Best Short Break Stays in South Australia

From ocean-side retreats to country piles and vineyard dwellings, these top SA picks present the perfect weekend.

The Frames, Riverland

A stay in the Riverland region is a chance to slow right down to the pace of the meandering Murray River. An architecturally unique couples’ retreat on a clifftop overlooking the river, the aptly named Frames offers three private villas each with its own pool, spa and balcony.

Soak in the picture-perfect views of the landscape with a glass of local wine in hand. From staying put to exploring the river through its creeks and wetlands, choose to do as little or as much as you please while here.

Exterior of The Frames, Riverland — Stay at the Frames, Riverland. (Image: Cathy Edmonds)

Arkaba Conservancy, Flinders Ranges

A Wild Bush Luxury property (which does exactly what it says on the tin), Arkaba is a remote 2400-hectare wildlife conservancy on the doorstep of Ikara (Wilpena Pound) that provides the chance to bed down in its rustic but beautifully restored 1850s homestead to just 10 guests at a time.

A stay here is an all-inclusive experience that includes bushwalking, 4WD safaris and immersion in both the landscape and local Adnyamathanha culture.

Sequoia, Adelaide Hills

Mount Lofty House has long been a favourite South Australian retreat: first as a summer house built in 1852 and latterly as a luxurious boutique hotel offering guests the ultimate country retreat and recharge.

Its newest addition, Sequoia lodge, offers a contemporary counterpoint to the hotel’s classic leanings complete with natural spring-fed onsen tubs and panoramic infinity pool.

Your stay will be complemented by unfiltered access to the nature surrounding you including Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and all the spoils of the Mount Lofty estate: from world-class wines and artisan food at Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant to ultimate indulgence at the on-site day spa. All in the aid of a truly regenerative weekend.

Inside the new Sequoia, Adelaide Hills. (Image: Aaron Sitti)

Naiko Retreat, Fleurieu Peninsula

South Australia does an excellent line in stylish, edge-of-the-earth coastal retreats that leave nothing between you and the swell of the ocean but some designer decking.

The show-stopping deck at Naiko Retreat, Fleurieu Peninsula. (Image: Tony Johnson)

Case in point, Naiko Retreat. Its distinctive curvilinear form comes courtesy of Max Pritchard Gunner Architects, the team behind Uluru-Kata Tjuta’s Longitude 131˚ and Kangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge (as well as its planned rebuild following the 2019/20 bushfires) and delivers the ultimate weekend refuge.

A luxurious and sustainable stay for up to six people, it’s all pendant lighting, polished concrete floors and freestanding bathtubs that, making the most of the property’s hilltop position on a remote working sheep farm, afford sweeping views out towards Kangaroo Island.

CABN X, McLaren Vale

A new concept from off-grid tiny house trailblazers CABN, CABN X takes the brand’s eco credentials a step further with its two new architecturally designed nature escapes, Giles and William, set within a biodynamic McLaren Vale vineyard; CABN will donate a portion of your stay to the CABN conservation fund as well as plant a native tree on your behalf.

My Sister & The Sea, Marion Bay

This adorable three-bedroom 1950s weatherboard cottage on the Yorke Peninsula’s Marion Bay is an ode to owners Sarah and Emma’s countless family holidays spent here: lazing on the deck in summer, reading by the fire in winter and exploring nearby Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park. They invite you to do the same.

Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage

For a quintessential vineyard experience in the Barossa, find a cute cottage to bed down in for a few nights. Within walking distance to iconic Seppeltsfield Winery and FINO restaurant, this restored 1860s German settler’s cottage serves up all the best bits of the Barossa: food, wine, vineyard views and history.

Eos by SkyCity, Adelaide

Between its stylish and intuitively designed rooms with views over Adelaide, leisure deck with outdoor heated pool, sauna and spa, and plethora of eating and drinking options such as rooftop restaurant and bar Sôl, new Eos by SkyCity is the kind of city crash pad you could check into and forget to leave for a few days.

Eternal optimist and dad Quentin Long takes on the ultimate parenting challenge: a holiday his teenagers might like, at South Australia’s newest wildlife experience.

Teenagers. I can’t wait to take them on a holiday. Said no one ever. Caught between the twin evils of missing out on hanging with their mates and enduring the embarrassment of their parents, a holiday with the family for a teenager is tantamount to an act of torture.

And, for parents, forcing a teenager away from their dens and enduring the sullen moping that can escalate to outright verbal attacks is a battle for which most of us don’t have the strength. But it is the sense of responsibility to create moments of connection that keeps us signing up for more. It really is the hope that kills us.

And with that sense of hope, I rope the kids and wife into a trip to the recently opened Monarto Safari Resort. Located next to Monarto Safari Park, an hour’s drive from Adelaide, this new accommodation is set within the Wild Africa precinct, a 550-hectare conservation area that replicates the wild African savannah.

