On our first visit to Adelaide, I didn't really know what to expect. We chose to stay near McLaren Vale, and I stumbled across this amazing beach house, so thought I'd book it and bribe the kids with swims at the beach after a day in the vineyards.
My mistake was only booking three nights, it is a comfortable and relaxing base, offering ease of access to both beach and wineries.
The house itself is lovely, and a lot of thoughtful touches make it the perfect holiday house, especially for those that come interstate by plane, and have luggage restrictions.
Bedding and towels are supplied, you only need your beach towels. The kitchen is well equipped, with even a coffee machine. However, salt, ground pepper, vinegar and olive oil are also in plentiful supply.
On two levels, the kids can take over the ground floor, but the parents still have a lounge room they can retreat to. There are in fact, three lounge rooms with comfy sofas, televisions and dvd players. One even has an x-box!
Kitchen dining has stunning views upstairs, but if you choose to eat in the courtyard, there are plastic plates in the laundry, with the barbeque tongs, so you don't have to traipse up and down the stairs.
The outdoor shed is the go to place for boogie boards - there are three, so no fighting children, a surf board and some other board beyond my landlubber knowledge. Soccer nets and balls, a scooter and other games for those that don't want to take to the surf.
Should the weather turn, hit the ping pong table or choose from one of the many dvds supplied, both for adults and children.
We only used three of the four bedrooms, but with another family, this house is an absolute steal.
The location offers great views of the sunset, but you are literally across the road to the beach. So expect a few walks on the sand as the sunsets.
The ease of taking kids to the beach when it's so close is worth paying a small fortune for. It allowed us to get in some beach time and catch a few waves before we checked out.
However, the beautiful beach isn't why you come here. The house is seven minutes from the vineyards. We would cover a couple of tastings and a restaurant lunch then head back for a swim and lazy evening.
If you want to eat out at night and have a few drinks, there's a restaurant about six houses down, so very easy walking distance, or picnic on the sand. The shed also has some folding chairs and an esky, just in case.
The kids were begging to stay longer, and I felt a pang of regret I hadn't booked more days. Elandra means home by the sea, and at least for a few days for us, it was.
