We stayed for the weekend in a River View Suite which is the cheapest room. The room was immaculate, comfortable, cosy, and well equipped, however "river view" is a misnomer. No rooms at Chateau Yering have river views, the river is some distance away. From the balcony there is a stunning tableau of the mountains in the distance. Out friends had a downstairs room facing the other way and it also had a very pleasant outlook. It was very hot and the air-conditioning was the most efficient I have ever encountered. We were able to leave it on all night without being cold and hot and dry throated and uncomfortable. There was a well stocked mini-bar as well as a good variety of complimentary teas, plunger coffee and bottled water, as well as locally made fruit biscotti. Tasteful decorations in antique style. Very comfy and high quality bed, not a hard bed as I am used to (too soft was a criticism of one reviewer) but although I have a back problem I experienced no pain or trouble sleeping on this lovely bed. Maid service changed the sheets after one night.
Staff were plentiful and very attentive. It was a Saturday and the place was madness with car clubs and weddings in the front garden but the staff were cool, efficient and attended everyone very well. We stayed until Monday when it was very quiet but still found plentiful staff there to assist. All staff were pleasant and competent.
We dined in Eleanore’s Restaurant. We have dined at many good restaurants over the years, but I would have to say that this was the most entertaining total dining experience of our lives to date. Head Chef Matthew Macartney prepared an amazing array of taste sensations for our enjoyment. My husband is a fairly plain eater and I must say we were a little dismayed when we looked at the menu with its very exotic sounding combinations of food. However, we took the plunge and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Spring menu of three courses for $95 featured eel and a liquorice flavoured partridge which none of us were game to try. Before entrée we were given freshly baked rolls and a complimentary appetizer of local goats cheese with deep fried nasturtium and a crunchy olive paste. This was absolutely delicious. For entrée I had slow cooked pork belly with scallops, black pudding, a banana sauce, truffles (which are tasteless) and endive and pineapple salad on top. It all went well together. My partner had seared mullet and also loved his unusual accompaniments. Another person had the vegetarian option which was tomatoes with Bocconcini. For mains I had the best cooked duck breast I have ever encountered, it was rare, juicy and tasty which is almost impossible for duck. It came with spinach, potato and a spring roll filled with goose liver pate which was interesting. It also had caramelized Quince which I wasn’t too fond of but it didn’t really matter. My husband had the Wagyu steak which he said was great but both steak eaters left their ox tail. My friend had the lamb which was five different pieces of lamb cooked in different ways. Prior to dessert we were given a small complimentary dessert of strawberry cheesecake. Then desert arrived and here my friend and I found the man we would offer to marry if we were not already! Pastry Chef Adam Timmins offered a delightful sounding range of desserts but we all chose the chocolate one! A chocolate mousse ball with crunchy pistachio ice-cream in the middle, it was served with a range of balls of varying sizes, dark chocolate and mint, milk chocolate truffle, pistachio ice-cream, sugared pistachio nuts. Absolutely superb. My husband doesn’t eat sweets but had a fabulous cheese platter instead, complete with poached fruits, grapes, cheeses, walnut bread, various crackers. We ordered a cappuccino at extra cost which came with another plate of 5 delicious petit fours. Service was very good, a couple of small lapses – we weren’t asked if we wanted to order extra potatoes or vegetables (which we did) so didn’t have those. However, all the dishes included a range of vegetable matter and were not small by any means, so we were very full anyway without the extras. Our wine was kept on a side table and waitress was a little slow to refill, and despite especially asking for our cuppas with our sweets, they didn’t come and we had to ask for them after finishing our sweets. But really these are minor problems. The restaurant has a beautiful mountain outlook. Pre dinner drinks were served in the “Blue Room”, a gorgeous drawing room off the restaurant.
Yering has a range of packages which are excellent value. They include dinner, bed, breakfast and an activity which represent huge savings. We took the ballooning package. We were called at 4.30 am to head off on the adventure. Our Ballooning company was Go Wild. The balloon ride itself was terrific and the pilot was exceptionally skilled and I felt quite safe at all times. Landing was gentle. A few points you need to know though – you are away from a toilet for 4 hours so DON’T DRINK WATER, you need to be able bodied as you are on your feet for 4 hours, and the group is expected to assist with setting up and packing up of the balloon which is a long process. We head out to a paddock and wait for the balloons to be ready. You need to have solid footwear as there is a lot of standing in paddocks, some squishiness, unevenness and long grass. I do wonder if there was a group of older people or predominantly women how they would get the balloon off the ground. Glad I was in a group of mainly youngish men. You have to climb into the balloon basket and climb out from a prone position when you land so if you have any sort of physical problem it might be difficult. After the trip there is breakfast at Yering. You breakfast together and this includes a glass of champers which after getting up at 4.30am and its now 9.30am, I could take or leave. It’s a buffet, a lovely one which is a cut above the usual 5 star buffet I thought. Couple of minor problems like no where near enough OJ on the table and no salt and pepper anywhere.
The maids prepared our room while we were ballooning so we could nap or be undisturbed following our flight. After a nap we had lunch in Sweetwater café. Again not sure of the menu but were very delighted with our lunch. My husband had tagliatelli with calamari and king prawns, I had a tatin (pastry) with seared witlof and scallops which was delicious. They forgot to bring my tea and I had to ask for it again but otherwise an excellent lunch. I also had cake of the day which was strawberry marscapone cheesecake. I have no idea how the chef makes it so light and fluffy. My husband had a couple of chardonnays and total cost was $80. A bread roll wouldn’t have gone astray with lunch, they gave us plates but never brought any bread.
After all the culinary adventure we were looking forward to a room service toasted sandwich for tea but were disappointed to find that the only food available to room service between 6 and 10 is the Eleanores menu. Not wanting to go out for dinner we had to purchase bread and cheese to have in the room. I think this is a problem for as lovely as the food at Eleanores is, it is not something one can eat every night. This would be a big problem if you were staying a few nights.
Breakfast in the sweetwater Café is the same cold buffet we had after ballooning but the hot dishes are specially cooked. I had eggs Benedict with spinach and smoked salmon and my husband had English breakfast. All very good except he asked for fried eggs and received scrambled. (as a ballooner and Yering guest you can choose to eat with the ballooning group or in the café where you get the better class of hot breakfast).
We used the pool which was lovely and refreshing although they turned the pump off at 5 so we had a few insects floating, and the bottom needs painting, but it was clean and quite large. A beautiful tennis court is next door. The winery is a short stroll through the gardens and it had free tasting, a range of sculpture and art to look at, and a small shop. On the 3rd Sunday of the month there is a great farmers market which we really enjoyed.
Cost was reasonable for what we got. The package for dinner bed breakfast and ballooning is $1180 per double. To balloon and breakfast on its own is $500 per person. You do the maths. Costs of drinks are around $12-$15 for mixed and cocktails. Wine in the restaurant is $40 for a bottle you buy next door at the winery for $26. All in all for what you get I found it very reasonable.
I have been very very picky but I thoroughly enjoyed Yering and we will definitely be returning. Have a look at their packages on their web site if you don’t fancy ballooning as there are others.