Portarlington Grand Hotel opens highly-anticipated front bar and bistro, opens booking for new accommodation
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31.05.2022

Portarlington Grand Hotel opens highly-anticipated front bar and bistro, opens booking for new accommodation

The grand lady has been brought back to life.

In one of the most exciting renovations in the region, the Portarlington Grand Hotel is continuing to deliver on all fronts with the news of its highly-anticipated front bar.

Opening today, for the first time since March last year, the beautiful Front Bar has now opened to the public.

Stay up to date with what’s happening on the foodie scene around the region here

The face of the Portarlington Grand Hotel; the Front Bar is where the magic happens. With stunning new renovations, textured walls, beautiful greens, and elegant yet simple black furniture, this front bar is bringing a whole new vibe to the seaside town. You don’t need to be a local to feel at home and soak up the atmosphere here.

As described by the venue, this is a place where everyone can feel like a local; a place where you can be a little bit fancy if you’re so inclined; a place to sample local Bellarine wine, try a cocktail or enjoy a classic beer on tap; and a place where banter and bad jokes are always welcome.

Operating Wednesday to Sunday from 11am onward, you’ll be able to indulge in the full dining menu, featuring share plates, pub classics like chicken parmigiana and salt & pepper calamari, grilled salmon, a range of delicious burgers, grass-fed beef, as well signature dishes like Portarlington Mussels, BBQ USA Pork Ribs and Pork Knuckle. Yummo!!

Alongside the food, you can explore the extraordinary selection of drinks like local wine, beer on tap, bottled beer and a range of non-alcoholic options.

While this news is amazing in itself, the hotel has also revealed that the Boutique Accommodation is now open for bookings. Wooo!! There are 18 beautiful rooms on offer, each with their own distinct features and qualities for you to discover.

Modernised to meet the highest standards of luxury, while still enclosed in stunning historical architecture, there are sure to be few experiences like it.

Here you’ll find Grand Bay rooms, where you can take in priceless vistas from your own outdoor balcony, behold the views over the sapphire bay, mostly unchanged throughout the hotel’s long history, and breathe in the fresh seaside air, all with a comfortable King size bed and grand size bathroom inside.

Next are the Bay Rooms, with a king bed and the historic sash window, to your own balcony and settle into the cosy outdoor furniture, perhaps with a glass of local wine in hand.

Mural Rooms are the ones to go to for a peaceful and quiet location within the venue. Perhaps catch a glimpse of the commissioned, hand painted mural, on the western wall. Here has a comfortable Queen bed and Australian made designer furniture by Zuster.

Lastly, there’s the Atrium room. Modernised to meet high standards of luxury, while still enclosed in stunning historical architecture. These rooms are light and bright with a comfortable Queen bed and again, Australian made designer furniture by Zuster.

You can find out more about these rooms here.

Built in 1888, the Portarlington Grand Hotel has been sitting pretty on the main street of Portarlington, boasting incredible views of the popular and scenic harbour area. While it’s certainly been a few months between cocktails at the 132-year-old gem, new operators Franco Biasuzzo and Mark Henderson have been busy over the last year, working on bringing the grand lady back to life through an extensive $10M renovation.

The renovation has restored the prominent main street structure to its original glory, as well as adding additional features to facilitate more trade from here on out, courtesy of award-winning Techne Architecture + Interior Design, known for their work on St Kilda’s Espy.

These new opening join the the Atrium and Lawn areas which officially opened back in December.

Fun and colourful, The Atrium is a newly designed open-air dining and drinks area that is the perfect place to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy a seaside view and socialise. Here you’ll find delicious wood fire pizza, garlic bread, select mains like salt and pepper calamari, chicken parmis and Portarlington mussels, sea breezes, and a huge drinks list with beer, wine, pre-mixes and cocktails. Oh, and the best part, it’s dog friendly too!

Alongside The Atrium, The Portarlington Grand Hotel’s Lawn area is another great place to feel the grass between your toes and escape under the bright and colourful umbrellas. The picnic tables, seating up to 10, are perfect for families and friends. On the Lawn, you can relax and always feel in the holiday mood.

Keep up with the latest from this stunning destination here