Lavendale Farmstay, York

Lavendale Farm is located on 64ha of gently sloping land on the banks of the Avon River 10 mins drive south of York in the beautiful Avon Valley.

The farm includes 9 self-contained one, two and three-bedroom cottages, including a fully wheelchair accessible unit. We stayed in the Bali Hai Bungalow which is an extremely well-kept, clean and spacious two-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage with an open plan kitchen, living and dining with a wood fire for winter and air-con for summer.

If you wish to bring along your furry friend, dogs are permitted in all cottages except “The Farmhouse” and “The Quarters”.

The Bali Hai Bungalow can sleep up to 5 people, the master bedroom has a queen size bed, and the second bedroom has a double and single bed – all bed linen and towels are included.

The bathroom is massive with a large bath, shower and a separate toilet.

The kitchen is very well equipped.. Tea, coffee and sugar is provided and there as a fresh loaf of homemade bread in our cottage when we arrived. We opted to do all our cooking outside on the bbq, and even enjoyed dining outside on the verandah. Within our verandah, there was a fenced fish pond.

The living area is very homely and includes a digital TV, DVD player, seating for 5, books and board games. If you are visiting with young children they will enjoy the onsite playground which includes a sandpit with Tonka trucks, swings, a fort and trampoline.

In addition to the playground, there is an Activity Room with table tennis, foosball and a large chalkboard. From April to October weather permitting you can also roast marshmallows at the campfire.

Animal feeding is the highlight of any farm stay especially at Lavendale Farm as there are lots different animals to feed including horses, ponies, donkeys, sheep, chickens, roosters, ducks, alpacas, cows, pigs, goats and an ostrich.

Hands down Hector the Pig was our favourite, watching him sit like a dog for his food and chugging down a bottle of milk was priceless!

You can also take part in a hayride out to visit the cows.

You can also enjoy wonderful walks along the river bank or sandalwood plantation, or simply relax and enjoy the peace of the country. With clear skies the star show at night is spectacular.