Arriving at Australia’s only safari resort

sunset over Monarto Wild Africa precinct — Monarto Safari Resort gives visitors the experience of an African safari in our own backyard. (Image: Oliver Long)

“Zebras!” the youngest exclaims after he barges through the doors of our interconnecting rooms, clattering bags against his brother and the skirting board to ensure he is first through. After all, every moment is a potential competition to be won.

“I think they are giraffes,” the eldest states as he stands on our balcony and points to a far stand of trees. I squint into the distance and murmur that my 50-plus-year-old eyesight seems to agree. “Look, an ostrich,” my wife says. “And an emu.”

a zebra in Monarto Safari Park — Zebras roam the vast conservation area that replicates their African habitat. (Image: Quentin Long)

The intertwining of Australian and African fauna in the wide, open spaces of the Wild Africa precinct is surprisingly not jarring. Rather, the cognitive dissonance of kangaroos and emus strolling past zebras and giraffes adds to the enjoyment.

Experiencing Africa in South Australia

a safari truck at Monarto Safari Resort — Accessible safari trucks are equipped to explore the Wild Africa precinct. (Image: Frankie The Creative)

Winding through the expansive open fields (they are enclosures of enormous proportions), the line between South Australian wheatfield and African savannah is easily blurred.

In the morning, we watch the steamy breath of hippos plume above the water. In the evening, they waddle from the dam to more comfortable sleeping quarters. Their enormous rhythmically swinging buttocks suggest that life doesn’t get much better for a hippo. We spy barbary sheep and their ostentatious beards. Three black rhinos feeding in the golden sunset. And two blackbucks relentlessly charging and clashing horns, trying to best each other. It mirrors what happens at home.

cheetahs in Monarto Safari Park — There’s a chance to see cheetahs on a game drive. (Image: Oliver Long)

I had never seen a cheetah do anything other than meander, but here we watch two break effortlessly and silently from a slow walk into a canter, displaying their terrifyingly lethal hunting ability.

Pleasingly – relieving, to be honest – the boys are enthralled with all the wildlife. They share turns capturing the animals, in surroundings as close to natural as possible, on my old DSLR camera. Reviewing their great and not-so-great photos creates a conversation and moments of connection that any parent of teenagers craves. Perhaps even better, the drives give them an opportunity to be wowed by nature again. They take on some of the commentary from the remarkably well-qualified guides.

Parents are treated as well as teens

the Marula Soak House, Monarto Safari Park — The day spa also comprises the Marula Soak House.

You can only push teenagers so far before you need to let them return to their natural slovenly state. After the morning drive and an enormous breakfast, we literally leave them to their own devices and head for some parental pampering at the Marula Day Spa. An hour-long massage is not enough, but we steal some extra time in the recovery room, sipping the aromatic and soothing Serengé-T, a bespoke combination of vanilla, licorice, lavender and lemongrass. From here, we watch the zebras buck and bite each other, secretly hoping our kids are not doing the same.

the Marula Day Spa lounge, Monarto Safari Resort — Relax post-treatment in the Marula Day Spa lounge.

Turns out, the boys did not hate the experience or me for putting them through it. In fact, they enjoyed, maybe even loved, the majority of our two-night getaway. We got a safari experience without having to take out our passports or a second mortgage. It gave some respite to my wife, connected us with the kids and expanded their horizons. That is no mean feat. But I won’t break my arm patting myself on the back; the kids will bring me back down to Earth.

zebras in Monarto Safari Park — Zebras can sometimes be seen from the resort. (Image: Isaac Long)

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

Monarto Safari Resort is an hour’s drive south-east of Adelaide/Tarntanya.

Staying there

the Savannah King room at Monarto Safari Resort — A plush Savannah King room.

Monarto Safari Resort accommodation includes twin, king and interconnecting rooms to one- and two-bedroom suites sleeping up to four guests. Waterhole rooms and suites have views of the waterhole, Wild Africa precinct and animals, whereas Savannah rooms and suites face the front of the hotel and surrounding plains.

Breakfast can be included in your booking and is served at Kutjera Restaurant & Bar, which is also open for lunch and dinner. Rates start at $285 per night for a Savannah Twin Room.

the signature sun-kissedmango dome dessert, Monarto Safari Resort — The menu features contemporary Australian cuisine such as the signature sun-kissed mango dome dessert.

Playing there

Monarto Safari Resort in the Wild Africa precinct — The resort is located within the Wild Africa precinct. (Image: Oliver Long)

The dawn and dusk game drives are inclusive and exclusive to Monarto Safari Resort guests and the only way to access the Wild Africa precinct. Guests receive exclusive discounts for park entry to Monarto Safari Park, the largest safari experience outside of Africa. The park is home to more than 50 species of exotic and native animals. A portion of every booking at the resort is donated to the Zoos SA Conservation Fund.

The best short break stays in South Australia