Glenview Retreat Emerald

Glenview Retreat is a pair of luxury self-contained cottages, Grevillea and Magnolia, set in gardens in a quiet bush pocket of Emerald in the Dandenong Ranges. It is about an hour's drive from Melbourne's CBD and sits close to the Puffing Billy Railway, Emerald Lake Park and Wright's Forest. Both cottages take well-behaved dogs by prior arrangement, which makes this one of the more genuinely pet-friendly stays in the Ranges rather than a property that merely tolerates a dog.

Dogs at the cottages

The key phrase on the cottages' own site is "well behaved dogs are welcome by prior arrangement", so the arrangement part is not optional: flag your dog when you book, either in the Special Requests box at booking time or by calling the property on the numbers listed on their contact page. Booking summaries note pets are allowed with charges possibly applying, and that room-specific limits are not published, so confirm the fee and which cottage you are getting before you pay. Each cottage has its own private garden, which gives your dog a secure patch to potter in while you are on the veranda.

Worth knowing

Both cottages are set up for couples on a quiet getaway: cathedral ceilings and a bull-nose veranda at Grevillea, a gas log fire and a candlelit spa bath at each, and a kitchen for self-catering. The tariff includes complimentary wine, chocolates and a self-cater gourmet breakfast hamper with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, bread and spreads, with a vegan or vegetarian version available if you ask ahead. Free off-street parking is a few steps from each door. Smoking is not allowed in the cottages. Emerald Lake Park is about a ten-minute walk, good for a leashed morning walk among the trees.

Close by with the dogs

Pepis Land Dog Off Leash Area gives your dog a proper run nearby, and the Emerald to Cockatoo Trail is a leashed rail-trail walk through the hills. For a pub meal in town, The Railway Dog is the local pick.

More options are on the Victoria pet friendly stays guide and the Emerald destination page.