02 October 2024
7 mins Read
As one of the world’s premier wine growing regions, the Yarra Valley is perfect for oenophiles and foodies. And where better to stay than at one of the wineries that boasts accommodation?
If you’re planning on visiting the lush region, you can wake up to views of the vineyards, and enjoy afternoons sipping vino. Here’s our pick of the best Yarra Valley winery accommodation for a stay laced with romance.
Best for: Modern luxury
Re’em Yarra Valley is a luxury boutique hotel on Helen and Joey Estate, with just 16 rooms. Choose from a Garden Patio Suite, Re’em Balcony Suite or Alicorn Mountain View Suite and enjoy views across the vineyards, which stretch over 200 acres, a small lake, and the distant mountains from your verandah or patio. The contemporary design is inspired by the Yarra Valley itself, with a neutral colour palette and floor-to-ceiling windows, and a pond on the lower floor calms the common space with the soft sound of trickling water.
Relax on your private balcony with snacks and the estate’s wines. (Image: Hugh Davidson)
The Helen and Joey cellar door is the place to enjoy the property’s estate-grown and made wines, and offers a range of gourmet snacks (think oysters, lamb skewers and charcuterie boards) and picnic options. For a more intimate experience, you can retreat to the underground cellar to taste a premium wine selection, looking out over the oak barrels.
Sample premium drops at the Helen and Joey cellar door.
The 110-seat Asian-inspired Re’em restaurant offers lunch and dinner, under the stewardship of head chef Abe Yang and culinary consultant Mark Ebbels.
Indulge in the Stay and Graze Package. (Image: Hugh Davidson)
Address: 12–14 Spring Lane, Gruyere, VIC 3770
Best for: A chill country escape
Shaws Road B&B lets you escape the city hustle with a comfortable rural stay. To reach the accommodation, you’ll drive along narrow roads through the forest, then pop out on top of a hill with views across rolling green valleys grazed by cattle.
Spend a relaxing, romantic weekend in the Yarra Valley.
Though the brick accommodation block doesn’t look like much from the outside (it’s located within a farmhouse on a working winery), the two self-contained one-bedroom apartments (which can be booked together if you want to holiday with friends) are decorated with pops of colour and homely finishes, and are perfect for a couples’ weekend in the Yarra Valley.
Escape the city hustle with a comfortable rural stay at Shaws Road Bed and Breakfast.
The room includes a clawfoot bath, private balcony and library, plus a breakfast hamper and bottle of wine on arrival, so you can relax in the vintage leather chairs with a good book and a glass of wine. Warm yourself by the cosy fireplace in winter, or fire up the BBQ in summer. If you don’t fancy cooking for yourself, you can dine at the modern Shaws Road Winery restaurant – literally just across the driveway – on Saturdays and Sundays.
Soak in the tub with a vino in hand.
Address: 225 Shaws Road, Arthurs Creek, VIC 3099
Best for: Italophiles
SOUMAH is an Italian-inspired property that specialises in the wines and food of Northern Italy – which is obvious when you enter and are hit with the smokey scent of the colourful mosaic wood-fired oven. Accommodation is offered in detached country-style rooms with pale blue, white and sandstone exteriors. Giant windows flood the spaces with natural light and afford views across the Hexham vineyards and rolling green hills (are you spotting an ‘epic views’ theme in this region?).
Soak up epic vineyard views at SOUMAH. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Choose from the three ‘studio villete’, which have basic kitchen facilities, a freestanding tub and a deck overlooking the vines, or upgrade to the ‘grande-villetta’, which has a more substantial kitchen, plus a lounge and dining area that can be used as a second room if needed. Bringing a crowd? You can also book the four-bedroom, three-bathroom ‘Villa Sophia’, with all the comforts of a fully equipped home.
Dine next to the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Receive an antipasto board and bottle of wine on arrival to help you kick into relaxation mode, then join a wine tasting at the cellar door. Dinner and lunch are served at Ai Fiori Trattoria, where the menu includes wood-fired pizza, made with housemade sourdough, and other Italian dishes. In spring and summer you can partake in Italy’s ‘merenda’ tradition, which involves an afternoon snack, in this case, a spread of sweet and savoury bites, paired with prosecco.
Address: 18 Hexham Rd, Gruyere, VIC 3770
Best for: Feeling immersed in nature
The one-bedroom Carl’s Hut sits on Solitude Estate and is snuggled into a 1940s log cabin, surrounded by thick forest and rows of chardonnay vines.
The space once had dirt floors and dilapidated walls but is now beautifully decorated luxury accommodation, with high ceilings crossed by exposed timber beams, a stone fireplace and a modern kitchenette.
Stay in a rustic, humble abode. (Image: Nick Skinner)
In the late afternoon, you can often see kangaroos grazing on the property, by night the sky glitters with a million stars, and come morning you may find yourself enveloped in a rolling fog.
The 1940s log cabin is surrounded by lush forest. (Image: Nick Skinner)
There’s aircon for the summer and heated polished concrete floors for the winter. Stay in and cook a simple meal (with a glass of wine, of course – a range of Solitude Estate’s own wines are available to purchase), or dine at restaurants nearby.
Sleep in comfort at Carl’s Hut. (Image: Nick Skinner)
Address: 435 Beenak Road, Yellingbo, VIC 3139
Best for: A group of friends or family
Yarrawalla Vineyard Cottage is a fully furnished cottage with timber floors and a spacious kitchen and dining space. The three bedrooms (with one room with a semi-detached sunroom) sleep up to five people, and a large verandah catches the afternoon sun – the perfect spot to unwind with a glass of vino. You can take a bath in the outdoor tub, looking out to the vines and herb and flower gardens.
The surrounding family-owned vineyard specialises in cool climate chardonnay and pinot noir, and the working farm is home to 300 Black Angus cattle. You may spot Yarrawalla beef on the menu at local Yarra Valley restaurants, and, on that note, the cottage is conveniently within walking distance of a number of Yarra Valley wineries and restaurants.
Address: 13/15 Maddens Lane, Gruyere, VIC 3770
Best for: A Tuscan-inspired escape
Though Meletos doesn’t own its surrounding vineyard or have a cellar door as such, the property is tucked right in amongst the vineyards and apple orchards of its neighbours, so the Farmhouse has all the feels of a winery stay.
Wake up to scenic vineyard views.
The whole precinct, which includes an excellent restaurant, brewery and adjoining Ernie’s Bar (where you can do tastings of local wines), makes you feel as though you’ve been transported to Tuscany.
Get cosy by the fireplace.
Thick vines creep up the walls of the 23-room Farmhouse, which feels warm and homely from the moment you enter, with a plastered fireplace that stretches to the double-height ceiling and brown, studded leather couches in the reception. North-facing rooms overlook the vines – so book one of those on the second floor for the best views.
Be surrounded by greenery at the Meletos Farmhouse.
Address: 12 St Huberts Road, Coldstream VIC 3770
Discover the top things to do in the Yarra Valley.
LEAVE YOUR COMMENT