The Louise
Contemporary courtyard chambers
Hillside vineyard retreat
The Louise hotel is the brightest star in the Barossa Valley accommodation firmament, an exquisite, contemporary boutique dwelling featuring 15 architecturally inspired suites on a vine-lined hillside. Concern for guest satisfaction and food-and-wine passion have informed every decision at this South Australian retreat: privacy is paramount, facilities are state of the art, and the restaurant is truly outstanding.
Facilities
Rooms
Fifteen suites.
Checkout
10.30am, but flexible subject to availability (charges may apply). Check-in, 2pm.
More Details
Rates include, breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and dinner and wine at the Appellation restaurant.
Also
Wine tasting is a Barossa must: ask at reception about local cellar doors, or exclusive tastings by appointment. For in-room indulgence, tuck into the house-baked cookies and decanter of port awaiting you on arrival.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
At the Hotel
Infinity edge lap pool, fitness centre, guest laundry, sauna, bicycles, gardens, and guest computer. In rooms: free WiFi, flatscreen TVs, DVD player, BOSE Wave CD player, iPod dock, espresso machine, free minibar, Vive and Molton Brown toiletries, rubber ducks in spa baths, private courtyard with terrace and gate intercom.
Our Favourite Rooms
We like No 29, a Stonewell Suite, the best of the 10 suites revolving around the entrance piazza – access is via a private courtyard. The living and sleeping areas are an exercise in seductive mod tones (from raspberry to aubergine), leading onto a superb bathroom complete with underfloor heating, walk-in shower, spa tub, recessed candle nooks and an outdoor shower for star-lit shampooing. The terrace is perfect for an evening glass of red overlooking the vines. Marananga Two-Bedroom Suite, is a two-bedroom affair in a separate wing with even more enticing vineyard views.
Poolside
The infinity lap pool overlooks the surrounding vineyard.
Packing Tips
Bring a high tolerance level for intellectual wine-speak as you taste the best Barossa reds (expect to hear ‘toasty’, ‘berry’, ‘liquorice’ and ‘tobacco’ used at least thrice daily).
Also
Additional experiences include accommodation and dining packages incorporating meals at Appellation (the in-house restaurant) and wine-tasting.
Children
Children over 10 are welcome.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
There are window seats as well as tables by the fire in the restaurant’s two zones with views across the vines.
Dress Code
Snappy, sassy, self-confident.
Hotel Restaurant
The Louise’s award-winning in-house restaurant, Appellation, serves dinner nightly (there’s just 48 seats, so bookings are essential). The menus are underpinned by the ‘locavore’ philosophy, with 80 per cent of the menu’s seasonal produce sourced within a 50-kilometre radius. Choose four courses from their seasonal, daily changing Degustation Menu, and opt for brilliantly paired Barossa wines.
Hotel Bar
Adjacent to the restaurant, an elegant modern lounge bar serves pre-dinner drinks (from 5.30pm), including a heady selection of local wines, spirits, cocktails, beers, and a bar snack menu of charcuterie and other bites. Retire to the terrace to watch dusky sunset colours shift over the vine rows.
Last Orders
The restaurant is open daily from 5pm for drinks and from 6pm for dinner (last seating, 8pm).
Room Service
An in-suite dinner menu tempts with terrines, gourmet burgers, platters and desserts.
Planes
Adelaide Airport (www.aal.com.au), which receives domestic and international flights, is 75 kilometres away.
Trains
Trains connect to Adelaide's Keswick Terminal station from major cities Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Darwin, operated by Great Southern Rail (www.gsr.com.au). Adelaide is home to famous train the Ghan (www.gsr.com.au), which runs from the city to Darwin via Alice Springs in both directions, if you fancy linking a cross-country trip with a stay in the Barossa Valley wine region.
Automobiles
From Adelaide, South Australia's capital, it's about a one-hour drive to the Louise. Download a driving map with instructions from the hotel's own website (www.thelouise.com.au). Free parking is available at the hotel.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The Louise can book you in for ‘Breakfast with the Kangaroos’ at dawn, where a local guide whizzes you away in a 4WD to a nearby conservation park. After a 15-minute hike, your guide will unfurl the picnic rug and plate up a gourmet breakfast, rousing the curiosity of ’roos who enjoy their own tucker nearby (it’s not kosher to feed them). Wine tasting in the Barossa is an essential experience, with over 100 world-renowned winemakers within spitting distance. You can also ask at reception about local cellar doors and exclusive tastings by appointment, or contact tasting-tour operators Barossa Taste Sensations. If you're going it alone, consider visiting the biggest and best Barossa vineyard Penfolds in Nuriootpa, home of the iconic Penfolds Grange. Major labels Jacob's Creek and Peter Lehmann are both near Tanunda. More of a G&T lover? Book in for a tasting at Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
