A $10m makeover later, this historic NSW luxe retreat still needs more TLC

The place

Ardour Milton Park, Bowral, NSW

Checking in

Just like Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa’s unregistered, but not unwelcome, feathered guests that have checked in to two bower nests at this historic retreat, Salter Brothers has been extraordinarily acquisitive of late. The eponymous Australian investment firm is the new owner of this 44-room landmark Southern Highlands property, about 90 minutes’ south of Sydney, and has been busily feathering its hospitality portfolio to such an extent that it now claims to be Australia’s leading operator of luxury retreat hotels. Firstly, it acquired the admirable Spicers Retreats brand from Graham and Jude Turner of Flight Centre fame. Milton Park is now the inaugural flagship property to open under the Brothers’ fledgling Ardour Hotels & Estates brand.

The look

Salter Brothers has spent more than $10 million on the revival of Milton Park – a grand 1910 country estate built by retailing tsar Anthony Hordern and his first wife, Viola. The Salters deserve appreciation for having done so, but while the reborn Milton Park makes for a delightful stay, such a seemingly large allocation of funds is by no means sufficient in this day and age, and this shows here and there. It’s not difficult to see what further wonders another $10 million or so could work here. Meanwhile, there’s still much to admire in Milton Park’s revival, driven, aesthetically, by Sydney-based interior designers MAC Design Studio and inspired by the “romantic countryside manors of Europe” with the addition of a “distinctly modern sensibility”.

The suite

Due to the profusion of foliage from the magnificent gardens that surround the original building and a modern accommodation wing added by architecture firm Phillip Cox and Partners decades ago, the reviewer’s top floor suite is wonderfully eyrie-like. It’s decorated in MAC’s on-trend palette of sage green and blush pink – a combination which flows through to the public spaces. The suite comes with its own gas fireplace, a remnant of Milton Park’s previous incarnation, which, with the Southern Highlands nights cooling, combines to create a rather hygge-Down Under-like effect. That said, the expanse of weary and wonky white plantation shutters, inherited by the new owners, in the living room needs to be banished in favour of curtains.

Food + drink

One satisfactory aspect of the Milton Park experience is the property’s impressive food and beverage offering, specifically Horderns Restaurant and Polo Bar. As part of the renovations, the restaurant was wisely moved to a larger space with wraparound windows revealing the splendid garden. As a result, it’s at its best in the daytime. The modern European-style restaurant is headed by executive chef Mark Holland, who has previously toiled at Nomad and Paddington Inn in Sydney as well as Box Tree in England.

Out + about

Now is one of the best times of the year to visit the Southern Highlands, given the explosion of autumn colours throughout the region along with the recent opening of the 250-hectare Burradoo Park Farm, described as a “regenerative agritourism destination”. The project is the vision of Annie Cannon-Brookes, now one of Australia’s wealthiest women, and includes a major collaboration with Three Blue Ducks restaurant collective. Burradoo Park Farm is really something, but avoid the weekend crowds if you can. That said, there’s plenty to keep you within the gorgeous confines of Milton Park, including its extensive gardens, a first-rate spacious and refurbished spa operating under the Salters’ new Eliva wellness brand, an indoor heated pool and even a new cheese and charcuterie room behind the snug Polo Bar.

The verdict

Despite its flaws, your reviewer enjoyed what was a genuinely blissful two-night stay at a seemingly work-in-progress Milton Park. Hopefully, the new owners’ deep pockets will prove even deeper for the next phase of improvements at this beautiful and precious estate.

Essentials

From $518 for a garden terrace room, breakfast included. Ardour Milton Park, 200 Horderns Road, Bowral, NSW, (02) 4861 8100. See worldsapart.club

The writer stayed as a guest of Ardour Milton Park

Our rating out of five

★★★★

Highlight

Make time to enjoy the wondrous vintage garden (and those resident bowers) overseen by a congenial head gardener whose father once served in the same role at Milton Park.

Lowlight

Chipped paint on guestroom doors, peeling balcony balustrades, ramshackle gatehouses … attention to detail is needed at this level of luxury accommodation.