When you've been married for double-digit years and have added a 4 year old to the mix just for laughs, it gets a little hard to make time for just the two of you. When our wedding anniversary came around and we realised we probably hadn't been out for an evening together since.....oh.....last year's anniversary it was time to take action.
We wouldn't be able to go away for more than one night and didn't want to spend most of our precious free time driving, so we decided on a staycation in our hometown of Brisbane.
Where to stay was an easy pick: I had been to the bar at Ovolo Inchcolm before and loved the vibe of this oh so pretty hotel.
We arrived late in the afternoon to the heritage listed building on Wickham Terrace and when our eyes had adjusted a little (it's quite dark inside!) we noticed the reception was an extension of a very impressive looking bar. We were checked in by a friendly staff member who was quite surprised we had come from just two suburbs away – I guess the staycation trend hasn't really caught on yet?
Our room, The Thomson Suite was on the top floor and we went up in the beautiful old-fashioned elevator (fitted with modern technology, thankfully). I just love that feeling of excitement when you open your hotel room for the first time, and the Thomson Suite did not disappoint!
The room is huge, and features a four-poster bed on one side; swish designer bathroom and lounge room on the other.
The room is fitted out with lots of modern tech – Apple gear everywhere – and we really enjoyed shouting music orders at "virtual assistant", Alexa. "Alexa, play Miles Davis". "Alexa, play Linkin Park". It's probably a good thing we don't have one of these at home....
A little birdie had told the team at Ovolo Inchcolm it was our anniversary, and we were thrilled to find some bubbles ready for us in the room with a handwritten note from "team Inchy".
After a quick freshen up in the gorgeous bathroom we changed into our (rarely worn) "going out clothes" and went to check out the lobby bar.
For a small extra fee you can book Ovolo Inchcolm's "Freebies" package which includes a free Happy Hour at the bar and continental breakfast in the morning. We decided to take this option and definitely got our money's worth on gin & tonics alone.... the bartenders were lovely and knowledgeable. The rosé was pretty good, too – cheers!
Some delicious fancy nibbles were served and we felt ready to leave the hotel for just a little while (there was a function at the hotel restaurant that evening so we could not dine there) – we walked to the Barracks and enjoyed the Catalan cuisine of chef Javier at Moda Restaurant.
After a great sleep in that fancy bed we still woke up early (you don't just undo 4 years of child enforced early wake-ups in one weekend) and enjoyed breakfast in the restaurant. The continental "freebie" breakfast was pretty basic (some muesli with berry yoghurt, a croissant and slice of toast with spreads, a juice and coffee or tea) so I recommend ordering from the a la carte menu (the omelette was delicious).
All in all we had a wonderful stay and forgot all about the everyday madness of parenting for just a little while. I couldn't recommend a staycation at Ovolo Inchcolm enough – all of the perks and none of the traffic!
