Tuesday, 4 November 2008
We’d already decided that the day’s activities would kick off with a daylight stroll around Henley Beach, since our post-nightfall arrival had precluded sightseeing. Down the road and around the corner we passed the former headquarters of the Australian Cricket Academy before heading out along the jetty for a look back down the coast towards Glenelg.
We headed back to base through the restaurant quarter, where Madam spotted Stella, the establishment where she’d hoped to dine the previous night. Changes to the flight schedule between the time we’d booked back in April and our departure combined with Monday night to put an end to that option. I suppose that we could have looked more closely, but I didn’t recall any lights emanating from that direction the night before and Madam had forgotten the details of the name of the place (other than it started with S).
But there’s always next time.
And there almost certainly will be a next time, given that there’s plenty South Australia left for Hughesy to explore and the strategic location of Meleden Villa with respect to late-arriving flights.
Your mileage on the actual accommodation may, however, vary. Before booking Madam carries out extensive on-line research, and she’d found that the place had attracted a variety of ratings.
That’s understandable, since it’s not the sort of place you’d want to go if you’re looking for something that shines, sparkles and is brand spanking new. Some might also be put off by the lack of a substantial cooked breakfast.
On the other hand, a request for advice on the best route to take to link up with the Main North Road to Clare produced the clearest and best directed mud map I can recall seeing along with helpful driving instructions which turned out handy when we found ourselves surrounded by semitrailers at a key intersection without a road sign in sight.
As previously stated, opinions may vary, but we found the place comfortable and I, for one, would have absolutely no hesitation about going back. I see very little point in looking further if we’re looking for overnight accommodation close to the airport on the way in or out of Adelaide.