Best Farm Stays and Vineyard Hotels: Hunter Valley

Very near the historic village of Wollombi, Gypsy Willows is a secluded Hunter Valley retreat on 25 acres of peaceful farmland. It has two plush self catering cottages for nightly rent both with their own private swimming pools. THE ACCOMMODATION: There are just two cottages at Gypsy Willows, one with three double bedrooms, and the other with two, and all with King or Queen size beds and en-suite bathrooms. Both are also spacious, clean and tremendously comfortable and come with modern facilities including well equipped kitchens, WiFi, Digital TV, Bose music speakers, reverse cycle air-con, wood burning fires, gas BBQs, Nespresso coffee machines etc. etc. Check them out on the booking page here. The surroundings are gorgeous, the gardens and the small farm which is home to cattle and horses, and perfect for long meandering walks and wildlife spotting. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: The farm is walking distance from the lovely little village of Wollombi which has some very nice restaurants and cafes and there are plenty of boutique wineries in the surrounding area. You can treat yourself to wine tours, helicopter rides, boat trips and lots of the usual Hunter Valley activities from the farm. The farm owners live nearby and can be at hand with plenty of tips and advice. The journey by car from Sydney should take well under two hours. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “The villa was so beautiful. It was quiet and had beautiful views. The owner was amazing and was quick to reply and help if we needed it….” “Exceptional: This property was amazing My daughter and her family stayed here for a recent family wedding. The kids had a ball watching the kangaroos and meeting the pet horses. Absolutely loved it and want to return for a break from Sydney life in the near future….” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS & TO BOOK YOUR STAY AT GYPSY WILLOWS. READ MORE

Amongst the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia, this farm stay is a working alpaca farm with a few extra luxuries for guests: a tennis court, sauna, spa, swimming pool, barbecue and children’s playground. Accommodation is in the form of cottages with a balcony and outdoor seats, a full kitchen, and a lounge with flat-screen TV. Visitors are more than welcome to meet and feed the animals at any time. The cottages are located next to the alpaca fields with views of the animals. Guests are welcome to meet and feed the animals at any time throughout the day. There is free Wi-Fi at the reception area which also has a souvenir shop and sells a range of alpaca knitwear. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “A fantastic stay. There is so much to do. Pool, tennis courts, bikes, feeding the animals etc. We stayed with friends and we each had our own place which was awesome. So close yet still your own space….” “So clean, great shower, plenty of space. All the animals on the property were super cute. We got the cabin that was brand new so was great! Loved it!…” >> CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS & TO BOOK YOUR STAY AT STARLINE ALPACAS FARM STAY: READ MORE

Near Cessnock, and the heart of Hunter Valley, Emma’s Cottage Vineyard is well known among wine lovers. It has been producing premium boutique wines from seven different varieties of hand picked grapes since 1989 and offers a full compliment of wine tourism activities. It is also perfectly located to visit the many other vineyards and cellar doors that dot this part of Hunter. Their accommodation is also of the highest quality though and so even if, like many people, you have no interest in wine, the calm, healing atmosphere make it a great place to de-stress for pretty much anyone. They also have a highly rated restaurant, Restaurant Trey, an on-site art gallery hosting regular exhibitions and an outdoor seasonal swimming pool. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a choice of two, three and four bedroom private cottages to sleep up to a maximum of eight. All are modern, spacious and very comfortable with fully equipped kitchens, large living and dining rooms with large flat screen TV, cosy log fire, air con, music dock, as well as furnished outdoor space with gas BBQ facilities. Check your options out on the booking page here.  Note: no Wifi available. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: In Lovedale, just off the Wine Country Drive, a few minutes north from Cessnock, Emma’s is surrounded by boutique wineries and cellar doors just like its own and is a great place to base yourself for tours of one of Australia’s premier wine making regions. If you have an interest in the history of this iconic area you may be interested to know that there is a heritage listed, 19th century era cemetery on the Emma’s Vineyard property, one which contains many big names of the early wine industry. It’s not just wine though, the Hunter Valley, and this part of Hunter particularly, is also a place for foodies to indulge, with a tremendous amount of great restaurants, cafes, farmer’s markets and the like. The enthusiastic owners of Emma’s Vineyard can point you in the right direction for all this and more, plus they have their READ MORE

