Pair your visit to Australia’s most idyllic wine country with a stay at one of the finest Barossa Valley luxury accommodation offerings
The reds are rich, the food is splendid and the scenery’s lush – so it makes zero sense to cut the indulgences short when you’re ready to hit the hay. Thankfully, a special collection of Barossa Valley luxury accommodation options, including The Louise, Kingsford The Barossa and the Barossa Pavilions, are calling. Heavenly backdrops complement breathtaking architecture while world-class hospitality stretches right across the region. You’re also just an hour’s drive from Adelaide, where you’ll find another range of excellent hotels and homestays, but don’t be surprised if you fail to make the trip. Parting with the Barossa’s distinct charms isn’t easy.
1. The Louise
Turning off Seppeltsfield Road as The Louise expands across your eyeline, you’ll be gently lifted to the Italian getaway of your dreams. With great green pastures and an infinite vine-dotted horizon, the Marananga property sits confidently within Baillie Lodges’ luxury lodge portfolio which now spans globally.
Jooshed up in November 2022 after its 2005 unveiling, The Louise encompasses 15 villas stemming from a vine-lined walkway, each built with private courtyards fringed with rosemary. Sun loungers and outdoor dining settings provide the perfect props for sunset vinos with a view.
Inside, it’s clean and plush as white and grey monochromatic hues trick generous spaces into feeling even bigger. Three heavyweight suites, the Stonewell, Marananga and Bethany, attract the VIPs.
Fitted with open fireplaces, walk-in rain showers, outdoor showers, in-suite bars, complimentary mini-bars and marble-walled ensuites with spa baths, they’re all lovely but choosing the Bethany Suite will land you a second king bedroom.
If it all gets too comfortable inside your Barossa Valley luxury accommodation, an infinity pool and sauna are also located on-site. Then there’s Appellation, where you’ll head for breakfast and so much more.
One of the country’s most innovative regional restaurants, it offers a five-course degustation with paired wines that aims to shine a light on all things local. Plucking from nearby farmers, suppliers and its own kitchen garden, the kitchen is widely adored.
Contour offers more relaxed, though no less delicious, dishes and it’s the place to visit for a holiday cocktail or five.
2. Kingsford The Barossa
Sense something familiar about this Barossa beauty? Kingsford The Barossa served as the much-loved family home in the TV series McLeod’s Daughters during the early 2000s but these days, it’s renowned as one of the region’s most lavish Barossa Valley luxury accommodation offerings. The magnificent manor, remotely situated just south of Lyndoch, offers overnight stays unlike any other, making its mark on our 100 Unique Stays list.
Ditch your inhibitions with the outdoor bush bath, a two-person claw-foot bathtub that overlooks the gentle North Para River, channel your inner child with a round of skittles inside a German-style bowling alley complete with its own bar, take a dip in a spectacular saltwater pool shaded with a stunning old peppertree, or grab a map and explore nearby walking trails.
As for your digs, eight sophisticated suites built into the hillside await your arrival. A contemporary structure right beside the property’s grand 1856 sandstone lodge, each room is named after a previous custodian of Kingsford The Barossa, including the ‘Kerry Packer suite’ decked out with ritzy chandeliers, its own claw-foot tub, and a Smart LCD TV, naturally. Luxurious toiletries, French doors opening out to private balconies, plush living areas and massive jet spas can be found among the other seven suites.
Rumbling bellies will find comfort in the poolside Peppertree Bar’s woodfire pizza menu, or the elegant Orleana Restaurant, but if it’s fine wine you’re keen to sniff out, two magnificent wine cellars house not only a “museum collection" of Penfolds Grange but a spread of Henschke’s famed Hill of Grace, epic champagne, and more mouth-watering drops.
3. Barossa Pavilions
Entering the gates of Barossa Pavilions , located atop one of the region’s trademark rolling hills, your shoulders instantly drop. The 75-acre Lyndoch property, which has been gated off from the rest of the area for total privacy, encompasses six spacious villas plus the Barossa Glasshouse, globally renowned as one of Australia’s most iconic houses. Offering amazing views from three king bedrooms, sunken lounge space and a giant chef’s kitchen, it’s the cherry on top of an outstanding Barossa Valley luxury accommodation option. But staying in one of the other six self-contained villas is equally wonderful.
Overlooking the North Para River, they feel like individual farm stays of their own. Split into the Sky Spa Pavilions, located highest on the hill, the River Spa Pavilions, built closest to the river, and the Valley Spa Pavilions, set overlooking vineyards, the lodgings feature two-person outdoor swing chairs, fully stocked kitchenettes, laundries spa baths and fireplaces. Switch off and sink in.
4. Le Mas
Be transported to the charms of Bordeaux and Burgundy with a stay at Le Mas , the Barossa Valley’s dazzling French-inspired hotel. Blending rugged Australian terrain with Provencal sophistication, the luxury Barossa Valley accommodation (that is now part of The Small Luxury Hotels of the World portfolio) feels otherworldly from the moment you arrive.
You’ll spy a field of vines, grown to produce Le Mas’ own collection of wines in addition to servicing Rockford Wines, as you travel down a dirt driveway in the small suburb of Rowland Flat before landing at a beautiful collection of King and Queen rooms.
The Deluxe Kings are where it’s at, complete with deep stone bathtubs built under large windows that let in garden views, while the Superior Kings are extremely comfortable with silk blinds and a lovely skylight right above a rain showerhead.
