Does it get more romantic than an adults-only retreat among the hills of a cherry orchard? The three villas on Basalt’s family-owned estate are architecturally designed with incredible attention to detail like a freestanding stone bath perched right by the window to drink up the stunning Central Tablelands and orchard views. If you’re visiting in winter, you might get lucky enough to witness the property encased by a magical blanket of snow. View it from the comfort of your cosy villa beside the internal wood fire or your own outdoor firepit with ample supply of firewood. If you book a cheeky midweek stay for three or more nights, you’ll eat like a king (and/or queen) in your room with a delivered-to-your-door three-course dinner from Lucetta Dining and a bottle of local wine. We’ll cheers to that!
What if we told you you could access a beautiful cool-climate wine region – and the (literal) root source of the wine and premium ingredients you spot on classy Sydney menus – all within a 50-minute flight from Sydneytown? The Orange region has made a name for itself as the premium destination for foodies (in fact, Hey Rosey was the winner of Time Out Sydney's Best Destination Award 2025!), and given all it takes is a handful of frequent flyer points or just over half a tank of petrol (about a three-and-a-half-hour drive) to get there, you can count us in for a food and wine getaway of dreams.
We’re counting down some of the best accommodation options, wineries and restaurants with all the local intel so you can squeeze the most juice out of your Orange (trip).