True Holiday Treasure - Canberra Times Review Dec 2007
Break-away Travel Pages
Author: James Massola - James and his now fiancee were guests of
Crystal Creek Meadows.
Crystal Creek Meadows - Kangaroo Valley NSW Australia
"To give a full account of everything
that was good about a night at
Crystal Creek Meadows would take
more space than is usually allotted
for a review.
From the moment we arrived, I was put in
mind of the poem 'Cargoes', by the former
English poet laureate John Masefield.
Masefield's poem enumerates in just 87
words the sense, sight, sounds and smells of
three bulging container ships, packed to the
rafters with gifts and exotic treasures.
The cottages at Crystal Creek Meadows
are similarly packed.
Masefield's poem speaks of a 'Stately
Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus/
Dipping through the Tropics by the palmgreen
shores,/ With a cargo of diamonds,/
Emeralds, amethysts,/ Topazes, cinnamon,
and gold moidores'.
Our cottage - the aptly named 'Billabong Spa Cottage'
as we were to discover - also
possessed an array of treasures.
Here is what struck me when I first walked
in the door:
The divine decor; ABC classic FM
playing; a bedroom; a perhaps even bigger
bathroom with a fantastic spa and disabled
access; an oh-so-comfortable sitting room; a
gloriously stocked kitchen, featuring a washing
machine, fridge, stove and microwave
(and I'm getting to the food); TV, DVD and
video player; a fireplace stoked and ready to
go; a verandah with a beautiful aspect, and
privacy; essential oils, made on the property,
and an oil burner, made on the property (a
gift); and a king-sized bed to top it off.
And then there was the food and drink:
chocolates on our pillows; a separate box of
chocolates accompanied by a carafe of port;
on the kitchen table, a selection of lamingtons,
scones, Tim Tams, Anzac biscuits and
assorted other delights; in the fridge, a bottle
of champagne, a bottle of locally-made
sauvignon blanc, a basket containing apples,
oranges, grapefruit, from-the-property chook
eggs, mushrooms, ham, spring onions, milk,
yoghurt, whipped cream, a selection of divine
locally-made Indian ready meals, and locally-made
pickle to go with it; not to mention
three types of cereal, coffee, both instant and
real, and teas galore to choose from.
Ordinarily one would not bother to list the
perks and individual pleasures of a given
hotel or cottage, but Crystal Creek Meadows
really was that good, in fact so overwhelmingly
perfect, that it was difficult for this
author to do otherwise.
The NSW Government agrees, too. Crystal
Creek claimed the best hosted accommodation
award in the state for the second year in
a row, just two weeks before we arrived.
On the available evidence, it was not
difficult to understand why. Crystal Creek
will now represent NSW in the national
awards, in which it was 'highly
commended' last year.
The proprietors, Sophie and Christopher
Warren, have thought of everything with
their four discrete cottages. Two, including
the Billabong, cater for romantic couples;
two accommodate families. On the property,
one can go for walks through the gardens,
feed the chooks, sit by the creek, or stay in
and borrow board games or DVDs.
And Kangaroo Valley is not short of
activities, either. The delightful Cafe Bella, a
fixture in the Sydney Morning Herald Good
Food Guide, is a five-minute drive, and by no
means the only place to eat in town.
There is also a local kayaking and
canoeing company, for those who have a
taste for adventure.
For those seeking the ultimate indulgence,
an in-house day spa, complete with masseuse.
is available as well. And if that is not
your cup of tea, arrangements can be made
with Chris and Sophie to take their 1969 MG
out for a tour of the local countryside,
exploring the temperate rainforest.
In fact, it's this last treat that brings me to
one of the most interesting things about
Crystal Creek Meadows - the property is also
an environmentally friendly place to stay.
Chris has gone to great lengths to ensure
the cottages' green credentials.
Visitors to Crystal Creek can buy a tree for
$3.50 to offset the carbon emissions from
their journey. The cabins are specially
insulated and specially cooled to reduce
electricity consumption (down 22 per cent
and counting). All the power purchased for
the property is green. In the sink of each
cabin is a bucket that asks for all food scraps
to be saved for the (very well fed, judging by
appearances) chickens.
Chris says the message is that it is possible
to indulge in life's luxuries, but also to be
eco-friendly.
The couple spent over a decade in the
Middle East, and Chris likens his principles
of hospitality at Crystal Creek to the Middle
Eastern idea of how a guest should be treated
- in short 'Offer them everything. It's about
giving rather than focusing on price.'
Chris, who is originally from Britain, says
Australians must be the guardians of the
country's tremendous natural beauty.
If he hadn't employed green power-saving
measures, the property would have had to
plant 400 to 500 trees per year to offset
carbon emissions, he says.
'Instead it is 55 trees a year. It's not about
having a political persuasion, it's about the
local environment.'
'I use specific varieties of trees. Where we
sit today was once 100 per cent temperate
rainforest. We want to enhance bio-diversity.
We have platypus and echidnas on this
property, and up to 150 bird species.'
So in addition to being a luxurious getaway
par excellence, when visiting you can also
feel good about the difference to the local
environment the cottages, and their
custodians, make.
Crystal Creek is a good place to relax; a
fine place to indulge; a wonderful place to
unwind.
It's even a good place to get engaged.
Even the bathrooms come with a view at Crystal Creek Meadows, a place where luxury doesn’t come at a cost to the environment."
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