Winter Fun at Mt Buller and The Sebel Pinnacle Valley
We have just returned home from a magical snow weekend at The Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort, a stunning family-friendly hotel with chalet apartments overlooking Mt Buller. While my husband, Pete, has skied before it was the first ever snow trip for Alex, Ava and I – and we absolutely loved it! The Sebel Pinnacle Valley is located in Merrijig in Victoria’s High Country, just five minutes from the base of Mt Buller and surrounded by the prettiest rivers, mountains and wildlife. It was an easy two-hour-and-forty-five minute drive from home, but felt like we had quickly travelled worlds away.
The Hotel offers studio apartments, one-bedroom apartments (some with terraces) and two bedroom chalet apartments. We booked a two-bedroom chalet for the weekend and it was the perfect base for us to spend time on the ski fields. One day at the snow was enough for our kids as an introduction to skiing and there were also so many fun activities for us to enjoy at the hotel – mini-golf, basketball, tennis, spa, sauna, pool, gym, volleyball, games room, deer and kangaroo watching, and so much more.
Our chalet was gorgeous and had a gas fireplace, a full kitchen, drying cupboard, enormous bath and cosy upstairs bedroom for the kids. The master bedroom (pictured above) had two adorable teddies waiting for us on the bed, which the kids quickly claimed as their own! Alex thought his teddy might also like to come skiing with us!
There was also a bottle of red wine and a cheese board waiting for us when we arrived at the Chalet, talk about a warm welcome!
Pictured above is the cosy second bedroom which is located upstairs in the Chalet apartments.
The property really is pretty-as-a-picture – I don’t think any of my photos do justice to the rolling hills, the deer atop the mountains, the rustic countryside with kangaroos and other wildlife. The decor is Ski-lodge luxe with fireplaces and cosy corners at every turn.
There is a fabulous restaurant and bar, Peaks Restaurant, which serves a delicious a la carte breakfast and dinner and has the most stunning views over Mt Buller and the surrounding mountains. Heaven on earth!
Pictured above is my delicious (gluten free) eggs benedict and below is Pete's smashed avo.
Peaks Bar in the hotel lobby (pictured below) is a perfect spot to warm up in front of the fire with a glass of wine.
The hotel has Ski Hire on site so we picked up our skis, poles, boots and helmets the night before our snow adventure, which saved lots of time on the morning of our visit to Mt Buller.
The Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort has some availability for the upcoming school holidays, so if you are considering a snow break with your family I can highly recommend this gorgeous property for a snow staycation!
Our day at Mt Buller!
If you’ve been thinking about taking your kids to the snow this season – do it! While it is the very start of the season, the conditions at Mt Buller are absolutely perfect for beginners as there is sufficient snow cover near the Ski School and the beginners’ run, Bourke Street.
We pre-booked parking at Mt Buller online which meant it was so easy when we arrived at the main gate. We drove straight up to car park one and then hopped on the free shuttle up to the Village Square. We then hopped on a smaller shuttle, which dropped us right out the front of Mt Buller Ski & Snowboard School. We had a 10am private lesson with a lovely instructor called James who was such a fabulous teacher and by the end of our one-hour lesson we were all skiing (albeit down a very small slope for Alex and I)!
James taught us the basics – moving on the snow, how to stop, how to turn, and he gave us the confidence needed to stay on the slopes and practice our skiing long after our lesson. James was so patient with the kids and made it a fantastic first snow experience for them! We stopped for lunch at The Birdcage, which is based towards the bottom of Bourke Street and had a great lunch menu.
After lunch it was time to get back on the slopes (for Pete and Ava) and Alex and I had some fun playing in the snow.
It was such a magical experience and a day we are never going to forget.
Mt Buller has a fantastic calendar of events for the upcoming school holidays so be sure to check out the website for further information!
Thank you to Rhylla at Mt Buller and Jody at Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort for all their wonderful assistance with our family’s first ever snow trip! We had an absolute ball!
