Like any good Melburnian, I love a spot of recreational bathing. It’s the ultimate way to unwind, and if you’re looking for the quintessential bathing experience in Victoria, you simply must go to the Peninsula Hot Springs. As its longevity and popularity can attest, it’s a truly magical place to soak. So when I was invited to experience the attraction’s latest wellness offering – a new accommodation option with a focus on rest and relaxation – I was excited to reach a higher plane of zen.
The brand-new Eco Lodges have just opened, with ten rooms spread across three separate buildings, each carefully designed to offer guests a blissful night’s sleep. Tucked away at the back of the hot springs site, each room is a calming escape, with interiors inspired by the natural surroundings.
Every detail is curated to ensure guests can wind down to sleep well, with dimmable lights, geothermally heated floors, relaxing ambient music and even a wooden box to store your phone out of sight.
Walking into my accommodation, one of the Springs Rooms, I’m not exaggerating when I say that I felt a little calmer after simply taking it in. A plush king bed and expansive ensuite bathed in natural light awaits, overlooking a small wetlands area which makes for a soothing view.
The room had plenty of small thoughtful touches, including a wellness pack with sleep-centric products, like magnesium spray, calming tea and a super soft eye mask. As someone who doesn’t always wake up feeling refreshed, I was very eager to make the most of everything on offer to get the deepest of sleeps.
But of course, it wouldn’t be the Peninsula Hot Springs without a bathing element. Each room has its own geothermal stone bath, with restorative water that is pumped from deep underground at your leisure. It’s located on the deck area, with sliding doors that can open up or close the space as wished. However, there weren’t any blinds in this part of the room, which I found puzzling as it posed a little bit of a minor privacy dilemma. But perhaps the designers expect that most guests are so blissed out that they won’t mind the small chance that their curious neighbour might stroll past.
If you stay in one of the luxurious Peninsula Suites, you have access to your very own geothermal bathing pool, which is a whole new level of swish.
An overnight stay at the Peninsula Hot Springs includes all-inclusive bathing, in the bathhouse as well as the more exclusive Spa Dreaming Centre. Plus, guests enjoy a choice of a signature wellness experience and a buffet breakfast. I went for a gentle yoga class, which was a pleasant way to start the morning. The Spa Dreaming Centre restaurant (where I also enjoyed a delicious barramundi dish the night before) also has a wellness focus, and the breakfast options included juice blends and different types of yoghurt and granola, as well as other typical brekky fare.
I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time soaking in blissfully warm water in my life, and it was heavenly. The Spa Dreaming Centre pools are lovely if you really want to relax deeply, as it’s much quieter than the rest of the public bathing area. The bathhouse is open from 5am to 11pm, so if you’re staying the night you can make it the last thing you do before your peaceful slumber, and the first thing you do in the morning. It doesn’t get much better.
These lodgings are definitely more of a special occasion stay, starting at $930 per night. If you’d like to find out more about the Peninsula Hot Springs Eco Lodges, head to the website.
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