Summary of an amazing experience!

I have had difficulties uploading this short video directly to my blog so please follow the link and check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW31iIfOHN0

Mission Complete

So here I am, back in reality. All my guests are alive and no baggage went missing. Success! A huge thank you goes to ICMS and the ATE team for giving me such an amazing experience. It will be one I will never forget and will be told over and over again! The experience I gained from this weekend will be so valuable in my studies as I got to see firsthand what can go wrong and the little things that need to be thought about. It was incredible. I put a lot of hard work into the build up and I think it paid off. The more prepared you are, the smoother the event can go. To my guests, you are so wonderful and I hope to see you again, and to Wolgan Valley... I will back. Trust me on that! 

Let's go Cruising!

After leaving Wolgan Valley we all relaxed back into our chairs and waited for our arrival back at Sydney. Here we were headed to Sea Sydney Cruises to have a private cruise with seafood supplied by Nick’s Seafood Darling Harbour. I walked my group towards the boat, which had no advertising for the company therefore I had to make a quick call and look for Calypso. Here we were once again greeted with drinks and laid back music. A hiccup in the afternoon evolved, a surprise guests entered the boat.... a salesperson for Opals Australia. It not only confused me but more importantly concerned my guests. Grant from Wild escapes had not informed me of this so I was frantically trying to call to get information as to kick this salesman off. Apparently it was a special surprise because there was a gift to give to one lucky guest. A $500 opal pendant! Thanks for letting me know Grant! So all was good and it was time sit back relax, and cruise through Sydney harbour. It was beautiful. The night life was sparkling and the breeze crisp. Two of my German guest, Wilfred and Roland, and myself had taken residence in the front on the boat of the couch. They were apparently hiding from the pesky salesperson. It was an amazing view, even better when a waiter comes with drinks every 15 minutes! We got chatting and I discovered many wonderful things about the world of tourism! I also got invited to visit them if I was in Germany! How convenient! It ended up being an amazing finish to an incredibly memorable weekend. 

Oh what a beautiful Morning

Good morning! What a wonderful morning it is. I got up early because I wanted to enjoy as much as possible of this beautiful place. I had a refreshing morning swim just a few steps from my bed, then headed up to the homestead to get a warm hot chocolate to enjoy whilst reading my personally delivered news paper. Amazing.

I think I could live with this luxury! After skyping my partner who lives in Germany (had to make use of the free wi-fi!) I headed up to get breakfast with two of my guests Rachel and Laura. The food was too good to be true. Pasties, croissants, yoghurts, muslie and fruits were all splayed over the buffet table. We took a seat and offered freshly squeezed juices. Who could refuse? They gave us a menu so not only can we walk up and get as much food as we like we can also enjoy warm freshly baked food. I picked the waffles with fruite compote. Mouth watering! After breakfast we got our selves ready for a horse ride! This was incredible! The scenery was to die for and was one of the best horse riding experiences I have had. The stables were impeccable and the horses very sweet.

No Australian Outback dunny to be seen here! First class all the way!

 We all had a ball. From here it was unfortunately getting closer and closer to leaving time. First we got a tour of the original homestead of the property built in 1832! They spent 20 million dollars refurbishing and rebuilding it. It also boasts an amazing vegie garden!

Packing up my room was awfully sad. I never want to leave this place. I have never felt so cleansed and happy in my life. We all met up for the last lunch on the property. The menu included octopus with spiced eggplant, lobster spring rolls, veal fettuccini and all sorts of amazing foods. I am definitely going to miss this!

We packed ourselves into the luxury bus and farewelled one of the most exquisite properties on offer in Australia. Bye bye luxury! Hello my return to Sydney! 

Night Time

After having a dip in the main infinity pool next to the homestead and a quick shower back at my room it was time to round up the troops and head off for a tour of the property. Everyone was on time and we piled into the Wolgan 4WD vehicle and were taken to different sections of the land and told about the amazing environment and about the Wollemi pines. They are trees from prehistoric times that have been rediscovered in a secret location not far from Wolgan Valley. Only about 800 full grown trees remain in the world and a large portion of this are found here. Wolgan Valley resort and spa have planted a few to keep the species going. On one of the trees a hatchling of tiny stick insects were also incredibly fascinating to look at! We saw kangaroos and wallabies and a beautiful sunset.  Back at the homestead we arrived to pre drinks for our 5 course dinner. General Manager Joost Heymeijer answered some pressing questions from the guests as to why they should tell their clients to go here. All of which was an amazing experience as you hear firsthand the marketing of the property the specific requests from the tourism industry. Then we moved to the dinner. I could almost drool just at the thought of it. We sat down on a beautiful table right next to the fire and were presented with menus. This was mine:

Yellowfin Tuna sashimi, Olive crumbs, crips shallot, roast tomato vinaigrette.