The Donnybrook Eco-Retreat is an off-grid property that provides luxury, safari style, glamping tents in 100 acres of gorgeously peaceful, lush Hunter Valley countryside. THE ACCOMMODATION: There are three tents in total, all of which are doubles with queen size bed. One, the Billabong tent is self-contained with its own kitchenette, and sits by itself by a dam while the other two, the Valley View & Hill View, sit near each other on a small hillside. The latter two tents are linked by raised decks and separated by a lovely cedar clad yurt which has a well equipped kitchen and dining area for the use of guests in both tents. If looking for splendid isolation some might find them a little too close to each other and so will be happier with the Billabong tent, but they do allow for some degree of socializing with other guests if you so wish. Check out your options on the booking page here. The accommodation is self catering but a farm fresh breakfast pack is included in the rate and, as the name suggests, features some organic products straight from their own farm. You’ll find the surrounds remarkably peaceful, especially if you’re coming from Sydney. Feel free to wander around the 100 acres of bush and grassland with its farm animals; sheep, ducks, miniature goats and hens, and a huge amount of local wildlife. You can take a swim in the indoor swimming pool (seasonal), borrow a bike from the retreat, go kayaking or fishing too, and of course there is lots to see in the surrounds; the iconic Hunter Valley. Note: There is no Wifi at the retreat. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: Donnybrook Eco is close to the Hunter River and within a half an hour’s drive of some of the most well known towns in the area; Maitland, Paterson and Morpeth for eg., as well as lots of its most famous wineries and restaurants. The journey by car from Sydney should take less than two hours. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Such a lovely spot with a great view, READ MORE

The Red Door Collective on Hermitage road, Pokolbin has classy, boutique accommodation for adults only (over 15s) on its 25 acre vineyard estate and working winery which has sweeping views of the Brokenback Mountains. It has a cellar door which sells its own award winning wines and does relaxed, informal wine tasting sessions, and there is an on-site cafe-diner serving ‘modern Australian fusion food’ which includes wholesome all-day breakfasts and good fresh coffee. THE ACCOMMODATION: The accommodation consists of two private 2-bedroom cottages to sleep up to six, and two private double suites (that can be interconnected if needs be). They are all super comfortable, clean and well appointed with the cottages being fully self contained with kitchen facilities. Check out all the details on the booking page here. The cottage accommodation is self catering but breakfast is included in the rate for stays of over two nights and includes cooked, a la carte options as well as continental. The RDC cafe serves up great fresh food and coffee all day and you can arrange picnic hampers to take away. Make sure too to sample their highly rated wines at the cellar door. At the RDC you can enjoy a massage in the privacy of your own accommodation or outdoors in the gardens, take one of their guest bicycles to tour the local Pokolbin area or go on one of their guided bike tours. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Very friendly hosts that couldn’t do enough for you. Fantastic location, especially for wine tours and kangaroo spotting, we saw kangaroos everyday and once hopped past us whilst enjoying wine on the cottage patio. Very relaxed vibe in the heart of vineyards and beautiful views! Breakfast was amazing, especially the French toast! The Cottages were equipped with everything you could possibly need. Highly recommend the Red Door Collective!…” “We had a fabulous stay at the RDC and our hosts couldn’t have been nicer or friendlier people! They were so very helpful with ideas for sightseeing while we were in the area and they made us READ MORE

Near Belford and the gateway to NSW’s Hunter Valley wine region, the very highly rated, and intriguingly titled, Block Eight Farm (there’s a rather mundane explanation for the name!), has luxury self catering cottages on its 100 acre, wine and olive oil producing, slice of rural paradise. THE ACCOMMODATION: The accommodation really sets a high standard for other farm stays in NSW to follow. There is a choice of one double bedroom ‘villas’ plus a three bedroom cottage that can sleep up to six. All of them are extremely well appointed, stylish and modern, but still retain something of a homely country farmhouse feel. They are all extremely spacious too, with top of the range kitchens and comfortable, stylish lounge areas with traditional wood burners. The bathrooms too are outstanding and come with underfloor heating. Outside you’ll have a private verandah from where to admire the beautiful views, with one of their complimentary bottles of wine perhaps, and there is a barbecue at your service too. Along with the wine you will also receive complimentary gourmet breakfast hampers, Nespresso coffee pods, a selection of Hunter Valley cheeses, and some other little treats too. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE FARM & VINEYARDS: Though having great success with luxury agritourism Block Eight is also a fully working farm and vineyard. It has been producing quality wine for many years now including Semillon, Shiraz Rose and Frizzante. They produce a line of extra virgin olive oil too from their ten acres of frantoio olive groves. You can sample the produce and of course buy some to take home as you wish. There are lots of animals at the farm, both wild and tame, with dozens of wallabies, kangaroos, swans and goannas for example roaming around, as well as, amongst others, their own domestic pigs, goats and hens. Note: To keep a peaceful atmosphere this farm stay can’t accommodate children or pets! THE LOCATION: The farm is in a beautiful setting and you can feel free to wander around both the farm and the bushland that surrounds. Outside the farm boundaries there is a READ MORE