Queen rooms feel special too, situated at the front of the property and offering views of those vines, plus in-room massages and personal yoga sessions can be arranged for all guests. Life gets even sweeter at the heated pool and within The Orangerie, Le Mas’ very chic on-site restaurant, crafting traditional Provencal dishes like duck pate, escargots and moules frites.
5. 1858 Barossa Accommodation
Make it a get-together to remember at the utterly enchanting 1858 Barossa Accommodation farm stay. A restored farmhouse originally built in 1858 – the reason for the name – this house ticks so many weekend away boxes. Just a short drive away from the action of Angaston, plus its four-bedroom setting amongst seven glorious hectares, makes it plenty roomy yet totally intimate all at once.
Antique furniture and décor plus a fireplace, an eight-person dining table, a cosy veranda with outdoor seating and a big firepit provide loving, lived-in vibes. The kitchen, as always, will prove a focal point with open shelves packed with delicate crockery, a small round dining table of its own, timber cupboards, a farmhouse sink, dishwasher, coffee machine, and a welcome pack of milk, butter, tea, coffee, sugar and olive oil. A home away from home in the most striking of locations.
6. Benbullen Retreat
The exceptional homesteads keep coming with Benbullen Retreat , a lush, manicured slice of Barossa Valley heaven about a 10-minute drive from busy Tanunda. Its genius Concierge Experience is a true blessing for those keen to sit back and let the good times roll as a personal assistant is on-call to book all your wining and dining reservations. They’ll even arrange flowers from the best local florist if you need them.
The five-bedroom bluestone masterpiece, which sleeps up to 10 people, is all rich timbers and gold finishings, and two of the bedrooms feature ensuites with bathtubs and Jurlique toiletries, while another two bedrooms are fitted with French doors opening out to fresh air and views. A sleek Hamptons-style kitchen is fitted with marble benchtops, double stove, and an enormous fridge and when it’s time to mingle, a fire pit, multiple outdoors terraces, kids’ play equipment, giant Jenga and Bocce, a wine country must-play, are all on hand to amplify the fun.
7. The Kirche
If you thought Charles Melton Winery’s charms ended at its excellent range of shiraz, think again. Resorted to luxurious perfection right on site, The Kirche is Barossa Valley luxury accommodation worthy of its own accolades. The Kirche, which is German for ‘church’, is a converted Lutheran church dating back to 1864, though once inside, its tell-tale ceiling is the only thing that gives it away.
Located just minutes from Tanunda’s main road, the two-bedroom structure is dressed with all the trimmings you’d expect from high-end hotels, and the space overlooks the winery’s vast collection of vines which can be marvelled at from every corner of the stay. The prime spot is undoubtedly its bathroom, fitted with a big soaking tub that’s begging to be filled with bubbles, plus a twin shower, underfloor heating, and a separate powder room. And the treats don’t end there.
Enjoy your complimentary bottle of Charles Melton wine and cheese plate from a paved rear veranda right beside the vines, or take the party inside with a board game as a fireplace sets the scene. The kitchen also comes stocked with locally sourced continental breakfast ingredients.
8. Rogasch Cottage
Featuring one of the most Instagram-friendly pools in the region, Rogasch Cottage is a carefully considered Barossa Valley luxury accommodation offering, ideal for lovebirds in the mood for romance. The two-bedroom space lies amid nine acres of vineyard, making the views from that elevated, circular plunge pool even more idyllic.
Pouring a glass of the good stuff, which can be found within the 1860s cottage’s private cellar, and setting up shop in its heated waters, feels like a dream. While the space, located within a short stroll from Tanunda’s main shops, is adjoined to the owner’s family home, utter privacy has been created. However, having locals on speed dial makes for some noteworthy benefits.
Owner Scott and his team offer ATV tours of his organic vineyards, plus extravagant picnics down by the creek, fire pit suppers and harvest grape picking. But if it’s downtime with a special someone you’d love, an open fireplace, barbecue and kitchen filled with food and wine provides the perfect recipe for ultimate relaxation.
9. J.H.A Stone Cellar
It’s a breathtaking scene once the sun begins to sink. A two-pronged structure that combines mighty stones with giant panes of glass, outdoor up-and-down lights help J.H.A Stone Cellar to practically glow against vast green lawns at Hutton Vale Farm, located on the fringe of Angaston. But it’s arguably what’s inside the two-bedroom luxury villa that’s got people talking.
Created for two couples or a family of four, the two-bedroom space is a slick bed and breakfast, providing guests with a deluxe brekky hamper stocked with eggs, bacon, muesli, fresh fruit, and milk. The views are sensational with those glass panels taking full advantage of the building’s slight slope on a corner of the farm. An outdoor rain shower, kitchen fitted with a generous farmhouse sink, and monochromatic linens make for stylish living you’ll struggle to peel yourself away from once the holiday’s over.
10. Tanunda House
Live like a movie star at the lavish Tanunda House , a five-bedroom, five-bathroom manor that must be seen to be believed. The swish sandstone villa’s location, right in the heart of Tanunda, will make you feel even more glamorous with the region’s most popular eateries and wineries right on your doorstep. However, you won’t need to leave Tanunda House for very long.
A tennis court, 12-seater dining table, outdoor bar and kitchen, swimming pool with sun lounges, extensive lawns and gardens, underground wine cellar, outdoor fireplace, cool room, and theatre room are all waiting to be played with. Plus, you’re provided with a host manager who will greet you upon arrival, ensuring all burning questions are answered right away. They’re then on hand to make any local reservations for you. Best of all, there’s parking for up to 21 cars because, you know, luxury.
Find more experiences, accommodation, eating and entertainment options in our Barossa Valley travel guide.
