What better way to celebrate the end of Uni exams than to pack a bag, stock up on some marshmallows and hot cocoa and head out of the city and into the pituresque Karri Valley forest of Pemberton in Southwest WA where one of the most serene and charming places can be found, Beedalup House Cottages. Located 15 minutes from Pemberton and in the heart of the forest, Beedalup Cottages certainly stole my heart with it’s fairy-tale like theme from the entrance with the beautiful and rustic reception arch, to the cottages themselves which ironically are named after fairy-tale characters. Beedalup Cottages are owned by a sweet couple, Bev and Ken along with their fluffy fur ball who also live on the premises.
As the cottages have no internet connection, the reception has a cabinet with copious amounts of movies to watch, along with an endless selection of boardgames to play to really enjoy the full experience . With a huge garden next to the reception, you can’t miss all the kangaroos and their joeys plodding along through the cottage site. The Beedalup cottages also have a pool and tennis court you can use, (although we just enjoyed staying cosy in our cabin), which would be good for the summer time. The paths to all the cabins are paved with fragrant lemon and mandarin trees and the most beautiful rustic lamp posts, mimicking that storybook setting. As mentioned before, each cottage is uniquely designed after a fairy tale story: the Hansel, Gretel, Romeo, Juliet, Robin Hood, Maid Marion and the Tudor House and each cottage has it’s own design and charm.
We stayed in the Hansel, the most popular romance cabin. This two story cabin was so magical with it’s quaint furniture, old fireplace and cobblestone walls. Upon entering the cottage from upstairs, it feels like you are entering a fairytale story itself with the couches, tv and fireplace on your right in a cosy space and the staircase on your left. The kitchen was a cute nook with open windows overlooking the forest, all self contained with a small oven, stove, microwave and fridge. The balcony was one of my favourite parts of the cottage, right next to the kitchen it is draped in red curtains. Spending most of our time out there, we relished in the seclusion and mystical looking forest trees and the fresh air that can be soaked up from right here on the balcony. With a weber set up on the right and a table on the left, we loved cooking breakfast out here every morning and drinking our coffees in the fresh forest air.
The downstairs part of the cottage included the bedroom and bathroom. With a dim lighting and cobblestone walls, it was the epitome of cosiness. The bed was draped in blankets and pillows, along with an electric blanket which was a necessity for Pemberton’s chilly air. Two his and her’s dressing gowns were included above a chest of drawers full of warm blankets.
The bathroom continued the cobblestone patterns with a beautiful rustic golden mirror and large shower. I loved the fresh lavender that dressed the cottage, from the bathroom on top of the towels to a little ceramic bear holding the fresh flower in a crevice of the stair case wall. However the main attraction of this cottage was the double spa bath that overlooked the mystical forest. With a tv in the corner next to the spa, you can relax with a glass of wine, watching a movie or you can just relax and gaze upon the forest, which we did. The veranda was on the verge of the forest, with a table and chairs outside, every time we were out there, we were greeted by the local parrots, all after our food of course.
On our first afternoon shortly after we arrived, we sat out on the veranda with some rosé, cheeses and meats and just enjoyed the atmosphere. That night we thought we would cook up a wintery feast to suit our cosy cottage, so I made a lamb roast, with duck fat potatoes and veggies that we ate by the fireplace. One of my fondest memories of the trip however, was sitting by the fireplace and reading the journals filled with notes people had written about their stay at the Hansel. Going all the way back to 2010, it was so much fun reading peoples experiences there, from peoples honeymoon trips, to their 40th wedding anniversaries.
