The Adelaide Hills is a popular tourist spot and we have much to offer up here in the way of scenery, food and some wonderful wineries. While there are tons of charming B & B’s, guest cottages and three star hotel/motels, we have been a little short of luxury beds, with fairly limited options for those who want to really spoil themselves – or someone else. My friend Clare, of the hugely popular Sticky Rice Cooking School, has put on her clever pants and done something about that!
Clare and her husband established Sticky Rice, in Stirling – just ten minutes up the freeway from the city, in 2008 and her school has become something of a mecca for food lovers, both local and visiting. She offers a range of cooking classes which encompass all the Asian cuisines and also classes on Spanish, Moroccan and Middle Eastern cooking. All the classes offer excellent tuition by highly experienced chefs, but she aims to teach more than just a recipe or technique. Clare wants her clients to come away from her school with new skills and culinary achievements, but also with a deeper understanding of their chosen cuisine and full of inspiration from the carefully designed and crafted surroundings she has created.
With this in mind, she has extended the experience by creating three stunning luxury villas on the premises. Each villa is architecturally designed, individually styled and seamlessly blends their distinctive interiors with the private walled gardens by the use of floor to ceiling glass. Guests can choose from the tropically inspired “Bali”, the stylish monochromatic “Zen” or the clean lines of the Japanese inspired “Yoko”. Each is fabulously appointed with correlating, comfortable furnishings, underfloor heating, seductive bathrooms and truly exceptional kitchens.
As is only fitting in accommodation attached to a cooking school, the kitchens in each of these villas is, as far as I was concerned at least, enviable. Fully fitted out with top-of-the-range appliances from Electrolux, Clare has been a little surprised to find that many of her guests arrive with large boxes of produce and announce that they are staying in for the evening to cook in the kitchen of their dreams!
Of course, for those who are a little more inclined to be indulged (like me) there are plenty of great dining options in the Adelaide Hills and in the immediate surrounds of Sticky Rice, or it is a very short drive down the hill to Adelaide’s many fabulous restaurants. Alternatively, take a gourmet tour or one of Clares fascinating classes, completely immerse yourself in the experience (along with a glass or three of fine South Australian wine) and amble casually back to your villa to relax and rest, possibly even waking up unsure of what country you are really in.
These absolutely gorgeous villas fill an accommodation gap in the Adelaide Hills and their design and attention to detail is a credit to Clare and her family. Her vision has created a truly landmark attraction which adds significantly to the appeal of the Adelaide Hills as a holiday destination – and, I suspect, not just for those from out of town.
oh wow, that kitchen is to die for!! Adore 🙂
Love this Amanda. I have been reading and dreaming about the Sticky Rice Cooking School since it opened and now the accommodation…oh my. Those kitchens and those baths, yes please!
What a fabulous place, Amanda! That’s top class through and through. I’d love to take a class there.
What a lovely looking villas indeed- those bath tubs look stunning!
What a great looking place for a relaxing escape. I do love the look of the kitchens. It’s lovely to eat out while away but if you do choose a night in, it’s a pleasure to be able to cook in a decent kitchen xx
What a wonderful destination
As luck would have it, I have a friend who has just moved to that area, and even more of a reason to go visit now.
This looks divine!
Sticky Rice heaven !!!!
Yes, that kitchen does look great and the garden very relaxing!
Amanda, I hope you came through the recent fires alright.
Those villas are lovely. I also did one of their classes a few years ago and it was a lot of fun.
This all looks gorgeous Amanda, but I was hoping you were going to teach us how to cook sticky rice! 🙂
Oh my, I would move in there in a heartbeat! This has given me so many ideas and what a beautiful place to cook in 🙂
How wonderful, takes me back to my balinese holiday in January. What a great idea. Learning to cook new dishes and relax in these beautiful surroundings..divine!
Hi Amanda
Lovely Hills story…and I have one for you to explore – the Adelaide Hills Farmers Markets, based in Mann St, Mt Barker every Saturday morning, from 9 am to 1 pm. check out our FB page. My wife Lilit, who is Armenian, bakes Armenian inspired cakes in our food stall there, but the whole market is worth a visit and maybe a little story here. Our stall is named Ararat Food (we also have a designated FB page under that name).
Hope to see you there
Jon cocks