The perfect spot for work, rest and play all year-round.
Alice's Palace is a 2-minute stroll to Victoria's most family-friendly
lifeguard-patrolled surf beach and The Dunes restaurant, cafe, bar, wedding venue on the beach. Or wander
to the Barwon River in 5 minutes and shops in 10 minutes.
Have a tipple around a BBQ in a
native bush garden, listening to the surf. Or curl-up on the
leather couch in front of the gas log fire with a glass of wine and a
book or Netflix.
Wineries, boutique breweries and loads of other cool things
to do are on the doorstep (see list below).
With it's light-filled, open-plan contemporary living space, fast Wi-Fi
and office with a view, Alice's Palace is ideal Ocean Grove - Barwon Heads accommodation on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Great for small groups/friends,
families with kids, workers/contractors or business travelers, couples/dates, LGBTQI, and special occasion/wedding
guests.
For up to seven guests wanting a fantastically located holiday home that's a bit special without going 'overboard', with a relaxed atmosphere and nice ambience.
Accommodation includes
- 3 bedrooms (see bed information below)
- 2 bathrooms
- Gas log fire
- Air conditioning & ceiling fans
- Fast Wi-Fi
- Office area with a proper desk and office chair, south-facing natural light, a balcony
and an outlook
- BBQ & outdoor seating
- Car parking
- Well equipped kitchen
- Clothes washing/ironing facilities
- Bathroom essentials
- Child high chair
- Travel cot
- Bedding (pillows, doonas & cotton blankets)
- Full length mirror (great for wedding guests)
- Linens Service and Turkish beach towels available (fees apply).
Downstairs
Open
plan well-equipped kitchen, dining and living area with gas log fire, large smart TV, Bluetooth sound-bar, DVD player, air conditioning, ceiling fans and a bathroom.
Upstairs
3 bedrooms with quality mattresses, a bathroom, balcony and a great office space to work, create or play, with fast Wi-Fi. Has reverse-cycle air con and ceiling fans.
Bed
arrangements sleep up to 7 (see images):
- Main bedroom - 1 Queen size bed
- 2nd bedroom - 2 extra-long Single beds
- 3rd bedroom - 1 Queen size bed
- Travel cot or pull-out single futon mattress suitable for a child/teen are also available.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Bookings for 7 people/use of 5th bed (pull-out futon) is suitable only for short stays.
- We no longer supply linens and bath towels, enabling guests the option to BYO (the cleaning fee has been reduced accordingly). However, we do supply bedding.
A Linen Service is available upon request (2 pillow slips per person, sheets, doona covers, tea towels, bath towels, bath mats, hand towels and bed make-up). A fee of $25 per person per stay applies.
Turkish beach towels are also available to rent at $5 each. Please let us know at the time of booking if these are required.
Surrounds
Alice's Palace is
on the beach side of the main road, well-away from traffic, in Ocean Grove's 'golden triangle'. It has a natural bush secluded beach-side
ambiance with native shade trees in the rear garden and lawn out
the front.
Travel
Ocean Grove is on the Bellarine Peninsula, adjacent to the Surf Coast and Great Ocean Road.
And next to Barwon Heads/on the Barwon River. This is where the TV series SeaChange was filmed, set in fictitious 'Pearl Bay'.
'Diver Dan's shack, now a popular restaurant, is a 25-min walk (via short-cut)
- less than 1.5 hrs from
Melbourne CBD
- 20 minutes' drive from
Geelong
- 40 minutes' drive from
Avalon Airport
Bookings
- Feel free to book direct and save
- Prices vary considerably between peak/off-peak, so please contact us for a quote
- GST does not apply to Alice's Palace
- A (fully refundable)
security deposit of $600 applies covering damage, theft, excessive cleaning required (in insurance exclusions "poor housekeeping or unhygienic living habits"), non-return of keys or compromised security
(see 'Restrictions' below)
and insurance excess arising from any claims related to the booking.
- Security deposit return is
transacted within 24 hrs of confirmation all is ok by cleaners. Allow a
few days for banks to do their thing.
-
Valid name, address, phone, email and verification
is needed, same as bookings made in a quality m/hotel/resort
- A 50% deposit is required to secure a booking, unless a 100% up-front payment is required (if the booking is made within 6 or 12 weeks of the date of arrival) - see dot points below
- Bookings to be paid in full 6 weeks prior to arrival, excluding the peak times 18 Dec - end Jan and Easter-Anzac Day period.
- Bookings made for the peak season: 18 Dec to end Jan and Easter-Anzac Day period, to be paid in full 12 weeks prior to arrival.
Restrictions
- Non-smoking (including e-cigarettes) from boundary to boundary. Please wander off-property for a smoke & dispose of butts thoughtfully and with care for the environment.
- No pets
- No parties, schoolies, hens or bucks
- Please respect neighbours re noise
- Park in parking spots indicated for home (the lawn is human-friendly/car-free zone)
-
Remove footwear before entry (bring flip-flops/spare socks)
- Pop your boards/kayaks in lock-up under-deck storage area (please don't bring them inside). The under-deck area extends directly under the house, so plenty of length for boards.
- Keep property in a manner that does not encourage ants/pests, maintaining housekeeping and hygienic living habits
(see 'Bookings' above)
- Do not allow kids to jump on couch/beds or
consume food or sugary drinks upstairs/in bedrooms
- Take due care to ensure Alice's Palace and contents and/or neighbouring premises are not damaged or subject to theft.
