Osborn House is a boutique hotel located in the Southern Highlands, in Bundanoon, just 1.5 hours drive from Sydney’s CBD. The hotel is amongst bushland and gardens with sweeping views of the hills around it. As you enter the property, take time to take in the beautiful scenery of Morton National Park.
The property is picturesque, on 8.5 acres, with the grand residence that you enter after driving up the long driveway. Staff will greet you at the turning circle and park your car for you. Enter main building after walking through a garden arch with a sitting area and open fire to your left. You then find yourself in aesthetically pleasing reception or lobby area with sights of the dining room. In this main building there’s also a games room, reading and sitting area as well as the day spa.
The colour palette is light hues of green, and other dusty varieties of colour. I’d describe it as a modern sophisticated take on retro. Every thing works perfectly together; the bespoke selection of the porcelain plates on walls, to the lights and artistic pieces. Everything has obviously been carefully considered in its selection. The upper of the property hosts the suites and the decor of the upper level walls has a beautiful single brushstroke mural that would have taken hours to produce. Certainly this hotel could win styling awards that’s for sure.
We are promptly checked in, given an itinerary for our stay, complete with sunrise and sunset times and instructions for all the property has to offer. We are staying in one of the nine upstairs suites (six more are downstairs). Thus the property is not one that you find overwhelming when full. The rooms have extraordinarily comfortable beds with plush pillows and cushions. There’s a TV with all your streaming channels, a mini bar alcoholic options to buy and inclusive non-alcoholic drinks. We also love that on arrival there’s a plate with the most delicious alfajores (Argentinian cookies) around.
I could have eaten bags of these! A huge bathroom with a double shower and premium bathroom products are there for use. The rooms are absolutely stunning and we also understand each of the rooms are slightly different in style, adding to the uniqueness and character of the hotel.
There are also some modern cabins outside and these are a bit different to the suites inside the main building. These cabins are perched at the top of the landscape overlooking the bush land beyond with an amazing outdoor bath to soak in whilst you take in that view.
Osborn House was a health retreat since the 1980s, and because of this the on-site 25 m pool is great, in addition to a spa, steam room and sauna. There’s even a day spa on site and we enjoyed a facial and massage which were super relaxing, using quality products.
For food, you don’t need to leave the hotel. There’s two restaurants; Dinah’s, for more upmarket offerings and George’s, for more casual fare. The restaurants were named in honour of the property’s original owners. We dined at both restaurants and enjoyed them both. The food on the menus are modern Australian food, cooked using fresh and local ingredients, much of which is from their own kitchen garden.
In Dinah’s, we began with an extra add on; the amuse Bouchee – a potato gratin topped with rare beef and caviar, at a $35 price tag. We expected the Amuse-bouche to be included (as they generally are in fine dining), and the waitress did not inform us of the price, so we were a tad surprised when the bill came.
For our mains, we had the duck with cherry sauce that was nicely flavoured though it didn’t have a crispy skin and was a little underwhelming compared to a duck we’d eaten elsewhere the week prior. I ordered an entree as my main; the tuna tartare, which was a generous serving, topped with half an avocado. The food came with some inclusive Argentinan bread – this was excellent and we’d happily have eaten more if offered. Overall, you’ll find this to be a sophisticated and refined meal in a lovely dining space.
The second night we dined at George’s which is in the sitting room/dining space overlooking the terrace. The menu here is excellent, a little more casual and relaxed and we preferred this one. Starting off with empanadas since we’d been tried these at their fire feast, these brought back excellent memories of that meal. Then for the main we had an amazing Southern Highlands Sirloin Sandwich with American Cheddar, Sauerkraut, cornichons, with a creamy dressing, all between some crunchy Moonacres Sourdough.
In addition, we had the “beef short ribs”, which is a little expensive at $52 for only 1 rib. The 12hrs Beef Short Rib is served with Carrot & Fennel Puree, Jus, Pangrattato and Fresh Herbs. A great dish, but really should either have two, or come with some bread or small side.
George’s is also the place for breakfast, which is included in your stay. You have the option of a number of breakfast dishes, from granola to scrambled eggs and the meal is made specific to you, and the ability to add on extra bread, yoghurt and fruit. You can also have a juice or cup of coffee. The breakfast meals are enormous and a nice hearty fresh plate of food.
Don’t forget the drinks – a great wine list and some excellent cocktails. Even better, a short list offering an inclusive drink at 6pm is greatly appreciated.
Overall, really liked the food here. Although prices are high, we did expect it at an upmarket boutique hotel. We had also visited this venue earlier this year for their Argentinan fire feast where they host an Asado or traditional Argentinian BBQ. Be sure to check out or blog for this. It is highly recommended.
If you’re looking for somewhere for a relaxing getaway in NSW, then this is your place. You really need not leave the property at all. Staff will make you feel like royalty and even call you by name. 5 stars from us!