Osborn House
Cotswolds couture
Haughty Highlands
There’s nothing stuffy about Osborn House, a funked-up country home on the edge of Morton National Park. This 19th-century knoll turned wellness retreat turned boutique bolthole has all the pastel trappings of a Wes Anderson film; scalloped four-poster bed frames, mix-and-match velvets, Moroccan rugs, art deco lighting and whimsical paintings by Byron Bay locals. Turn back the clock at the in-house spa, get your laps in at the chic industrial pool or dine by fire on the lawn where the local troop of kangaroos may just join you for a graze.
Facilities
Rooms
27, including nine suites.
Checkout
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates include an à la carte breakfast.
Also
Unfortunately, this Southern Highlands retreat isn’t suitable for guests with limited mobility.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Spa
At the Hotel
Landscaped gardens, gym, tennis court and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, Sonos Roam speaker, air-conditioning, minibar, tea- and coffee-making kit, bathrobes, slippers and LaGaia Unedited bath products. Some rooms also have stocked bar carts.
Our Favourite Rooms
Though layout differs, the finely-tuned formula of fabrics, colours and furniture are a constant. The buttery, dust pink Suites are fine options for weekend stays, with hand-sourced vintage pieces offset by modern accents. For the ultimate Aussie getaway, however, we recommend the Forest Lodge, where timber panelled walls, bohemian rugs and a roaring log fire bring Hygge to new heights. Set on the edge of the hotel’s green space, guests can soak in an outdoor bath tub while surveying the sprawling spectacle of Morton National Park.
Poolside
Get your laps in at the 25-metre heated pool, housed in a charcoal grey, industrial conservatory with a retractable pitched roof, sultry sun loungers and an outdoor deck lined with striped cabanas.
Spa
Down at the spa you’ll find four teal treatment rooms, including one exclusively reserved for couples, where pore-vanishing facials and tension-ridding massages are executed with creams and lotions by LaGaia Unedited. The mother and daughter behind the brand have spent years clinically testing their products (balance clay masks, blue stone body cream and volcanic exfoliant to name a few) with the help of renowned beauticians, scientists and skincare mavericks to create pH balanced formulas full of bioactive and bioavailable ingredients. We recommend booking the hotel’s signature acupressure massage, aptly named OMG, before marching your resurrected muscles to the sauna and steam room for a detoxifying boost. And if all that horizontal oohing and ahhing has spurred you into action, there’s a small gym with two Peloton bikes, a treadmill, weights bench and yoga mats.
Packing Tips
Plenty of pastel colours just like those used by artist Jai Vasicek in the paintings of wide-eyed women who adorn the walls of the hotel in their butterfly bespeckled gowns. A good pair of walking shoes wouldn’t go amiss, too.
Also
Planning a road trip during your stay? The hotel’s music director, Hugo Gruzman, has completed the ultimate Spotify playlist for your adventure.
Children
Over-12s are welcome to join you. Two of the Premier Garden Terrace rooms can be interconnected on request for families of four. A rollaway bed can also be provided for a child in the Forest Lodges, on request.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
At Fire Kitchen, opt for one of the velvet blue booths or a table by the window for dramatic dinner views. At George’s, nab a spot in front of the fire for a cosy Cabernet or two.
Dress Code
Gucci meets Grey Gardens; effortless layering, casual print-clashing and a silken scarf or two.
Hotel Restaurant
There’s a focus on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce at each of the hotel’s two restaurants, where simple but expertly implemented dishes are served in elegant spaces with magical views. Fire Kitchen serves Latin American cuisine with a modern Australian twist, expertly cooked on an open flame in the middle of the restaurant. Everything comes with that sweet wood-fired flair, but top hits include charred padron peppers and corn on the cob, crispy potato salads, Argentinian-style short ribs coated in chimichurri and Brazilian wagyu. Meanwhile George’s has more of a lounge feel blending styles and references with mismatched fabrics, curved, cocooning furniture, paintings by local artists and a scattering of sculptural trinkets. The food is lighter but no less appetising with leafy salads tossed in local Wollumbi olive oil and lots of fresh fish; choose from Snapper or Black Angus Scotch fillet or humita king prawns. Come summer, weekly open-fire cooking shows take place on the patio, where food is cooked by hanging in a large steel infiernillo.
Hotel Bar
With white marble counters, reading lamps, forest green bar stools and glass drinks cabinets, the curved, wood-panelled bar makes for a Hopper-esque scene. But while Nighthawks’ atmosphere is brooding to the bone, George’s bar is anything but, in part thanks to its soothingly cool playlist and cocktail menu – ‘cause let’s face it, it’s hard to seem brooding and mysterious while sipping on pink rhubarb spritzes and bopping along to a bit of Dusty.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served at George’s from 7:30am–10am; lunch runs from noon till 3pm (also available at Fire Kitchen on Saturdays and Sundays) and dinner is 6pm–9pm. Fire Kitchen opens for the evening Thursday to Sunday from 5pm.
Planes
Sydney is the closest major airport – it's around an hour and 30 minutes from the hotel, following the M31 south past Campbelltown, Yerrinbool and eventually Sutton Forest. Alternatively, Canberra Airport is one hour and 40 minutes south of Bundanoon. The hotel can arrange transfers from either.
Trains
Bundanoon Train Station is a 10-minute walk away from Osborn House. Served by NSW TrainLink, it operates daily connections between Sydney Central, Campbelltown, Moss Vale and Goulburn.
Automobiles
Surrounded by national parks, small villages and vineyards, cars come in handy here. Though if you’re keen on the latter, we’d recommend arranging a taxi and leaving your wheels at the hotel – conveniently, there’s 24/7 outdoor parking with a night manager on site.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The regional playground of the South Highlands is home to a cluster of charming towns, breathtaking bush walks and more than its fair share of wineries. The neighbouring town of Bowral warrants an amble, where the residue of its past life as a hotspot for Sydney’s 19th-century gentry can still be found in its wealth of country estates, antique shops and high teas. Nowadays, however, that old-world appeal is matched by a more youthful scene – in the centre of town, you’ll find plenty of Scandi-style coffee shops and hip local cafes, as well as local institution Dirty Janes, a vintage emporium with a tea salon, bridging the gap between generations. Bowral is also known as the hometown of Mary Poppins’ author PL Travers. Take a stroll round Glebe Park and you may catch a glimpse of the magical nanny herself. On the outskirts of town, handsome heritage buildings abound, and outshining them all is Retford Park, a pink Italianate style estate bought by philanthropist James Fairfax in 1964.
Culture vultures can get their fix at Ngununggula Regional Art Gallery, housed in a repurposed dairy and veterinary clinic, which hosts a year-round public programme of contemporary exhibitions, artist talks, kids workshops and yoga classes. For more cosmopolitan excursions, Sydney is an hour and a half away by car.
Outdoorsy types are well served by the deep gorges, and green trails of Morton National Park, an enormous forest quite literally placed on the doorstep of the hotel. Make a pitstop at Fitzroy Falls for scenic waterfall views, climb to the top of Pigeon House Mountain Didthul before stopping for a picnic in the shade of eucalyptus trees.
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. .
