Hotel Review: Jackalope, Merricks North, Victoria
When Jackalope opened on the Mornington Peninsula eight years ago, it broke the rules for a country hotel.
With its monolithic dark design, monochromatic interiors, playful art and ambitious food and drinks offering, there was nothing rustic or traditional about this luxury destination stay amid the vines.
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Location
Merricks North is on the Mornington Peninsula, one of Australia's prime wine tourism regions. And you can be sipping your first cool-climate chardonnay or pinot noir about an hour after leaving Melbourne. It's day-tripping distance from the city – about 80km from the CBD via the M11 – but a weekend or longer is recommended to experience at least a few of the 50-plus wineries and cellar doors, along with beaches, sculpture gardens, golf courses, hikes and hot springs. We had ambitions of exploring but found enough to enjoy at the hotel – walking the vineyard, a free 'Essential Experience' tasting of winemaker Geraldine McFaul's fine Rare Hare wines, eating and simply resting – that we stayed put during a two-night stay.
A 7m-high statue of this mythical jackrabbit with the antlers of an antelope draws guests into a courtyard entrance. Picture: Supplied.
The arrival
A contemporary, barn-like structure clad in black metal with black charred timber trim, Jackalope sits grandly on the crest of a hill, with rows of vines flanking its driveway on one side. The hotel is named for a creature from North American folklore that took the fancy of the hotel's Chinese founder Louis Li and a 7m-high statue of this mythical jackrabbit with the antlers of an antelope draws guests into a courtyard entrance. The work of Melbourne artist Emily Floyd, the giant aluminium construction coated in black automotive paint puts a classy spin on the Aussie 'Big Thing'. Reception and the hotel beyond is to the right of the Jackalope; the cellar door is to the right and straight ahead is casual restaurant Rare Hare. Contemporary art reflecting the theme of alchemy – think glass, light and marble components – is throughout the hotel's public spaces.
The king-size bed is positioned to face the view, and the rooms are free from art so the vista is the star. Picture: Supplied.
The room
Jackalope's 44 rooms and suites, arranged along wide corridors on two levels, include two enviable 85sqm 'Lair' suites with terraces. Entry-level rooms face the car park and get sunrise views. We are in the next category up, a 38sqm Vineyard room with a freestanding Japanese black stone tub and sunset views. A balcony looks over the native garden and 30m infinity pool and heated spa pool below, across to rows of vines, their leaves burnished gold in the autumn sunshine.
The tub and stylish double vanity are incorporated into the living space, with a double shower and toilet behind a frosted glass wall. Floors in the wet areas are heated – appreciated on a winter escape – and the cardamom-scented amenities are Tom Dixon Underground, from the UK.
We are in the next category up, a 38sqm Vineyard room with a freestanding Japanese black stone tub and sunset views. Picture: Supplied.
Otherwise, Jackalope looks local, with Melbourne-made custom Zuster furniture and included minibar supplies such Peninsula Nut Co lollies and nuts, Chappy's chips, prepackaged Melbourne Martini cocktails, Capi soft drinks and a couple of Tar Barrel beers brewed on the Mornington Peninsula in addition to St Ali coffee and Somage teas.
The king-size bed is positioned to face the view, and the rooms are free from art so the vista is the star.
The sleek cocktail bar Flaggerdoot. Picture: Supplied.
Food and wine
A matched tasting of fine wine and Gippsland's Prom Country Cheese rolls into a pre-dinner House Martini (Botanist gin, vermouth, orange and chilli oil) and Starward Old Fashioned made with the Melbourne distillery's Two-Fold Whisky at the sleek cocktail bar Flaggerdoot. A flaggerdoot is apparently a group of jackalopes, and Doot Doot Doot, the fine-diner next door, is named for the leader of the gang. Like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant's décor is dark and moody, highlighted by an expansive 'chandelier' made from 10,000 golden globes shaped like glassware from a laboratory, under which a $130-per-person seasonal menu comprises three courses and snacks inspired by Asian cuisine. My highlight is dessert: peanut butter wafer, banana, espresso crumb, dark chocolate.
More casual is lunch at shared tables the next day at Rare Hare. The food keeps coming – salumi, woodfired eggplant, spatchcock on a coconut corn purée, and it's a bargain at $85 a head. Doot Doot Doot doubles as breakfast café for à la carte selections – an elevated version of avocado toast, spanner crab omelette and a full English breakfast – included in the tariff.
Guests can order lotions and potions for DIY treatments and use an infra-red sauna next to the pool. Picture: Supplied.
Extras
A 'Daily Discoveries' program offers different options each day of the week. We join Saturday's kitchen garden tour, sipping hot herbal tea made from lemon balm and verbena and hearing how the kitchen staff use the native foods, edible flowers and herbs from the garden. Massages and facials are available in-room, and guests can also order lotions and potions for DIY treatments and use an infra-red sauna next to the pool.
Our package included a 'turndown' gift – a black travel wallet – and a posh session of campfire cooking to make s'mores. The theory is that marshmallows are toasted on a stick over a flame, then neatly sandwiched between biscuits with a piece of chocolate. In reality, mine were a sweet, sticky, crumbly mess but tasty all the same.
Doot Doot Doot's décor is dark and moody, highlighted by an expansive 'chandelier' made from 10,000 golden globes shaped like glassware from a laboratory, Picture: Supplied.
What's hot
If you fancy staying in and watching a movie, room service will deliver popcorn and vanilla ice-cream for free.
What's not
There is a degree of discomfort in only frosted glass separating the toilet from the main living space.
Jackalope is a convenient and classy weekend getaway for food and wine-lovers. Picture: Supplied.
Verdict - 9/10
Close to the city, Jackalope is a convenient and classy weekend getaway for food and wine-lovers or anyone who wants to be spoiled on a special occasion. What could on the surface be taken as a 'serious' experience is actually a lot of fun.
The writer was a guest of Jackalope. The Winter Solstice package, available until September, is from $1376 for two nights and includes lunch at Rare Hare and other extras.
Originally published as Hotel Review: Jackalope, Merricks North, Victoria
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