From a retreat in a historic nunnery to sprawling resorts and contemporary builds with jaw-dropping views, Leura accommodation is bursting with country charm from all angles.

The stunning Blue Mountains region is a natural playground for all seasons, from frosty winter escapes to wildflower walks come spring, admiring changing leaves in autumn and relishing the cool summer breeze. Charming and historic Leura is a beautiful base from which to explore nearby towns and national parks. With adorable cottages set in manicured gardens, Leura accommodation is all about country charm, both contemporary and restored. Here’s our pick of the best stays.

In short

If you’re in Leura briefly and can only stay in one spot, you can’t go past gorgeous Leura Cabin for romantic hideaway vibes.

1. Greenleaf Cottage

Best for: Rekindling romance and enjoying the town centre.

Pricing: $$$

This gorgeous, two-bedroom cottage has been tenderly renovated with a respect for the dwelling’s original style, while bringing a more contemporary feel.

A luxe Victoria + Albert bath begs to be slipped into, and the incredible kitchen suggests dinner enjoyed in, while a cosy fireplace clinches the deal for a cosy night spent by flickering flames. A generous 1pm checkout time makes this Leura Mall spot perfect for weekend escapes.

2. Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains

Best for: Those looking for an all-in-one escape to suit everyone from couples to families and groups.

Price: $$$$

Part of the MGallery collection, this sprawling resort is angled to take in dramatic Jamison Valley views in the World Heritage-Listed Blue Mountains National Park. The captivating backdrop sets the scene for a stay attuned to the finer things, such as elegant dining and bars, the Ubika Day Spa, 18-hole golf club, indoor and outdoor pools and gymnasium. The vast resort also caters to families with school holiday programs, a KidsZone and ice-skating rink.

3. Orchard Cottage

Best for: Appreciators of interior design and those who love to cook and entertain.

Pricing: $$$$

Elegant and luxe, this white-washed cottage takes style cues from the Hamptons and is beautifully detailed with tactile and warm finishes that anchor the abode in its Australian bush setting. With herringbone brick and hardwood flooring, elegant panelling and marble benchtops, this chic stay has even featured in Home Beautiful magazine. The five-bedroom retreat features open fireplaces, an outdoor pizza oven and entertaining space, integrated speakers, an incredible kitchen with a butler’s pantry and high-end amenities. You’re also just five minutes’ walk from the centre of town, should you find a reason to leave this dream home.

4. Banksia Cottage

Best for: Groups looking to retreat to nature amid serenity.

Pricing: $$

A tranquil, bush-hemmed escape, this contemporary, self-contained three-bedroom cottage is ideal for mountain retreats with friends or family. A sun-drenched deck is the perfect place to inhale the scented mountain air as you savour your morning coffee, while the indoor heating ensures winter stays are entirely cosy. Directly across the road, you can access the Lyrebird Dell scenic walk that meanders down to Gordon Falls.

5. Abbey House

Best for: Sleek stays with mates.

Pricing: $–$$$$

Light, bright and newly renovated in a modern aesthetic of blonde wood tones and an open-plan layout, this fresh, garden-enclosed house is a short walk to Leura Mall and Gordon Falls Lookout. Perfect for group escapes, the three-bedroom abode sleeps eight people who will relish crowding around the outdoor fire pit on cool evenings and huddling by the living room fireplace on wintry nights.

6. Varenna, Leura

Best for: Jaunts to relish the past and those who love Edwardian-era architecture.

Pricing: $$$

If you’re looking to retreat into an era long past, a stay at this character-filled cottage will suit you well. Built in 1906, this Edwardian mountain-positioned gem has been meticulously restored to its former elegance and retains historic high points amid a more modern interpretation. Claw-foot bathtub, rich tapestries, ornate embellishments and beautiful private gardens will have you feeling like a governor(ness) of old.

7. Strawberry Patch Cottage

Best for: A stay that feels worlds away from it all.

Pricing: $$

This 1912 weatherboard, two-bedroom cottage is just 100 metres from Leura Village and is artfully crammed with antique-edged glamour, from the four-poster beds to the French doors that open to a garden courtyard, and the large spa bathrooms. This is the place to do very little. Stretch out by the fire with a good book or cradle your cuppa on the front deck as you listen out for local birdlife.

