Photo: Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Hotel Red Hill
Lindenderry at Red Hill
142 Arthurs Seat Rd, Red Hill VIC 3937
A Red Hill hotel set on 34 acres of gardens and vines, with an on-site dining room and a weekend cellar door.
A Peninsula Wellness Weekend
Thermal pools, a coastal walk and vineyard meals, with two nights to slow down at the same Red Hill stay.
CouplesWellness · Coastal
Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Peter Foster, courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria
Use the same stay for both nights and make the thermal session the one fixed point of Saturday. Lunch at Merricks starts the trip; the gallery finishes it. The Cape Schanck stop is optional if you would rather return to the property after lunch. Check each booking's cancellation terms before paying, especially if keeping the weekend flexible matters to you.
Day 1Arrive and exhale
- Midday
Merricks General Wine Store
Begin with lunch at Merricks General. Confirm the kitchen's service times before planning your arrival.
- Afternoon
Lindenderry at Red Hill
Check in after lunch and leave time for the garden. Lindenderry Dining Room serves dinner Thursday to Saturday; book for your date rather than assuming a late meal is available.
Day 2Thermal pools and a flexible coast
- Morning
Alba Thermal Springs & Spa
Book a morning session. Move through the circuit properly instead of ticking pools off a list.
- Midday
Rare Hare at Willow Creek
Lunch on the vineyard terrace if the weather allows. Keep it lighter than a degustation.
- Afternoon
Cape Schanck Boardwalk
An optional coastal stop between lunch and dinner. Check park access and weather before deciding to make the drive.
- Evening
Lindenderry at Red Hill
Second night at the same property. Book the Dining Room if it serves dinner for your date; otherwise plan a nearby dinner before settling in.
Day 3Gallery and home
- Late morning, after 11am
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
On the way home, visit the regional gallery after its 11am opening for a quiet hour before the drive back.
Booking checklist
- essentialTwo nights at Lindenderry
- essentialAlba thermal session
- recommendedLunch reservations and Lindenderry Dining Room dinner service Thursday to Saturday
Sleep here
Your base for this escape
Move the trip outside
Explore stops inside this plan
Lookout Cape Schanck Boardwalk
Cape Schanck gives you basalt formations, pounding water and lighthouse views within a compact coastal precinct. Several lookouts offer views over the geological formations, while the wooden staircase and boardwalk descend to the beach and rock platform. The descent includes stairs, so distinguish a lookout visit from the full route down and back when planning around mobility. Choose your route and allow time for the return climb, pauses and conditions. Check Parks Victoria's current visitor advice and follow on-site signs before setting out.
Open the guide →
Gallery Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
MPRG is the region's most consistently interesting art institution - a public gallery with a permanent collection weighted toward Australian modernism and a rotating program of contemporary shows that punches well above the town's weight. The building is understated, the staff are genuinely helpful, and entry is free. This is the Peninsula's best wet-weather fallback, and more importantly it is the move that stops a Mornington day from feeling like a brunch-and-shop circuit. Check the program before you go - the photography and print shows are especially good, and the gallery occasionally lands major national touring exhibitions that would normally require a drive into the city. Combine with lunch on the Mornington main street and a walk down to the Esplanade afterwards.
Open the guide →Further reading
Journal pieces that sharpen this version of the Peninsula
Slow Peninsula 7 min
A Flinders Weekend: The Case for the Quiet Side of the Peninsula
4 April 2026
When Red Hill is booked out and Sorrento feels like a queue, there is another version of the Peninsula weekend that runs south of everything, closer to the ocean, and slower on purpose.
Editor's Letter 8 min
A Winter Peninsula Weekend: The Case for Coming in July
13 April 2026
Short days, cheap rooms, empty dining rooms, a fire in every cellar door with a hearth, and a coast that looks like a different country in a southerly. Winter is the Peninsula's most underrated season and the one that gives the region back to the people who actually live here.
Try another shape
More ways to explore the Peninsula
Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove, Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula. Photo: Two Palms Australia, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Plan
Ridge to Sea: A Two-Night Peninsula Escape
Start in Red Hill wine country, finish at the southern tip, and let the weekend widen as it goes.
Sorrento Back Beach, Mornington Peninsula. Photo: SHERPA Projects Pty Ltd, courtesy of Visit Victoria
Plan
The Sorrento Off-Season Weekend
Two nights based in Sorrento, with the back beach, Point Nepean and a village dinner. The second evening takes you out to Pt. Leo Estate.
Cape Schanck, Mornington Peninsula. Photo: Courtesy of Visit Victoria
Plan
Flinders and the Cape: A One-Night Reset
For people who want salt air, one excellent meal, and just enough structure to stop planning.