I won't mention the name of the chain business that vacated this premises before Mia Famiglia Trattoria moved in - but, as a local, I am so glad of this change and welcome the new face in town in the restaurant business. Fantastic Italian Fare, prepared in home style fashion. The type of place you go to because you want real Italian flavours and experience without any boring dime-a-dozen commercial imitation. Delightful staff, hours 'til 9.30pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, and 8.30pm on other evenings - which believe it or not is a late finish in Hastings! Could not recommend the food or service more. Just love this new restaurant gem!

Located in the main street of Flinders, Mornington Peninsula Chocolates is a quaint yet quirky business, offering a sweet experience. Valentines Day is a great time to visit, with so many gift ideas for loved ones; homemade gourmet chocolates at their very finest. The store offers great try before you buy taste testing sessions, and recently extended its property to include a viewing window into the chocolate-making kitchen areas, so you can witness the process which goes into making these very special chocolates. I love this place so much that I make it somewhere to visit whenever guests come to stay. Their hot chocolate shot is something spectacular, as are many of the chocolate ornamental statues on display, the likes of which you will probably not see too many places. Mornington Peninsula Chocolates are the Chocolate Experts.

We tried this Vet when out of area recently and requiring annual check-up and vaccination for our dog. We loved how thoroughly our dog was checked over by one of the female vets. Rarely have vet checks ever been this professional. It was lovely that she took the time to fully explain various components regarding our pet's diet and behaviour, and not make us feel rushed. Her advice was sound and presented in a friendly, compassionate manner. It was a lovely visit to the Vet, and the only thing I regret is how far away we live from this business, as returning is not a viable option for animal emergencies. I highly recommend Ringwood East Vetcare to anyone lucky enough to live nearby these wonderful carers.

We selected a 6 activites per child package for Fun City recently, through a discount group buying website. Sometimes this can result in below-average service given you are not a full-paying customer, but this was far from the case at Fun City. Along with six other children, our Birthday Girl enjoyed the best of everything Fun City has to offer; particularly enjoying the Laser Tag and Bungee Run. Staff were booked in to each activity to keep the kids interest levels up, and the flow of the party running smoothly. The activites were broken up with two breaks long enough to open presents, cut cake and grab refreshments. There is also an extensive selection of coin operated games in the large foyer to fill in time or extend your party time. All up we were there for about 3 hours and felt there was no rush for us to leave, compared to other establishments who race you out the door because they have over-booked. There are brightly coloured, comfortable table and chair arrangements everywhere to create that party atmosphere and cater for large crowds. A great place for a party, and friendly helpful staff from initial phone consultation right through to the end of party. We have since been back to enjoy the Go Karts. I love that Fun City staff take the time to stop and chat with you, as they go about the general running of the entertainment. It was a very accommodating experience and one I would recommend to others.

Tried this salon for the first time this afternoon, as I believe in supporting anyone in training positions, and Cazbar were advertising a new Apprentice. Knowing they would look after me whilst training up a new stylist, I decided to try out the salon. The result - Could not be happier! The one thing that really stood out was how much they listened to what new style cut was required. Instead of simply cutting in and not really listening, as so many stylists do, they were sure to discuss at length with me, to assure they understood my needs. Finally - the haircut I have been reaching for because a stylist listened! A friendly environment too. Hastings has no shortage of hair salons, but I have always noticed how busy Cazbar is. Now I understand why. Love my new hair, all thanks to this inexpensive, quality salon.

I was very apprehensive when visiting the E.N.T for the first time, completely unaware of what to expect. I was very relieved and pleased to have such a fantastic experience with Dr. Vallance and his surgery team, from initial consultation in his Frankston rooms, to post-operative check ups at two of Melbourne's major hospitals. Often consulting a specialist can be a really daunting experience, and sometimes a far from personable experience for something so personal. I love that I found the contrary was my experience with Dr. Vallance, and I felt well treated, well heard and always in professional caring hands. Highly recommended surgeon.

The highlight of Panny's Phillip Island Chocolate Factory is definitely its very inexpensive, imaginative and creative self-guided tour. Not the usual sterile Chocolate Factory Tour (if any even still exist), this one is all about making the most of an adventure, and the mostly media-style history provided. My young sister spent an hour just in the section with old billboard advertising, absorbing changes in advertising styles and logos over the years. It was a very informative time for her and I could not believe we were in the end actually dragging her through this section to get to the chocolate making experience further on. What I love about this Chocolate Factory is that it is family owned and operated, and perfectly personable. You can tell the chocolate is made with enthusiasm and love. I'd recommend this fun tour to anyone with a thirst for knowledge -Not just chocolate lovers. Most people will come to appreciate that it is not always about big and commercial, or bottom-line prices and cheap-tasting chocolate, after the quality experience that is Panny's. I used to think I didn't like chocolate. Now I've come to understand that chocolate is not what we purchase on the everyday supermarket shelf - and I love that Phillip Island Chocolate Factory was able to change my mind on that.

Love is a giant waffle cone of ice-cream from this small locally owned and operated Dromana business. Never, and I do mean never have I enjoyed an ice-cream cone so much. Or the entire ice-cream purchasing experience, for that matter. There is nothing commercial at all about this place. The service is warm, the location (right on Dromana foreshore) is hot - In fact the only thing cold is the icecream. Be prepared to experience both excitement and frustration as you desperately try to make your mind up over what flavours to cram into your cone. And don't make the mistake of considering this a light snack, because the staff are all about big flavour-filled serves, and you will come away with enough stacked ice-cream to consider it a meal. Prices are low, service is high. This charming little ice-creamery is an absolute winner. One of my favourite treats ever! Marry it up with a day at the seaside, and suddenly the meaning of life becomes a whole lot clearer. Highly recommended to everyone. Ice-cream never excited me, before this experience.

As a person who has regularly had to re-locate over the years, I have come to dislike the job of finding a new Doctor, as it is such a personal and important matter; one that is imperative to "get right". I was so relieved to stumble across the Mornington Family Doctors. The environment is family friendly, nicely air-conditioned in summer - and spaciously appointed. So spacious in fact that you don't feel you are sitting right on top of other sick patients in the waiting room. The staff are welcoming, we love our Doctor, and find the office and nursing staff very understanding and compassionate. Extra services such as skin specialists are also available on site on various days. I love that so much can be accessed under the one roof and appreciate the Medicare Bulk Billing. Another great plus for this establishment is the amazing capacity of the customer parking immediately outside the door, which means so much when you are feeling unwell, or less mobile. Bus stop situated at the edge of the carpark too, so everyone is well catered for in this location.

What stands out most about this bakery is that it has that nice established feel about it. On entering you gain immediate confidence in the establishment; a feeling of them having been town favourites for many years. As a relatively new local, I wouldn't know how long the bakery has operated, but I can tell from the regular flowing business, that it is a well loved local business. Their pie range is in line with most bakeries, however each pie is filled so much that the pie stands much taller than the average. On first glance, one might mistakenly think it is caused by a high rising pastry, but it is, remarkably, all filling. Never has a pie filled me so much - so I love that money stretches so far toward a full meal, rather than a snack, when purchasing from Hastings Bakery. I'd like to say I recommend this bakery to all locals, but I'm guessing the secret is already out!