Ravensbourne Escape — Hotel in Ravensbourne

Our week, was my husbands and my second stay @ Ravensbourne Escape. First visit 3 days for a friends wedding in May, only a few weeks before. Those few days felt like a week away. We relaxed immediately. That time we stayed in Stella Luna, beautiful.

While staying at Stella Luna on that trip, I decided to escape again to this world of blissful relaxation. We made a reservation, to stay @ Tranquility, to try to escape from our world of loss and grief of our youngest son, 30th June, 2016.

We love our home in Flaxton, hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, but at this time of year I cannot be there. Where better, but Ravensbourne Escape. The name says it all. Add to that “Tranquility” and we had the perfect plan.

David and I had time to be quiet, no interruptions. Time for each of us to sit with our precious memories, to celebrate our sons incredible, but short life. We talked when we could, or needed to. This allowed one another time and space to just be, and reflect in our own way.

We thoroughly enjoyed a cuppa each morning @ The Chocolate Cottage in Highfields. We bought 2 x 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles from there. Wonderful staff, great food and service.

We also found Kates Corner. Just up the road, open Saturdays only. Good coffee and food, made with love. Local produce and the nicest sun catchers, made by Cazna Studio, on FB. If you’d like to sit by a warm fire with some locals and listen to their stories, this is the place. Great people, engaging and welcoming. Thank you for sharing your space and stories. Found you first trip and look forward to visiting again.

The exquisite timber dining bar in Tranquility, overlooking the misty valley was the perfect spot to find pieces of the puzzle to put this picture back together again. It was not lost on me that we were doing exactly this with our grief, at Ravensbourne Escape. Interesting.

The weather was mainly overcast with some rain. It also seemed perfect. The fog would rush up the valley towards us. Beautiful. When the sun broke through we sat on the deck, rugged up and warm, enjoying breakfast or a cuppa.

Walking the grounds around Ravensbourne in the afternoon is delightful. On one of our walks we found a Uniting Church, across the road. No services are currently held there, but we wandered around and I picked a few camellias from the flowering bushes, another moment of gratitude.

We enjoyed sitting on the deck in the early morning to hear the different birdsong and spot them flitting by and flying overhead.

Late afternoons in the spa, watching the sky change colour and day end.

Grief never leaves you, it changes constantly, but is always there. I know this is a very different review and challenging to share. My hope is that perhaps another family that may also need to escape from an anniversary, of the loss of a child or loved one, may also find that Ravensbourne Escape brings some ESCAPE from that date.

Sent...

We had an enjoyable stay in Windsong. It's an interesting property.

You drive into the carport and park at the front door to enter the lower level which would be very convenient for anyone who couldn't negotiate stairs. There are views out over treetops to the vista beyond once you open the tinted windows and sliding doors. There are neighbouring properties in all directions but they’re at a distance and privacy is assured by mature trees.

The organisation in the kitchen is meticulous and the cutlery drawer must be seen to be believed. We appreciated the provision of items such as zip-lock bags, paper towel and mosquito coils.

On one side of the small dining area there's a verandah with a BBQ and outdoor table setting. It could seat six but there wouldn't be a lot of room to move. The second verandah runs from the dining area to the master bedroom. To my surprise I looked in a cupboard on this verandah for a broom and found a washing machine with everything you might need to do the laundry.

The house offers more upstairs for those travelling with family or friends. There’s a kitchenette, seating area for two, bedroom, bathroom and a small deck which is ideal for looking further afield. The upper floor also has its own entry and can be accessed via a flight of external stairs.

You might also be interested to know four of the properties will soon have dedicated EV chargers installed and Rob tells us charging will be free for guests.

A big thank you to Rob and the team who make Ravensbourne a...

My husband and I recently had a 5 night stay at Ravensbourne Escape in a 3 bedroom house called Quingilli. We were looking for convenience, luxury and peace. We weren't disappointed. Quingilli is located on the eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, inside a gated, secure entrance and overlooking stunning forest and valley views. Because the house is located on a hillside the view is uninterrupted. The driveway allows parking directly at the front door so that unpacking and repacking is easy; no steps. We were delighted with the layout of the house including beautifully presented bedrooms, lounge room, kitchen and bathroom. A large deck and BBQ provides further opportunity to enjoy the sun and views. The kitchen was well appointed with full oven, dishwasher, microwave, fridge/freezer so that you can do your own meals if desired. We loved the peaceful quiet surroundings and could easily have spent a few more days. Crows Nest is close and has a superb French restaurant and a number of specialty shops, antiques, garden, homewares and boutique clothing. We highly recommend Ravensbourne Escape if you are looking for a luxury, peaceful, self contained get away. There is much to explore in the...