Country Guesthouse Schonegg

Breakfast Recipes in Canberra Weekly

The Canberra Weekly knew who to contact for some breakfast inspiration… us!

Richard’s Omelette Recipe

We have added this and another great breakfast recipe to our recipe folder. Enjoy.

We Need Your Help! Promote Canberra to the world

I had the pleasure of travelling to Sydney last Thursday with friends from Australian Capital Tourism and a range of local tourism businesses.

We participated in a mini Expo showcasing our region for Sydney-based inbound tour operators – these people organise tours for groups and individuals from overseas. They liked what they saw and we hope to be seeing an increasing number of international tourists spending time in our region.

Tourism Australia is currently running a campaign called ‘There’s nothing like…’. Follow the link to share your favorite holiday moment with the world, and put the Canberra region on the world map. But please be quick.. entries close soon.

We look forward to hearing from you.

And the Winner Is….

Kirsty’s favorite painting from the whole exhibition was….

Vilhelm HAMMERSHØI
 Rest
[Hvile] 1905

Follow the link for the full story.

We can assure you that she loved this work for it’s painterly qualities, particularly the play of light, rather than for its name and the opportunity to turn your back on the world!

There was only one correct entry… Rachael K correctly identified the work on 11 March. We are contacting Rachael with the great news and a voucher for a free 3-course dinner for two at Schonegg.

Well done Rachael K, and thank you to everyone else who joined in the fun. As we all know, the exhibition broke all box office records and redefined the term ‘blockbuster’!

Thanks to all who entered this competition, keep an eye open for our next great offer.

Refreshed!

Just a quick note to let you know we have enjoyed a wonderful week away, visiting my relatives in Coolum. They offered us great hospitality (must run in the family) and we all enjoyed a wonderful break.

We’re back into the swing of things, with another full house and a busy weekend coming up. With the close of the Masterpieces from Paris exhibition the bookings diary is opening up just a little bit, however weekends, especially Saturday’s, are still very popular.

As always, to ensure you get your special date, book early!

By the way,  we will be announcing the winner of Kirsty’s competition early next week. (Sorry for the delay, this was caused by the extension of the exhibition and our holiday).

Regards,

Richard

Vroom Vroom Vroom

Last time we did some travelling, we discovered a really useful website with a cute name – VROOM, VROOM, VROOM. Input your travel details, ie travelling from Sydney to Canberra on a certain date, and the site will allow you to compare the rates from all hire companies able to meet your requirements. You’ll save heaps of time and be confident of a great deal. We love it. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also lots of travel information about destinations all across Australia and internationally. And finally, there’s even a review of Schonegg!

We’re Fabulous… Guest Reviews for Country Guesthouse Schonegg

We’re fabulous, but don’t take our word for it!

We were delighted to discover a new Schonegg  review on Trip Advisor, arguably the word’s most trsted travel advisory website. The reason so many travellers, particularly international travellers, rely on Trip Advisor is because the reviews are submitted independantly by travellers without input from property hosts or owners. Whilst the intenet is a fantatic source of information, a lot of what you read about a property has been submitted by property owners, and may therefore be just a little subjective.

So perhaps the next time you are travelling, consider a quick look at Trip Advisor before booking your room.

Kirsty’s Competition Update

Thank you to all the special people who have entered ‘my” competition. I am thrilled with your entries and as the exhibition has been extended we can all enjoy Masterpieces a little longer…. BTW- my favorite has not been revealed as yet…Kirsty

Kirsty’s Masterpieces from Paris Competition

Kirsty is our wonderful Office Manager. If you have phoned, emailed or visited Schonegg during the week, Kirsty was probably the first person you met. She is the perfect ‘Director of First Impressions’ and we love her for it!

After distributing more than 100 tickets to the Masterpieces from Paris Exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, we finally visited the exhibition last week. We loved it! We all had our own favorites –  can you guess which was Kirsty’s? If you are correct, you could win a free 3-course dinner for two to enjoy during your next visit to Schonegg.

How To Enter

1. Kirsty’s favorite is in Room 5. Click here to view the NGA website and view each of the paintings on display in Room 5.
2. Leave a comment below. Be sure to include the name of the artist, the  title of the picture and your email contact. A few words explaining why you made your selection would be appreciated.
3. The winner of our competition will be selected at random from all the correct answers.
4. The competition closes on the 31st March 2010 and the winner will be announced on the 5th April 2010, the last day of the Masterpieces exhibition.

Good luck!

Culture Shock & Culture Shots – Canberra’s latest tourism promotion

Culture Shots is looking for talented photographers

Culture Shock is the latest promotion by Australian Capital Tourism and is designed to showcase the many exciting cultural events taking place during March and April.  We are delighted to be an accommodation partner and are featuring our ‘Surprise Your Senses’ Package throughout the promotion period.

Cultue Shots is a cheeky photographic competition being run in conjunction with the Culture Shock  promotion. We love the idea and encourage you to have a look at the entries already submitted, vote and naturally submit your own. We’d love to see Schonegg featured!

