RACV Torquay Resort, Surf Coast, Victoria
I am trying to remember what happened during our time at RACV Torquay.
We arrived after a long and slow drive, stopping at a few wineries and a golf course with brand new accommodation. The drive to Torquay from Melbourne is fairly simple and fast. The most beautiful part is between Geelong and Torquay, when you get off the main freeway and move onto a highway surrounded by wineries and wide open farmlands, with the different blues of the ocean shimmering in the distance. My favourite part of the arrival at RACV Torquay is the view from the road just before it dips down and continues straight towards a roundabout where the sea seems so close you could touch it. By now I’ve been on the road just long enough to know that the city of Melbourne is far away and that I am in regional Victoria, the ocean at my fingertips. And then I’m rolling into the wide driveway of the RACV Torquay Resort’s large, imposing, curved building. This RACV property is one of the newer members of the club’s resort family. The entrance uses the classic resort lobby formula of showcasing the view: it is welcoming and inviting, but also bold. The walls stretch wide and high, with enormous floor to ceiling windows directing the eye towards the green of the golf course. Even the artwork is supersized. Harry Tjutjuna’s colorful Minyma Tjukurpa lights up the hallway and Jon Cattapan’s vibrant Imagine a raft (Chandelier Group) dominates the staircase. RACV Torquay is like a giant chocolate cookie interspersed with large, square dark chocolate bits. It’s as though it’s been precisely engineered in a lab full of men and women (mainly men) tripling the portions of resort formulas in design and dining areas and adding extra special, secret RACV signature ingredients. |
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One of the special ingredients is the Day Spa, hidden in the belly of the cookie. When we went down there later that afternoon we had it deliciously to ourselves. The big and bold formula was everywhere, with a dash of minimalism and a splash of mysterious darkness. The hot tub looks onto the green outdoors, and in the centre is a mesmerising circle of steamy water – the salt pool. The restful dark hues of the room allow the outdoors to shine. In contrast, the sauna behind the back door is all white, with a large white marble, circular bench in the middle of the room. I had to lie on this, stretch out all my limbs like a kind of Vitruvian Woman, stare into the high ceiling and then close my eyes, sustained by the stone underneath, feeling silly, free, and floating.
Another space I especially love at RACV Torquay is the curved hallway along the long corridor of bedroom doors. Our bedroom was almost at the end of the corridor, and as we arrived on a late winter afternoon the sun’s rays were streaming through many wide, rectangular windows, set in and framed by the thick cement walls, duplicating themselves in long shadows across the floor and the walls on the other side. I had a rare opportunity to familiarise myself with this space as I got locked out of the room and decided to walk from one end of the corridor to the other, mesmerised by the odd, geometric shapes created by the windows and the shimmers of light reflecting from the large flat solar panels covering most of the roof beneath.
We were there at wintertime, with the AFL game on that night. My partner’s team was playing. It was an important game, but which one isn’t important. Sometimes the games are important even when your team is not playing. To accommodate the game, we had an early dinner in the bar area. Lovely young staff gave us a small table with two large armchairs turned towards the view of the never-ending golfing greens. It seemed that all the guests that night at the RACV Torquay were also couples, seated like us against the long, high windows in a row of the same arrangement of two large, comfortable, high backed, modern lounge chairs with tiny tables, designed for a drink and small bites to share. It was an arrangement designed to be comfortable, for lounging and discussing life or the upcoming game. The food servings were as generous as the space, the comfy chairs, the golfing greens and the ocean beyond. I noticed a few locals gathering for the afternoon drinks and catching up with friends, obviously enjoying the space, good service, and food. It’s nice to see that the RACV Torquay is embraced by the community, and that despite the bold, stark design of the imposing building its atmosphere is warm and welcoming.
We were there at wintertime, with the AFL game on that night. My partner’s team was playing. It was an important game, but which one isn’t important. Sometimes the games are important even when your team is not playing. To accommodate the game, we had an early dinner in the bar area. Lovely young staff gave us a small table with two large armchairs turned towards the view of the never-ending golfing greens. It seemed that all the guests that night at the RACV Torquay were also couples, seated like us against the long, high windows in a row of the same arrangement of two large, comfortable, high backed, modern lounge chairs with tiny tables, designed for a drink and small bites to share. It was an arrangement designed to be comfortable, for lounging and discussing life or the upcoming game. The food servings were as generous as the space, the comfy chairs, the golfing greens and the ocean beyond. I noticed a few locals gathering for the afternoon drinks and catching up with friends, obviously enjoying the space, good service, and food. It’s nice to see that the RACV Torquay is embraced by the community, and that despite the bold, stark design of the imposing building its atmosphere is warm and welcoming.
I can also report that it’s not at all bad to spend an evening in a large king size bed with footy on the TV. Both of us were happy. I managed to block that awful game noise—sirens, whistling, yelling, commentating—and read a book. I actually fell asleep, blissfully unaware of the game drama or the score. If we had been at home this story would not have ended so well. Maybe the going away, traveling outside the home city, lunching at the local winery, having a generous dinner and staying in the comfort of the RACV Torquay’s bedroom, contributed to the shift into a relaxed mode even the footy game couldn’t disturb.
The other spaces in this big building have the same signature: wide, bold, dark, solid, and confident. The bedrooms are highlighted by black joinery, as is the enclosed terrace, with views of the golfing greens, trees, and the ocean. The meeting rooms continue with the same theme: high ceilings and views through many big windows. They also have comfortable chairs, good AV, and consistently good quality food.
I am not surprised that this venue attracts many return visitors.
The other spaces in this big building have the same signature: wide, bold, dark, solid, and confident. The bedrooms are highlighted by black joinery, as is the enclosed terrace, with views of the golfing greens, trees, and the ocean. The meeting rooms continue with the same theme: high ceilings and views through many big windows. They also have comfortable chairs, good AV, and consistently good quality food.
I am not surprised that this venue attracts many return visitors.