Villa Donati

Mr & Mrs Smith have just returned from a trip to this Melbourne boutique B&B, and just as soon as they’ve unpacked their Moss bed linen and purchases from South Yarra, a full account of their stay in Australia will be with you. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here’s a quick postcard from Villa Donati…

As recently as the 1970s, Villa Donati was a working massage parlour, operating under the name of the Moulin Rouge. It may be a thoroughly respectable B&B these days, but you can still imagine the madam of the house sweeping up the house’s wide carpeted staircase, bejewelled hand resting on the carved timber banister as she surveys the antique wrought iron-and-porcelain light fitting suspended from the lobby ceiling. It’s all pretty opulent. The breakfast room has the feel of a Parisian café, the lounge features an enormous spray of white lilies sitting atop an Indonesian carved-wood table, and the bedrooms come with exposed beams and the sort of ornate fireplaces that you usually see in stately homes. Simply gorgeous.