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Roasted Quail, pear relish, chilli honeycomb, bittersweet sauce

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Grapefruit Sorbet

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Pan fried Hapuka, sautéed mushrooms, sweet corn, English Spinach

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Chocolate and Hazelnut Parfait, Hazelnut Ice Cream

After dinner I headed back to my amazing suite, where they had dimmed the lights, started the fire, put my slippers out and placed a little tray of bedtime sweets on the bed side table. I had a dip in my private pool and then finally curled up in the impressively fluffy bed. Job well done I say.

Wolgan Experience

Am I really here? It is a heaven on earth. Everything seems to flow so beautifully into this property that it is just an incredible feeling. We entered the Reception area and were greeted with refreshment cloths tinged with lemon zest. From here we were greeted with a glass of champagne and encouraged to have a look around the main area of the homestead. Everything is intriguing right down to every detail. A large clock hangs of the wall made from a fallen tree on the property, a lamp has been created from an old jacket left from previous tenants and A lighting fixture in the private dining room is made from an old trough. It’s amazing how much thought has gone into this. After we have fixed up some paper work we are shown the cellar which holds over one hundred local wines and lots of imported ones, like a $650 bottle of French champagne(sample please?). Then we are taken to the country kitchen for a beautiful choice of lunch. Fresh basil and chorizo sausage fettuccine it is. A great thing about this property is all drinks are including (selected alcohol only) so I went crazy with soda and hot chocolate. The group was divided into two groups and taken on a tour. We started with the pool area, insanely beautiful, along with the gym and sauna. All beautifully presented. Then we head to the spa. Timeless spa is carried through many of the Emirates properties around the world and is renowned fir its high end products and impeccable services. The place is stunning. There are big chairs that look awfully tempting, extravagant lights, timber features and big windows over looking the valley. I pinch myself to check I am not dreaming. Each private spa treatment room has an actual spa for guests to enjoy before or after the treatment and also have change rooms with fluffy robes and slippers waiting. A warning that this may all be incredible but the cost would bite you in the butt. One of my guests, Karen, will be getting a massage to tomorrow so I will report back.

Now to be taken to the Wolgan suite. This is the most expensive room starting for $4400 per night. It is a 3 bedroom and is designed for the families wishing to bring along their nanny, butler or private chef. Breathtaking. I can’t describe how amazing it is. Everything is exquisitely designed and perfectly position. It does get me excited to see my room! And finally that moment has come.

There is no better way to describe this amazing place that I am now to call home for a night (this bedroom cost a minimum of $1500.00 a night) other than in pictures, they say a thousand words right? 

 The living room

 The veranda

 My welcome drinks, on the house

 The view from the shower!

 Just the amazing little details!

 The very tempting bed

 Yes, my own private pool! 

A girls best a friend, a personal closet.

Day One- Afternoon

So this is how it goes...

1. We leave Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.
2. Drive through Lithgow(not the prettiest place personally but the guests called it "cute")
3. Drive an hour into the middle of nowhere. 
4. Enter a deep valley with panoramic views. 
5. Drive through A beautiful Timber gate with "Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa" intrinsically written on it.
6. My heart skips a beat as we drive past the helipad. Good sign for a nice place.
7. Arrive at these incredible automated gumtree timber gates. A grand entrance.
8. To our left is the $2million dollar stables. 
9. We drive down little creeks and over some bushland.
10. There it is. The most amazing resort I have seen in my entire life. 40 self contained, beautifully detailed suites lining the mountain range. A grand old homestead is the feature of the property with a large timber decking. An infinity pool is close by that has sweeping views into the distance. Breathtaking. 

From here we had a beautiful lunch overlooking the valley. 

Then we got a tour of the property including the luxurious Timeless Spa.

This was all in one afternoon! I will now go and explore my room and report back soon.