Would you like to spend a night here? Drift House, Port Fairy and Bluestone Magazine are offering a special subscriber-only competition to give you just that chance. Image: Courtesy of Drift House.CLOSED -SUBSCRIBER ONLY COMPETITION
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] W[/dropcap]e are delighted here at Bluestone Magazine to be working with the award-winning, luxury accommodation at Drift House, Port Fairy for a special, subscriber-only competition.
Owners John Watkinson and Colleen Guiney spent years planning and transforming the virtually derelict 1861 Customs House on the corner of Gipps and Regent streets into unique, boutique accommodation that opened in December 2013.
The Drift House was awarded best luxury accommodation in the Qantas Tourism Awards for 2014 and has been attracting accolades and national and international attention ever since.
One of the many unique aspects of Drift House is its approach to the traditional hotel mini bar.
As John explains, Drift House has done away with the standard mini bar that usually offers something like Coke, a Kit-Kat, chips and draught beer at exorbitant prices, and has instead created a Maxi Bar.
Colleen Guiney and John Watkinson with the high-quality but low-cost “Maxi Bar” they offer guests staying at Drift House.[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T[/dropcap]he Maxi Bar offers a range of high quality treats that either come from artisans in south-west Victoria or as close to the south-west as possible.
The current Maxi Bar, for example, includes Shaw River cheese from Yambuk, Basalt wine, jam from the Pantry Door at Killarney, and hand-made yo-yos from Sandra Showler who this year took out first prize for her yo-yos at the Port Fairy show.
And while the quality is maxi, the prices are not.
“We have completely reinvented the mini bar in terms of what it offers, but also what it costs by keeping prices as close to retail as we can,” John says.
Bluestone had a peek and yes, apart from the wine and champagne, everything was priced in single figures rather than double digits. How refreshing!
What special, locally sourced item would you like to see added to the Drift House Maxi Bar? Tell us and you might win a night at the Drift House.[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] S[/dropcap]o where do you come in, Bluestoner?
Well, the Drift House wants your input on what special item (either edible or usable) you would like to see added to its Maxi Bar and the best idea will win a fabulous night for two at the Drift House, complete with a delicious hamper full of local produce, valued at a total of more than $375.
Your idea should try and:
- enhance the experience of staying at Drift House by offering something special
- promote the broader, south-west region and…
- if appropriate, allow a guest to take a little piece of their Drift House holiday home with them.
[box]Do you know of a special, locally produced item that would fit perfectly into the Drift House Maxi Bar?
Send us your suggestion VIA EMAIL by 5pm Monday, September 28 at editor@bluestonemagazine.com.au and we will pass them on to John and Colleen to pick a winner![/box]
*Note: food item suggestions should have a shelf-life of at least four months. The major prize of one night’s accommodation may not be available during peak periods and other times when there is a two night minimum stay. Prize is not transferable.
I would like to suggest to Colleen and John that a beautiful piece of handmade Tipsy glass, made by local Warrnambool Glass Artist Louise North would look stunning as a base for local handmade soap in the bathroom. Or it would also look amazing as a sit alone piece anywhere in Drift House. I would also very dearly love, love, love to win a night at Drifthouse,.My daughter and her husband haven’t stopped raving about a weekend spent there earlier in the year.
what about a barry peters cd? His original music from the south west celebrates the environment and helps children embrace the story of this place!
I think a perfect addition to the maxi bar would be a bottle of Pierrepoint Wine from Penshurst. It would compliment the goodies already included, and put another perspective of the wonderful areas we have so close to us.