Six ways to enjoy an escape to Sorrento

HOLIDAYS hot spots in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula don't get much more glam than stylish Sorrento, about an hour and a half drive in your Melbourne rental car from Melbourne's CBD and wedged in between Portsea and Rye.

But you don't have to be a high flyer to live it up in Sorrento, a beachside haven with cosmopolitan cafes, shopping strip and beautiful boulevard to explore. Here are six ways to make it all happen.

STAY: And the winner is Sorrento Holiday Accommodation at www.sorrentoholidayaccommodation.com.au where you have a choice of two absolute gems - The Erlandsen Entertainer sleeping 16 and the Sorrento Avenue option sleeping 12. Both have the aim of suiting two families who can share a holiday together. The bigger option is a classic 5 star Sorrento beachhouse (100m from the beach!) sleeping up to 16 adults and additional trundles for two children. There are three living zones – this is a whole lot of house focussed on a great entertaining courtyard with a mid sized pool to cool off in with solar heating. There is stunning outdoor furniture to watch pool swimmers have fun. Dine on the outdoor table after cooking on the gas Webber. For other options think about Hotel Sorrento in Hotham Road for anything from around $190 a night or a luxury BnB like Eastcliff Cottage in the historical district and only minutes from the local golf club.

PLAY: Speaking of golf clubs, Sorrento Golf Club is a beauty with its rolling hills. One problem is if you're a visitor (not a member) you'll have to fork out $120 for a round of 18. Other activities to enjoy are the beautiful beach walks (and FREE) on the front beach and stunning back beach for splendid sunsets and plenty of rock pools. Sorrento Museum is worth an hour or so to check out the history of the area which includes shipwrecks, horse-drawn carts and the old steam train that roared through town. Manyung Gallery is always chock-full of terrific work by local artists.

EAT: For breakfast, lunch or dinner head for an authentic Italian experience at Itali.co where the accents are thick and the food sensational - cured meats, Italian cheeses, great pizza, salsas, gnocci, calzone, ravioli ... yum. Oh yes, the coffee is the best in town, too. For Asian, try Chopstix Asian Bar (which has home delivery, by the way) in the main street with great munchies like Shanghai dumplings and chicken satay bites, while mains include noodle dishes like pad thai, Singapore noodles, as well as rice dishes, soups, salads and great numbers for "little people" such as Teriyaki noodles with hicekn and colourful veggies.

WATCH: With a feel of yesteryear and great mod cons for quality movie watching, Peninsula Cinemas is a great way to spend a night after a bite out on the town. This one's a long-running picture house screening new releases, plus recordings of opera and theatre productions.

RIDE: Get your motor running and your adrenalin pumping with a scenic ride from the back of a late model solo or sidecar Harley Davidson as you are chauffeured around the Mornington Peninsula with Andy's Harley Rides.

SWIM: Beautiful beaches means Sorrento swimming and lazing in the sun is a breeze. But go a step further, take the plunge and do something different like swimming with dolphins. Moonraker Seal and Dolphin Swim Tours is a snorkel adventure like no other. Bottlenose dolphins and naughty Australian Fur Seals join in the action for what is an unforgettable experience.

SCOTT PODMORE

Also try One Hour From Melbourne: 5 Amazing Things To Do or Dive Into Heavenly Hot Springs

Scott Podmore

Award-winning writer, editor, photographer, videographer and owner of October Grey Media. Specialising in travel and lifestyle content and a full member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. Has contributed regular content for the NewsCorp stable of newspapers and magazines, TravelTalk mag, The Departure Lounge and many more publications in Australia and internationally. Follow on Twitter & instragram #scottpodmore

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