Margaret River is the G-Spot of Australia.

I recently went to my friend's beautiful wedding in Margaret River, Western Australia. I've never been to that part of the world before but sampled many a fine Cabernet Merlot from the region. It's a 5 hour flight from Sydney to Perth. My co-passenger said "This trip seems longer than flying from Sydney to London". 3 hours into the trip I knew what she meant.  Little did we know there would be another 3 hours of boring road travel from Perth to Margaret River. A monotonous drive through Australian bush. Nothing to see. There was one stop on the way. The classic roadside servo with dodgy hot foods. We got toasted cheese sandwiches. One can't go wrong with 'simple'.  Gluten intolerant Sarah questioned the "lasagne topper" and ended up with some weird deep-fried concoction and felt sick for the rest of the journey. Our American friend couldn't believe they didn't put ice-cream (automatically) in her milkshake. We moved on. Once we arrived in Dunsborough, all that long weary travel time slipped away. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE WORLD!! The only north facing beach in Western Australia, water as clear and as blue as one could imagine. Calm harbours you could sail around, swim, snorkel and fish.

Surfers get spoilt with some the best beaches in Australia (hello Taj Burrows). We were based on the beach at Dunsborough (38 kms from Margaret River). Charming town with cool shops, a laid-back vibe yet highly professional and about 8 hairdressers (which we needed to find for our wedding blow-outs).  Bright, interesting, beautiful people. An artist set up her easle and was painting a canvas outside her gallery/studio while we sat at a cafe next door under a wattle tree sipping on watermelon frappes. At Samudra I bought really stylish and unique organic cotton yoga pants and singlet. At Howe Natural, I bought an Aura Spray called PEACE and proceeded to spritz everyone after our long day of travel. Everyone loved the scent of rose geranium and ylang-ylang and bemused or amused by this whimsical action of mine. www.howenatural.com

And then you have the vineyards. 100s of Margaret River vineyards from Vasse Felix, Amberley Estate, Clairault to Leeuwin Estate. The local map has a good listing but the co-ordinates aren't too sharp. We stocked up on some "NOBLE ROT" at Amberley and enjoyed the entertaining sale skills of handsome father and son, Craig and Zac. The Botrytis is so clean, light and drinkable as opposed to the sticky heavier French version. Highly recommended, especially as an introduction into 'dessert wine'. The wedding itself was held at Voyager Estate. Breathtaking place. It's so exclusive, the owner only allows about 5-6 weddings a year. It's a white Dutch Cape style building set amongst curved rows of green grapes, dotted with rose bushes. There's an archway of beautiful roses - perfect for a bride's entrance. Truly one of the most beautiful, pristine, manicured vineyards I have ever been too (my other favourite being Mouton Rothschild).

You need time (7 days, minimum) to explore the region of Margaret River, Cape Naturaliste, and surrounding villages. Rent a car, put the boards on the roofrack, get a good map and plot your vineyard course. What could be better than going surfing, drinking fine wine and eating your fresh catch of the day? It's a real adult's playground. (Children would just be bored.)