Mornington Peninsula Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night

The Mornington Peninsula is close enough to Melbourne for a day trip, but a long lunch and a few tastings make the drive home the hard part. Seven wineries on the Peninsula let you stay on the property instead, from a sandstone lodge for a big group to a 44-room hotel on a vineyard. Six of the stays below are described in the venue's own words; the seventh is let through Airbnb, and its entry says so.

The Short Version

• Seven Mornington Peninsula wineries have somewhere to sleep on their own land, from a single farmhouse to a 44-room hotel.
• Three are in Red Hill, two are at Merricks North and Shoreham, and two are near Dromana and Moorooduc.
• Jackalope, the hotel at Rare Hare, takes guests 12 and over only, and Crittenden's villas and Jackalope both say no pets.

Three of the cellar doors open only at weekends, so check the days before you book. Here they are by area, starting in Red Hill.

Red Hill

All 7 are in the free Jedhi app. Mapped, and you can filter for Accommodation anywhere in the country, so the next weekend away starts with a map instead of 7 open tabs. Free on iPhone and Android.

1) Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill (Red Hill), a 40-room hotel with its own cellar door

In their words: “Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill offers an onsite Cellar Door, 40 elegant rooms and hatted dining.” The rooms run from Garden Rooms and Courtyard Rooms to Balcony Suites, and they note that “kids eat free”. The cellar door, Lindenderry Estate, opens every Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 3pm.

2) Fenian Wines (Red Hill), a sandstone lodge for a big group

Sandstone Estate is a “Stunning 4 bedroom 3 bath sandstone lodge, nestled on top a hill overlooking a working vineyard”, and its “Spacious living space which easily accommodates up to 13 adults”, with “Parking for up to 6 vehicles”. The cellar door opens 12pm to 4pm every Saturday, and on both days of the first weekend of the month, with extended hours in summer.

3) Eldridge Estate (Red Hill), a farmhouse let through Airbnb

Eldridge House is let through Airbnb rather than the winery's own website. The listing describes it as the original farmhouse on the property, with four bedrooms for up to eight guests, and asks guests to keep out of the working vineyard. Book through the listing, and check the cellar door's days before you go.

Merricks North and Shoreham

4) Rare Hare Wines (Merricks North), a 44-room hotel on the vineyard

Rare Hare's cellar door shares LL Vineyard with Jackalope, the hotel. Rare Hare's own words: “The property includes 44 luxury rooms, a black 30-metre infinity pool, a poolside pavilion available for spa treatments or private dining, event facilities, an on-site winery, a cocktail bar and two outstanding hatted restaurants”. Jackalope adds two Lair suites, and “The property is exclusively for guests aged 12 years and over.” Pets are not allowed, except guide and service animals. The cellar door opens seven days, 11am to 5pm, with final tastings at 4.30pm.

5) Mantons Creek Estate (Shoreham), boutique rooms above the vines

Mantons Creek describes “newly refurbished, boutique rooms” with “plush king beds, private ensuite bathroom and an intimate balcony overlooking the lush vineyard below”. Stay on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and you get “Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Local Cheese Plate & Bottle of Estate wine.” The cellar door opens Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 4pm.

Dromana and Moorooduc

6) Crittenden Wines (Dromana), three villas at the cellar door

Crittenden Lakeside Villas are three identical villas at the Crittenden address on Harrisons Road. “Each boutique villa is fully self-contained with a kitchen, dining area, and spacious living room”, and “Each stay includes a seated wine tasting at the on-site Crittenden Cellar Door”. A villa takes up to three adults, Friday and Saturday nights have a two-night minimum, and pets are not permitted. The cellar door opens daily, 10.30am to 5pm.

7) Barmah Park Restaurant & Cellar Door (Moorooduc), a family house at the vineyard

Barmah Park's “4 bedroom house is situated at the Barmah Park Vineyard”. “The master bedroom features vineyard views, walk in robe and ensuite. There are two other Queen size rooms and a kids bedroom containing a car kombi shaped bunk bed.” Stays are by enquiry through their website. The cellar door opens Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm, and Friday and Saturday, 11am to 10pm. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

The Cheat Code: How to Plan a Mornington Peninsula Stay

Three of the seven cellar doors on this list open only at weekends. The mistake is booking a midweek stay and finding the tasting room shut.

Book in this order:

• Pick your days first. Lindenderry and Mantons Creek open Saturday and Sunday, and Fenian on Saturdays, while Crittenden and Rare Hare open every day.
• Match the stay to the group. Up to 13 adults fit Fenian's lodge; Barmah Park's house has a kids' room; Eldridge House sleeps eight; and couples can pick a Crittenden villa, a Mantons Creek room, Lindenderry or Jackalope.
• Make the estate you sleep at the last tasting of the day, so the final stop is the one you can walk home from.

Two things people get wrong:

• Bringing children to Jackalope. It is for guests 12 and over; Lindenderry is the hotel on this list that says kids eat free.
• Forgetting the minimum stay. Crittenden's villas ask for two nights on Friday and Saturday.

Pick the stay, then let the app line up everything around it. Jedhi has the Mornington Peninsula mapped, cellar door by cellar door, so you can see which ones are open on the days you are actually there.

More wine-country stays: Hunter Valley Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night, Margaret River Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night, Orange Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night, Granite Belt Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night, Yarra Valley Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night, Mudgee Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night, Rutherglen Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night and Dog-Friendly Wineries in Victoria, and Barossa Valley Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night.