Tudor-style Yarra Ranges short stays style

AFTER five and a half years spent operating the ‘Aquila Nova Retreat’ in the Dandenong Ranges, Alex and Irina Orlov are putting the luxury BnB on the market through Ray White Oakleigh.

Oakleigh Senior Sales Executive Bill Gianidis said within 48 hours of listing the beautiful Tudor-style getaway it was already attracting strong interest from buyers.

“There’s a house and the buyer could run the studio for the BnB, most of the enquiry has come from buyers wanting to live in the home and run a business,” Mr Gianidis said.

“The area is exclusive and it’s a niche market that looks at property in this pocket.

“It’s not your average house where you’ll have 100 buyers knock at your door but the ones who do enquire are very much interested and quality buyers."

Mr Orlov said that the current BnB wasn’t always so well maintained with the couple completely revamping the house and studios over their five and half year tenure.

“It wasn’t in the best condition but it was originally created as a BnB so it had all the bones for a luxury getaway,” Mr Orlov said.

“We did significant renovations on the property when we first bought it including a full renovation for three of the units and an extensive renovation of the main house as well.

“The Tudor-style decor was there from the start, I think it is a luxurious style like a castle which we like to call ‘Fantasy Medieval’.

“The backyard also got a lot of attention and it’s one of the best parts of the BnB. The rhododendrons are some of the biggest in the area, we have some huge pines and they are all in great condition as we look after them very carefully.”

Operating as both a living space and BnB for the Orlovs, who are now on the move to sunny Queensland with family, the rainforest hideaway offers guests a relaxing stay complete with yoga, barbeque and hiking facilities.

“It’s great that it was created for couples in mind, every room has a spa bath in the middle of the room and an open fireplace - you can find spa baths quite often but when it’s inside it’s really nice and romantic,” Mr Orlov said.

“The area is surrounded by rainforests, it’s a well-known destination for tourists and people looking for an easy and beautiful getaway.

“There are some lovely restaurants nearby, lots of different parks and straight across the road we have a national park.”