What's your dream romantic getaway?
Mine is a small slice of heaven where my husband, and I can drink red wine by a roaring fireplace, soak in an believably big bathtub for two, and enjoy the company of each other within the comforts of a home.
That's what we had this past weekend when we stayed at the Airbnb location called The Growers Cottage.
Where is it, and how's the drive there?
The Growers Cottage is located in Lower Mangrove which is 2 hours away from Sydney during peak traffic. We left the city at 5pm on a Friday night, and the more we ventured closer to The Growers Cottage, the wider the distance between each home out there. From skyscrapers to fields of flowers, gardens abundant in fresh vegetables, and animals roaming the rolling hills.
The cottage was surrounded by mountains, and hills, and the sun was setting to greet us with a beautiful pink sky by the time we arrived. If you're relying on 3G/4G to get you there, I recommend bringing a map just in case as reception cuts off around 15 minutes before you arrive. But don't worry! In the greeting email they send you before your stay there's instructions of how to get to the property.
When you arrive at Oyster Shell Road, you turn left into the long driveway at Bird Song Park to access the cottage. There's no "formal" parking spot, but there is plenty of space to park. Be sure to keep your eyes open to not bumps into their solar panels!
What should I pack, and what is provided?
In terms of toiletries, you are given 2 towels, conditioner, shampoo, body wash, and hand wash so I recommend bringing some extra towels as there's no laundry room available.
For food, there is a beautiful adjoining vegetable patch filled with various fruits, and vegetables like eggplants, pumpkins, limes, and watermelon just to name a few! Within the kitchen itself you get olive oil, 1l full cream milk, sugar, Himalayan pink salt, cracked pepper, and Nespresso capsules for the Nespresso machine.
Definitely bring a bunch of food for you to cook while there as there is a full Smeg fridge, stove, oven, microwave, toaster, pizza stone stove, pots, pans, and an outdoor fire pit. We went to Meat Emporium in Alexandria prior to stock up on various meats to bbq, and also the nearest Coles which was 45 minutes away for bread, vegetables, and other necessities. As the drive to the nearest grocer is definitely a fair drive away, buy what you need before visiting!
How is the cottage?
The exterior of the cottage is lined with windows to view the beautiful property! By the front door is a small patio with two arm chairs, and two folds sun chairs so you can sunbathe on the grass.
The pizza stone oven is outside by a small outdoor dining set for four people, with the fire pit a few metres behind. Before venturing into the vegetable patch you encounter the outdoor stone bathtub which is big enough for two! With trees surrounding the whole property, and no houses in eyesight, you're free to party in your birthday suit!
Inside the cottage itself is two distinct rooms - the living space, and the bathroom. So first you have the main living space in an open floor plan which is divided by the bedroom, the fireplace seating area, the kitchen+dining, and another seating area.
The bedroom consists of a queen bed, and tv on a tv stand. The bed has a spring mattress (not sure of the brand) on a Koala Timber Bed Base with two European pillows, two standard pillows (very soft!), and two decorative cushions. Instead of throwing the pillows on them floor before bed, you can store them behind the Koala timber bed base which has that area specifically for pillow storage!
If you're looking to binge on the latest tv shows, guess again! While there is another direct tv access, you are free to use their Netflix, and Youtube accounts to watch content. Personally we watched the Madeline McCann docuseries!
In the fireplace seating area you have two wooden chairs, the indoor fireplace, a stack of kindling, and a picnic basket full of picnic supplies (definitely recommend!).
As stated, the kitchen is full of all the needed cooking essentials. Then you have a small dining table for two people by the wall with a lovely rhubarb recipe, and various candles, and knick knacks.
In the other seating area is a cute grey couch, statement lamp, and a Sonos machine so you can play music.
Walking through to the bathroom is a small wooden bench with an assortment of woven hats, and bags to help bring in the veggies from the garden. In the bathroom is a cupboard with a hairdryer, vacuum, and extra set of sheets. The bathroom has a bunch of candles to make the mood during your stay even more romantic! There's all a spacious shower, and vanity sink.
Would I recommend staying here?
Honestly yes! The property was exceptionally beautiful, and well maintained. It had everything we needed including peace, and serenity. If you didn't have the running, and just laid there, all you could hear were birds chirping, the wind blowing through the trees, and the fireplace crackling.
The weekend stay at The Growers Cottage was pretty much equivalent to a relaxing meditation session.
This blog post has been sponsored by The Growers Cottage. All opinions stated were my own!