I'm in the planning stages of our January trip to Australia. On this trip we'll be visiting Perth and Margaret's River for the first time.

I looking for information on the following:

Any special tips or hints about the drive? It's about 3 hours right? Anything ususual or special we should know about it? Is it an easy drive? We drove the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide once and it was a very tough drive.

I'm also looking for hotel recommendation in both Perth and Margaret's River. We like top of the line hotels, but also prefer something with a personality, for example, in Melbourne we stay at the Windsor or the Tilba Inn. Not looking for a Sheraton, unless it's special or in an incredible location.

In Margaret's River, there should be some really cool places, right?

Thanks, Candice NYC