-
Ensure Alice's Palace is secured upon departure - as you would in your
own place when departing. And pop key back where it belongs, ensuring
it's secured.
The Fine Print
- In the event of damage or theft arising from your booking,
in excess of the security deposit paid, you are liable for additional costs,
same as you would be if you booked at a quality m/hotel or resort.
- We take guest security seriously, so if the key is not secured or
not returned, lock barrels will be replaced using guest security deposit.
(see 'Bookings' and 'Restrictions' above)
- In the event of adverse conditions
(including
damage observed upon arrival, breakages during your stay or issues arising), please advise us promptly. If we don't know about it, we can't fix it. And it may prevent potential further damage.
Minimum stays apply
Minimum stays apply:
(7) seven night minimum stay applies from 23 Dec - Christmas to mid-Jan main holiday period
- feel free to inquire about shorter stays as they often emerge between week-long bookings.
(4) four night minimum stay for Easter and the lead-in to Christmas (17 - 22 Dec, 2021).
(3) three night minimum stay applies to most other public holiday/long weekends including the Melbourne Cup 'long weekend'.
(2) two night minimum stay applies to most other times.
Cancellation Policy
All bookings have 24
hours from the time of booking to cancel their booking free of charge. i.e. 24 hr free cancellation window. Except where the booking is made within 7 days of arrival.
Periods except 17 Dec to end Jan and Easter:
Free
cancellation up to 6 weeks prior to booking. In the event of cancellation by
the guest within 6 weeks of check-in, 50% of total booking is not refundable unless
the house is re-let for the entire period.
17 Dec to end Jan and Easter:
Free cancellation up to 12 weeks prior to booking. In the event of cancellation by the guest within 12 weeks of date of arrival, 100% of the total booking is not refundable unless Alice's Palace is re-let for the entire period.
All efforts will be made to enable Alice's Palace to be re-let for cancelled period.
Any alterations must be agreed to in writing.
Victoria's best kept secret
Ocean Grove main surf beach (a 2-minute walk from Alice's Palace) is widely regarded as the most family-friendly surf beach in Victoria.
- It's an ocean beach (not a bay beach), so you
get real surf pretty consistently
- The waves aren’t ‘bone-crushing’ like most
other Victorian ocean beaches
- Great for learners to learn how to surf and learn surf etiquette in a relaxed environment
- It’s patrolled by surf life savers throughout
summer/to end Easter/extended according to public needs.
- It rarely has seaweed (and when it does, it’s
minimal)
- There are no rocks. They’re about 700mt down
the beach at low tide, heading towards the lighthouse
- It has a lawn and an elevated promenade for a
great view of the beach and surfing. It’s handy if you’re injured or elderly and can’t walk
on sand. Or you just prefer to lay your towel and self on grass!
- You can buy
great coffee and food at The Dunes. The Dunes (post-redevelopment finished late 2019) is now absolutely sensational :-), and you can watch the surfing and surf in comfort 'rain, hail or sunshine'.
- It’s cleaner than bay
beaches because it’s not in a city-engulfed bay. It faces the open sea
between Tasmania and King Island.
- It has a river (Barwon
River) for sheltered ‘flat-water’ fun,
a 5 minute walk via inland short-cut or
a 25 minute wander along the shoreline.
- 1.4 hrs from Melbourne GPO, about 20
minutes from Geelong and 40 minutes from Avalon Airport.
Things to do -
Explore awesome wineries & boutique breweries (often with live
music). Great wine tours available from Wilsons Wine Tours www.wilsons.wine
- Great whiskey and gin distilleries open to the public too!
- Perfect surf & river spot for swimming, surfing, boogie
boarding, kayak/canoeing, kite-surfing, skim-boarding, sail-boarding, sand-castle building, beach cricket and volleyball, frisbee playing, fishing...
- Sensational walks/run along the beach and up the Barwon River, over the footbridge to Barwon Heads. Also walks on dunes tracks with great views
-
Long walk to Point Lonsdale lighthouse along beach in opposite
direction.
-
Explore rock pools on the way
-
Whale
watching May to early Oct
- Fish off the Ocean Grove beach or in the Barwon River. The jetty and boat ramp is upstream.
- Snorkel/dive (all levels) the HMAS Canberra warship scuttled 2009, close-by or snorkel with seals and dolphins
- Swim, canoe, paddleboard or sailboard the sheltered 'flat water' of the Barwon River
- Cycling is undulating (contact us for some great cycling route maps)
- 16 golf courses within 35 minute drive radius. One is 10 minutes' walk. Some golf courses are world class. Many are open to
the public.
- Olive
groves & farmers markets
- Great local cafes & bars with live music
- Fantastic hatted (fine-dining rating) restaurants close-by
- Learn to surf, kayak or paddle-board - all ages
- Great launch point for exploring the Great Ocean Road
- Bay cruises
- Fishing tours all levels and boat charters
- Scenic joy flights from sedate to acrobatic
- Skydiving (pick-up Barwon Airport, drop zone Torquay)
- Horse riding all levels
- The famous Blues train (book ahead) runs nearby.
We've compiled a list of web links for awesome places to go, so feel free to contact us and we'll happily share it with you.