8. Cloud Parade

Best for: Contemporary stylings and attention-seeking views.

Pricing: $$$$

Walk in and absorb those utterly astonishing Blue Mountains vistas from this loftily perched Leura stay. This is a sleek ensemble of interior loveliness that works hard to compete with the views of the Three Sisters and Mount Solitary that dominate the living room. The five-bedroom house has a brand-new kitchen with a showpiece island bench, stunning herringbone wood floors throughout, contemporary art, and light-flooded bedrooms with garden outlooks.

9. Coryong

Best for: Those that appreciate bygone beauty with a modern touch.

Pricing: $$

The colour-drenched indigo hues of the living room at this three-bedroom beauty will lure you in to sit by the fire. Throughout the weatherboard cottage, everything is styled just-so with the heritage bones of this 1917-era home, such as pressed metal walls and ornate plaster ceilings, well looked after and appreciated. You’re not far from Leura Mall, but with a full and beautifully equipped kitchen, you don’t really need to go.

10. Leura Cabin

Best for: Stoking your cabin life dreams.

Pricing: $$

A one-bedroom pin-up with a cosy kitchen fireplace warming a sunny breakfast nook on chilly mornings, this deep-blue-hued, artfully styled stay is a real charmer. It’ll be difficult to leave the comfy king bed, though, as a fireplace heats up the gorgeous sage-green bedroom and the sun filters through the corner-wrapped windows. There is a workspace and a deck with an outdoor bath, and if it was us, we’d never be coming home.

11. Blue Mountains Bliss

Best for: Knockout escarpment views

Pricing: $$$

You can’t get a more Blue Mountains-coded location than this jaw-dropper of a stay. Almost everywhere you look, the craggy beauty of the escarpment glows with sandstone warmth. You’re just metres away from the trail heads of the Wentworth Falls and Gladstone Point walks and the dramatic Sublime Point Lookout is three minutes by car. When you’re not staring at the scenery or getting involved with it, you can relax in the outdoor spa, sit by the fire or snuggle up in one of the four well-styled bedrooms. For golfers, the Fairmont Resorts course is reachable by foot and just a golf swing away.

12. Kleinburg: Mountain Lodge

Best for: Museum-level curiosity.

Pricing: $$$

There’s so much to look at when you spend a few nights at this mountain lodge. Sprawling across three bedrooms and three bathrooms, this eclectic mash up of alpine tropes and ornate antiques is, surprisingly, so well put-together it is extraordinarily chic. From the red living room with portraits of dandy gents and decorated bygone military men, where a cosy fire roars, to a more modern attic-style living room, and many a cuckoo clock and mounted deer head about, Kleinburg is not your average heritage stay, but rather something more entirely. Aside from its curios, other attributes include proximity to Leura Mall, AGA stove and fully equipped kitchen and claw-foot bath in the second ensuite.

13. Umtala House

Best for: Family time.

Pricing: $$

A Federation-era home, Umtala House is a four-bedroom, two-storey beauty just a 15-minute wander to Leura Mall. It’s perfect for families that need to stretch out with two living spaces (one with a fireplace), an outdoor deck and even a cubby house for the kids in the backyard. The interiors are restrained but on point with bright pops of colour in the otherwise classic cottage style. You may even pick out notable artworks from the likes of Australian artist George Raftopolous on the walls.

14. Elysian

Best for: Summering in the mountains

Pricing: $$$

Escarpment views steal the show here, but this five-bedroom house appeals for other reasons, such as its generous size and that inviting pool. Not too many stays up here feature a pool, but this one, with its boastful vistas ,makes it an incredible summer escape. If you do book in winter, an indoor fireplace and outdoor fire pit will ensure you make the most of cosy comforts. Elysian also has a bathroom where you’ll find what must be one of the best views from a bathtub in the entire region. While sprawling, it’s not a party house, so it’s best for quiet coming-togethers where the point is to unwind, not wind up.