Owners Tony DeMarco and Theresa Albioli,the couple behind The Houses Daylesford group with its portfolio of 70-plus upscale holiday rental properties,bought the 43-hotel,formerly the Grange Bellinzona dating to 1903,in 2020. That was during the pandemic,which may explain why the sale went somewhat unnoticed for a while. Named after the Swiss-Italian town,Hotel Bellinzona,has been given the complete gilded designer treatment - and then some. Set in gorgeous,manicured gardens and backed by the dense bushland of the Wombat State Forest,a surprise feature is the hotel’s large indoor swimming pool featuring a black and white mural. Inside the lobby,festooned with a profusion of pot plants and figurines,there is a welcome bar surrounded by leather armchairs that draw guests away from their rooms to commune in the bosom of the hotel.
The Room
Our comfortable and commodious room overlooks a charming courtyard garden. Overall,the room could benefit from a few luxury accoutrements. And it seems that when it comes to hotel renovations it can be difficult to stretch the funds to what would seem one of the most costly aspects of any revamp - the in-suite bathrooms,which appear to have missed out on the latest revamp. But with so much to entertain you within and without the hotel,shame on you if you’re lounging around your room for any longer than absolutely necessary.
Food + Drink