Worried that your interstate holiday plans might get cancelled? Check out our own South Australian back yard, and this selection of beautiful Adelaide Hills accommodation suggestions.
This is my Adelaide Hills view from my back yard – you can be enjoying something similar from any one of these gorgeous Adelaide Hills accommodation options.
It’s very tricky making travel plans at the moment. Just when we thought that we might be able to get a little further away from it all, everything changed again and our holiday plans started looking quite precarious. So that’s all the more reason to make local South Australian destinations a priority, and we have plenty to choose from – from beach vacations to outback adventures, we have it all covered right here at home.
If you’ve only got a weekend spare for recharging your batteries you really don’t need to look any further than the Adelaide Hills. They are glorious at this time of year, especially if you find yourself a cosy little retreat with wineries on the doorstep, fine dining around the corner, a fire to keep you warm and a few little luxuries thrown in.
Here’s my selection of just a few Adelaide Hills accommodation options – each of these has something special, and they’re all less than 1/2 hour from the city.
Pavilions at Lenswood
Very local to me, and opened only since March of this year Pavilions at Lenswood are perfect for a weekend off, a romantic escape or as an indulgent bolt-hole after a day at the local wineries.
The pavilions have been architecturally designed and individually styled, with each offering an open wood fire, freestanding bath, outdoor cedar hot tub and the stylish modern furnishings one would expect of an Italian or Swiss chalet – all overlooking beautiful landscape gardens and the tree lined valley beyond. Their other offerings include the option for in-house catering, massage and bespoke picnic hampers, a galley kitchen and plenty of indoor and outdoor activities.
They’ve been hugely popular since they opened, so check out the website for all booking details.
Sticky Rice Cooking School villa
The award winning accommodation at Sticky Rice Cooking School uses the architectural inspiration of luxury holiday villas often seen in places such as Bali, Thailand and Japan, and is situated in picturesque Stirling.
There are three to choose from and each beautiful and spacious villa is individually styled and architecturally designed for seamless indoor and outdoor living, with gorgeous bathrooms (with luxury tubs) and private, enclosed courtyards. They all have the luxury of under floor heating, stunning Jag kitchens and are finished with inspiring designer furnishings.
Sticky Rice offers a great combination of Adelaide Hills accommodation/culinary escapades, ranging from overnight cook and stay packages, exclusive overnight private chef experiences, and culinary immersion packages that span several days and nights – all are listed on their website.
Cladich Pavilions
Nestled amongst towering stringy eucalypts in Aldgate, just thirty minutes from the city centre, Cladich Pavilions are a haven of luxury and tranquility. With three contemporary, Australian-style pavilions to choose from, they offer a selection of packages which can include wine and food tours, massages, wine and produce hampers, and a selection of platters to enjoy while you’re relaxing.
They provide an ideal base to explore the wonders of the Adelaide Hills or the opportunity to enjoy the peace and serene setting of bushland and abundant birdlife, while still being a short drive from the city.
Roseberry Hill Farm
Hovering on the edge of the Adelaide Hills at Clarendon is another relatively new kid on the block. Pet-friendly Roseberry Hill Farm offers a two bedroom, self contained apartment that will sleep up to eight, on a 50 acre working farm – so it’s a perfect family destination.
Guests can relax on the large, paved terraces and take in the garden and valley views, get active with bush walks and meet the local fauna, or loll about in the luxury bathroom. If you haven’t worn the kids out with bush walking, they also offer the chance to meet and interact (under supervision) with their range of pet farm animals, including sheep, alpacas, goats, ducks and chickens.
Mount Lofty House
If you really feel like pushing the boat out, look no further than Mount Lofty House, perched high on the hill at Crafers. Australia’s most awarded hotel in 2019, Mount Lofty House is the home of the exclusive, three hatted Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant, the stylish Arthur Waterhouse Lounge, Stables Day Spa, and a gorgeous selection of recently refurbished luxury rooms and suites. However, coming later in the year (so you have some time to save up) is their newest offering.
Separate to the original house with its own dedicated guest relations team and secure entrance to attract VIP guests, Sequoia lodge will offer the ultimate six-star experience and be the first of its kind on mainland Australia.
Mount Lofty House Sequoia
Guests will be able to choose from luxury bespoke experiences that are not available to the general public – think lunch with some of the country’s top winemakers, a back vintage tasting of their icon wines and hosted behind the scenes tours. They will be able to get up close and personal with some of SA’s strongest luxury brands, tour the RM Williams factory in their own personalized pair of boots, or visit the nearby Jurlique farm, where all the guest amenities available in Sequoia are sourced. At the end of the day, connect with the traditional owners of the land at the twilight valley-rim campfire experience, where guests can enjoy a glass of Adelaide Hills Pinot while listening to local indigenous stories.
This is just a taste of the Adelaide Hills accommodation offerings – and all this is within the Mount Lofty Ranges, which is currently being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Kind of you to offer but as I’m in WA it’ll be quite a while before I can visit SA again. My brother has retired to Victor Harbour – he’s lived in SA for decades. As I said recently if SA were not the driest state in the driest inhabited continent I’d’ve moved there forty years ago. Adelaide has the most interesting museums and in 1994 the best zoo in Australia! My son was in a PEAC – Primary Extension And Challenge – course and he chose to do Zoo Technology which entailed developing a natural zoo enclosure for an Australian native animal. He chose wombats. Apart from going to the Perth Zoo five times we went to Taronga Park, Melbourne & Adelaide in the July school holidays. Adelaide was by far the best as every animal was in a natural zoo enclosure.