3 hours ago
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September 14, 2025 — 12:51am
When it comes to choosing their own short breaks, where do hotel owners escape to? We asked seven about their favourite getaways.
Martin Shew, joint owner, Hotel Ernest, Bendigo and Hotel Vera, Ballarat, Victoria
Where we take a short break: Tasmania
“Every day is a different journey in Tasmania. It’s just a beautiful place with so much to see and do. I spent a significant birthday there recently, and I’m yearning to go back. We love staying at historic properties, as they have so much in common with ours. We follow historicstays.com and love checking out the beautiful heritage hotels, particularly Georgian manor houses with their French doors and verandahs. We’re visiting Beulah House in East Launceston next, a wonderful heritage property dating from 1847 with views of the surrounding mountains and Tamar River.
“We’ve very passionate about heritage, and we like to see what others do when they restore beautiful properties. Tasmania is so easy. You can take the Spirit of Tasmania ferry with the car and then just explore the island, its sandy beaches, wineries or somewhere remote.” See discovertasmania.com.au
Martin Shew’s Hotel Ernest Bendigo is a boutique stay with 10 suites in the city’s CBD. It is housed in the oldest bank in Bendigo complete with underground cellar and bank vault, as well as the restaurant Terrae. From $279 a night. Hotel Vera Ballarat is in a 19th-century mansion in the city’s CBD with seven suites and the hatted restaurant Babae. From $299 a night. See hotelbendigo.com.au; hotelballarat.com.au
Hamish Keith, owner, Wilga Station, Bathurst, NSW
Where we take a short break: Oberon, NSW
“Our two daughters, aged nine and 11, get car sick so we take frequent breaks and that way we can also support local business. We go to Mayfield Garden, which is the largest privately owned garden in the Southern Hemisphere at 65 hectares. It is spectacular in autumn and spring and takes seven hours to walk around. We like to stay at Essington Park, a beautifully restored shearers’ quarters owned by Simmone Logue, with its vegetable garden and cooking demonstration, or the family-friendly Kenzell Farm with its alpacas and camels.
“We go truffle-hunting at RedGround Australia and the Jenolan Caves are beautiful, but not reopening until 2026. My personal treat is a visit to the Bathurst Grange Distillery for whisky and gin while we dine at iconic pubs like the O’Connell Hotel, circa 1865, and the Tarana Hotel, circa 1873. The food and cold beer and family-friendly atmosphere are spot on, but it’s the breathtaking scenery that is next level.” See bathurstandbackroads.com.au
Hamish Keith’s 105-hectare Wilga Station is a working sheep farm that’s been home to the Keith family for three generations and offers luxury farm stays a 12-minute drive from Bathurst and 40 minutes from Orange. The grass-roofed off-grid Farmers Hut, sleeps two and costs $425 a night, Sunday to Thursday; $475 a night, Friday and Saturday. The luxurious five-bedroom Shearers Hall sleeps 10 and costs $1100 a night, two-night minimum. See wilgastation.com.au
David Horbelt, hotelier, Mount Lofty House, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Where we take a short break: Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
“I’ve been going to Emu Bay since I was a kid and still today, when you arrive there, you feel as if you’ve arrived in a completely different world. You take the ferry or a plane, and even though it’s quite close to the mainland, it’s somewhere very separate. The scenery is quite beautiful, and it’s a spectacular beach with access through a cave-tunnel kind of system. The wildlife is stunning. You see dolphins swimming all around you, there are seals and so many birds.
“My cousin runs an eco-tour business that takes people out on the water which is just amazing. I tend to stay in an Airbnb or in one of the Emu Bay holiday homes. They’re not luxury, but it’s lovely to get away from all that, to go back to nature and the simple life.” See tourkangarooisland.com.au
David Horbelt’s Mount Lofty House is a five-star adults-only boutique hotel which was, this year, voted the No. 1 luxury hotel in Australia and the South Pacific by Trip Advisor. It features Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant, as well as Hardy’s Cocktail Bar and the Gatekeeper’s Day Spa and a pool. From $599 a room a night, including breakfast and signature experiences, such as a champagne and history tour. See mtloftyhouse.com.au
Dan Hunter, hotelier and chef, Brae, Birregurra, Vic
Where we take a short break: Paramount House Hotel, Surry Hills, Sydney
“The Paramount’s restaurant Poly will sort you out with a glass or two if you want to eat in; in the morning head to the hotel’s rooftop A.P Bakery for breakfast. It’s a lamington and mid-morning coffee at Flour and Stone en route to the Art Gallery of NSW, before walking in the Botanic Gardens.