10 Things We’re Loving Right Now

1. People Who Love Their Pets

We have two pet friendly rooms and we love pets, as long as you agree to abide by our ‘Pet Rules’, you are welcome. The idea is that people who love their pets enough to bring them on holidays are usually very nice people.  Our ‘Pet Rules’ are designed to ensure everyone enjoys their stay.

In the last few months we have accommodated many dogs, a couple of cats and a turtle enjoying a honeymoon! We are very much looking forward to the arrival two prize-winning donkeys and a very friendly rabbit (each with owners!).

We have discovered people who love their pets are good people.

2. Great Music

Few experiences in lifehave the power to stir emotions like good music. Currently on the play list at Schonegg are several albums by the ethereal  Katie Melua, Secret Garden, Sarah Blasco and a great CD ‘She Will Have Her Way, The Songs of Tim and Neil Finn’.

(In the kitchen you are more likely to encounter Stevie Vai or Joe Satriani, Richard is an 80’s tragic!)

3. Pashmak

Pashmak, or Persian Fairy Floss, is a wonderful dessert garnish available from The Essential Ingredient in a number of flavours including vanilla, saffron, pistachio, rose and chocolate.

Light as air, sweet as honey – its a sophisticated version of the pink fluffy stuff you used to get at the local show.

4. Neighbours

We can only wish your neighbours are as wonderful as ours.

Last weekend we received a huge bag of wonderfully ripe figs from Ken and Margaret, owners of the oldest and most stately fig tree in Yass. Two days ago a parcel of intriguing purple beans was delivered at our doorstep (thank you Robyn!) and today we were offered a sample of the most delicious, fresh baby cucumbers and Black Russian tomatoes, nurtured in organic worm castings. Produce doesn’t get more love than this!

Thank you wonderful neighbours – you know your offerings are going to a good home where they will be appreciated!

5. Parlor Wine Room

We were very pleased to be invited to the launch of ‘Culture Shock’, Australian Capital Tourism’s latest marketing initiative. The venue was The Parlour Wine Room, Hotel Diamont, New Acton.

We loved the event, nothing beats a glass of sparkling at 11.00 AM on a Friday morning, but we also loved the venue. Obviously someone with a vision runs this business and we love the quirky uniqueness.

We are pleased to say we have been back. We arrived late afternoon and left just before dark, having sampled a fair proportion of the tapas and dessert menu, some fine Australian sparkling and, just for the boys, some Spanish beer! A great way to spend a perfect Canberra summer evening.

6. Stromlo Forest Park

Richard and daughter Katja participated in the annual Schools Cross Country Challengelast Friday, 19 February, at Stromlo Forest Park. Not only did we get to meet Canberra icon Robert De Castella, we also enjoyed our first encounter with Stromlo Forest Park.

We have since learnt that Stromlo Forest Park  is also considered on of Australia’s finest BMX venues. Well worth a visit, on foot or cycle.

7. Rain

On Valentine’s Day Weekend (13 and 14 February 2010) we received more than 120 mm of rain. This was more than we have ever experienced since moving to Murrumbateman in 2002. We are pleased to report that all our tanks and dams are FULL! for the first time ever!

Sure, the grass need mowing, but we love the sound of 1000 contented frogs in the evening, and the new growth shooting from our many Australia native shrubs. A rare phenomenon to be enjoyed.

8. Windows 7

After a very unhappy two years running Windows Vista on Richard’s laptop, we have migrated to Windows 7 and we love it. If you have been having issues, such as crashing Microsoft Office apps, while running Vista, we strongly recommend Windows 7.

8. Masterpieces of Paris Exhibition

Evelyn, Richard, Kirsty, Jamie and Pam spent a civilized afternoon yesterday at the NGA visting the Masterpieces exhibition. We each had our own favorite, but agreed no exhibit had ever offered so much to a viewer.

The National Gallery of Australia is confident of breaking all existing attendance records with its current exhibiton. Aiming for a target of 240,000 visitors, it has just passed the 200,000 mark. With a closing date of April 4, this record is sure to be smashed!

Don’t miss out, be part of this truly ‘once in a lifetyime’ event. See our Specials & Packages page for details of how you too can stand face to face with many of the world’s masterpieces.

Take a quick visit to our ‘Check Availability”  page and you will see that Schonegg has never been busier. Our advice – book your preferred date today!

10. You!

We’ve met a lot of people since we opened our doors to the public in March 2003. Today we are welcoming many of you back for a second, third or 25th visit (thank you Barbara and Ray!).

A typical day at Schonegg can be a long one – early breakfast, late finishes. We love what we do and we thrive on the contact we have with you. our guests. A visit to Schonegg means a lot to many people and we love to hear the things you say about your time with us…“My stay at Schonegg was a memorable life experience of all that is well done..” Thank you Marilyn.

So that’s 10 things we’re loving right now. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Richard