Top 10 places to sleep among the vines
Total immersion for wine lovers - the best vineyard and winery accommodation
While some of Australia's wine regions can be sampled in just a day trip, sleeping among the vines and spending a leisurely second day exploring is often the best way to relax and absorb a region, and also avoids the difficulty of one of you being a designated driver.
Here's our selection of top 10 accommodations amongst the vines - that is, those located in a vineyard or winery's estate - for tired tasters or post-wedding or dinner parties who only want a short walk after the festivities.
Moorilla Chalets - Tasmania
Four self-contained architect-designed pavilions perch high above the river Derwent, with panoramic views across the estuary to Hobart. Each has a private cellar featuring over sixty Moorilla wines, and a spa with stunning river views, where you can even bathe in milk ... or wine. Bliss.
Links:
Lindenderry - Mornington Peninsula
Luxurious and secluded and a favourite for weddings, and a rival to any of New Zealand's top lodges. They do small and intimate well too. Make sure you book yourself something luxurious at the Endota Spa.
Links:
- Lindenderry
- Endota Spa Red Hill at Lindenderry
- Member offer - Lindenderry regional treats
- Member offer - Endota Spa weekday holiday
- Member offer - Endota Spa weekday escape
Crittendens - Mornington Peninsula
Crittendens, the vineyard, has almost cult status on the Mornington Peninsula. The lakeside villas are only two years old and are a glorious place to rest after divine dining at the Stillwater restaurant.
Links:
- Lakeside Villas
- Stillwater at Crittenden
- Crittenden Wines and Geppetto Wines
- Member offer - Stillwater Restaurant discount
- Member offer - Crittenden at Dromana wine discount
Chateau Yering - Yarra Valley
A sweeping rose-bordered driveway takes you to the beautifully restored Chateau Yering. The food at Eleonore's fine dining room is worth a visit on its own, and it's just a short stroll from the magnificent Yering Station next door, with its spectacular art and sculpture galleries, restaurant and provedore shop/tasting room.
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Tower Lodge - Hunter Valley
With a swag of awards, including Tourism NSW's best luxury getaway, Tower Lodge has some impressive facilities including a walking track, heated pool, sauna, gym as well as a massage treatment room and library. Tower Lodge's elegant dining room is for the exclusive use of our house guests, while nearby is the award-winning Robert's Restaurant for larger groups, plus the Tower Estate Winery and the new Blaxlands Inn.
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Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort and Spa - Yarra Valley
Amazing views across the valley and access to amazing wines from Balgownie's Yarra Valley and Bendigo estates. This is so luxurious you'll never want to leave.
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Warrenmang Vineyard and Resort - Pyrenees, Victoria
Owners Luigi and Athalie Bazzani are dedicated to making this exclusive 250-acre estate, the number one Australian tourist destination for lovers of wine, food and nature. With views across vines to the purple Pyrenees mountains and kangaroos at dusk they've succeeded in building their dream. You can partake of it, too.
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Immerse - Yarra Valley
Pleasure, relaxation, calm. The luxury guesthouse and the Lake cottage survived the Black Saturday fires, but sadly the Lodge accommodation and Garden Cottage were destroyed. Beautiful views over the vineyard and valley remain intact, along with a genuinely divine spa and restaurant.
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Wise Wines - Margaret River
Hide away in a rustic bush chalet, with views to the ocean and just 20 minutes walk through state forest to Meelup Beach and a short stroll to the Wise Vineyard Restaurant.
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Blackwood Park Country House at Mitchelton Vineyard - Goulburn Valley
A great escape from busy Melbourne, the beautiful country home sleeps three couples comfortably with access to beautiful gardens and the Mitchelton Vineyards.
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More than 10
How do you stop at 10? We couldn't. Here's half a dozen more that could easily have made the list...
- Kiltynane Estate Winery Cottage - Yarra Valley, Victoria
- Mansion Hotel at Werribee Park (adjacent to Shadowfax) - Geelong, Victoria
- Cullen Wines - Margaret River in WA - one of Australia's quintessential vineyard experiences
- Max's Retreat at Red Hill Estate in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria - self contained modern luxury overlooking the vines towards the sea, where VisitVineyards.com Members get special treatment...
- George's Boutique B&B and Culinary Retreat, also in the Mornington Peninsula - well, maybe it doesn't qualify in this list as the vines it overlooks belong to their neighbour, but this is one spectacular B&B and if you enrol in one of their cooking classes Members receive a delicious treat.
- Ditto The Louise in the Barossa Valley, South Australia - winner of the Luxury Accommodation Category South Australian Tourism Awards in 2008 and 2007, and a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Did we miss your favourite? Tell us the vineyard where you love to stay on the VisitVineyards.com forums or on the new product pages, where you can leave your comments at the bottom of each page. Simply search for your favourite using the keyword search, login and tell us what you like about it.
You can also tell us about other great accommodations in wine regions (we'll be doing a feature on them soon).
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Regions
- Hunter Valley (NSW)
- Hobart (TAS)
- Southern Tasmania (TAS)
- Goulburn Valley (VIC)
- Mornington Peninsula (VIC)
- Yarra Valley (Wine) (VIC)
- Margaret River (WA)
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