“Without straying too far from the hotel, it might be a boozy lunch at Bessie’s or at Bar Copains both in Surry Hills, or at Fratelli Paradiso. Maybe splash out a bit, big-city style, at Eleven Barrack. Sunday lunch would be at Sixpenny followed by cocktails at Ante and pizza and beers at Bella Bruta. In between the eating it’s a show, music, theatre, galleries and long walks admiring the beauty of the green spaces pushed up against the water that Sydney does so well.” See paramounthousehotel.com
Dan Hunter’s Brae is located on an organic farm. It has six boutique guest suites made of recycled materials, powered by solar energy and with overhead star-gazing skylights. Its restaurant has held three chef hats from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide since 2014. From $795 a night for two adults, including in-room snacks and breakfast. See braerestaurant.com
Kerry Houston, co-owner, Ship Inn Stanley, Stanley, Tasmania
Where we take a short break: Three Hummock Island, Bass Strait (near King Island), Tasmania
“I’d never heard of it before our daughter started dating the son of the people who manage the property there. It’s the most amazing place. There’s a beautiful four-bedroom homestead, dating back to 1910, and from there you walk to the beaches and see the abalone clinging to the rocks, the dolphins swimming and the mutton birds swooping.
“It’s a big national park – so peaceful and relaxing – and you have the whole island to yourself. We went across by boat and saw a pod of about 100 dolphins, but you can also fly from Melbourne, Geelong or Hobart. There’s so much history on Three Hummock Island, so many trails you can walk and the scenery and views of the ocean are incredible. Whenever we want to get away from it all, that’s where we go.” See threehummockisland.com.au
Kerry Houston’s Ship Inn Stanley is a beautifully restored heritage-listed boutique hotel dating back to 1849 in north-west Tasmania, with seven suites and two apartments. It’s a walk to beaches, restaurants, cafes and attractions, and is the perfect base for exploring the rugged coastline. From $385 a night in a suite. See shipinnstanley.com.au
Laura Proctor, general manager, Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach, NSW
Where we take a short break: Sequoia Lodge, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
“I recently stayed at Sequoia for three nights – ideal for a short break. It’s not far from Adelaide Airport, and then you have the Barossa Valley close too. It’s just such a beautiful virtuoso hotel with everything you need and the service is so personalised with just 14 rooms.
“It feels very bespoke and boutique. The setting, with the national park and the Adelaide Hills Botanic Gardens, is lovely. Also nearby is Mount Lofty for a beautiful degustation dinner, and the day spa with a great pool area you can relax in. It’s adults-only and, while I also like hotels where you can take children, it is nice to get time away. The beach isn’t far for when the weather is warm.” See sequoialodge.com.au
Laura Proctor’s Halcyon House is a renovated motel with 19 rooms and three suites, featuring antique furniture, fabric upholstered walls and a private balcony or terrace right on the beach at Cabarita. It also has its own one-hat restaurant and bar, Paper Daisy. From $650 a night, including breakfast and snacks. See halcyonhouse.com.au
Todd Handy, general manager, East Hotel, Canberra, ACT
Where we take a short break: The Snowy Mountains, NSW
“I love to take a short break to the Snowy Mountains, just a three or four-hour drive from Canberra. Thredbo and Crackenback and Kosciuszko are wonderful. There’s so much to do, and it’s very pretty in winter but even more so in the summer months when you can do great bike rides and hike to the top of Australia’s highest peak.
“The fresh air is brilliant. I like walking in nature, seeing wildlife and hearing nothing but running streams and the wind rushing through the tall grass. The Alpine climate has such different flora and fauna so it’s a fascinating environment. Last time we went there, we stayed right on the water at Oaks Lake Crackenback Resort.” See snowymountains.com.au
Todd Handy’s East Hotel, Canberra is a stylish 140-room boutique property in Kingston, with Italian restaurant Agostinis and Joe’s Bar, and a gym. From $229 a night, a room. See easthotel.com.au
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