, ocean swims, and plenty of wilderness to explore. There’s also a fully equipped gym, tennis courts, indoor golf simulator, and a large indoor solar-heated swimming pool and sauna for recovery.
One Spa
The star of the show is One Spa, the resort’s day spa. The spa features a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, and relaxation lounges, providing a peaceful place to unwind, and that’s before you’ve even had a treatment. Offering a range of LaGaia Unedited treatments for complete rejuvenation and bringing balance to both body and state-of-mind.
I enjoy the two and a half hour Serenity Body Ritual. The brilliance of this treatment lies in its innovative layering approach. After an invigorating salt scrub, the salt is left on the skin, and a rich, nourishing mud is applied on top. The mud dissolves the salt, allowing the therapist to skillfully massage the mixture all over my body. To enhance the mud’s benefits, I’m wrapped in a warm blanket, and while it works its magic, I receive a soothing scalp, head, and neck massage. The salt not only exfoliates but also provides muscle-relaxing magnesium, making it beneficial to leave it on the skin.
Once the mud treatment is complete, a gentle rainwater shower, in a shower area that feels almost outdoor due to its glass roof and walls, washes it off, leaving my skin silky smooth. Back on the table, my therapist expertly massages a luxurious body butter into my skin, addressing any tension and knots. The session concludes with a refreshing facial, leaving my body rejuvenated, skin polished, face glowing, and mind serene. It’s incredible how much goodness can be packed into a blissful two-hour session!
And that is why I retreat to my room and enjoy the sunset. The perfect end to a wonderful day of enjoying nature and a nourishing treatment. Mother Nature agrees, as the sunset goes from fire orange to gentle amber drifting to pink. Calm is the mood.
For more information, or to book your stay visit RACV Cape Schanck Resort.
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