Exploring Victoria isn’t just about exploring the historic towns and inspiring natural sights. It’s also about scouting out the weirdest and most wonderful hotels to overnight in. And boy, have we found a kooky number.
Over three months Visit Victoria and Contained are opening luxury hotel rooms inside shipping containers called Wine Down Pop Up. Intrigued? So were we so we spent a night in one of the containers and discovered what it was like for real.
You can fit a lot into very little
As all inner city dwellers know, you don't need a lot of space to live big. The shipping containers are only a smidge wider than a double bed (and maybe four times as long) but it still manages to fit in a minibar, Nespresso machine, leather chairs, toilet, rain shower and a plush bed.
Gosh it’s great to escape the city
We love you Melbourne. But sometimes it’s nice to trade skyscrapers for swaying trees. Waratah Hills (one of the wineries the container hotel is popping up at) feels like it's at the end of the earth, in the best way possible. No matter which way you look from your deck you'll be met with either neat vineyards, rolling hills or spindly eucalypt forest – and complete tranquillity.
Wine tastes better when drunk in the vineyard
Each luxe shipping container comes with a bottle of wine from the host winery and you better believe it tastes better drunk straight from the source. But why stop there? Arrange a tasting while staying at the winery and upgrade your palette from $10 bottle-o plonk.
Everything is less distracting in a shipping container
When you don't have a lot of space it's so much easier to unwind and let go of all your worries. Bills? Meh. Your LinkedIn presence? Who cares. The seemingly inevitable destruction of the world due to careless use of fossil fuels and overconsumption? Look, still slightly concerning but much easier to relax and take a breather when you've nothing but 320 square feet and no wifi.
Wineries and yoga is a surprisingly good combo
One's about Namaste and one's about chardonnay, but as it turns out wineries are a delightful place to downward dog. Imagine it: the sun has just risen, the birds are singing and you’re taking part in your very own private yoga session on the deck of your shipping container. The Wine Down Pop Ups give you the option of tacking on your own yoga session so you can make this idyllic scenario a reality.
Shipping containers are still a little like camping
Don't let the comfy bed and solid (if bifold) walls deceive you, these shipping containers are still just a few steps up from a tent. They’re sturdier and better value than a lot of glamping options, but you still may have to contend with Mother Nature (read: creepy crawlies) which is genuinely fantastic for adventure-inclined travellers – but not so great if your level of roughing it is a Best Western.
Breakfast in a winery beats Weetbix
Included in your Wine Down stay is the holy grail of hotel services: breakfast. When you open your curtains, you’ll be opening them not only to rows of vineyards and regional Victoria but to a hamper of delicious local treats for breakfast. We recommend enjoying on your deck with a Nespresso coffee and while wearing the room’s supplied bathrobe.
Visit the website to book a stay at Wine Down Pop Up.