Houses with history – 2 top Australian country hotels compared
What’s it like to stay at Mount Lofty House and Lilianfels?
We’ve had the good fortune to spend short breaks at these amazing but very different Australian country hotels. One is in South Australia, the other in New South Wales. One is rustic, the other elegant, but both promised luxury, indulgence and unforgettable experiences. So did they deliver? And which did we prefer? Read on to find out!
Mount Lofty House
The original Mount Lofty House was built in 1852 by Yorkshire-born businessman and statesman Arthur Hardy. Located in the scenic Adelaide Hills, overlooking the Piccadilly Valley, the house was a summer home for Arthur and his wife Martha.
The Hardy family enjoyed entertaining the Adelaide elite at their infamous house parties. Unfortunately their fortunes did not support their lifestyle. Despite cutting back and making Mount Lofty House their main home, they were eventually forced to sell it.
Over the years, Mount Lofty House was home to various wealthy families. In 1983, it was burnt to the ground in a disastrous bush fire. It was rebuilt by local architect Ross Sands, who turned it into a 5-star hotel.
The current owners are business partners David Horbelt and Malcolm Bean, experienced hoteliers who have extensively refurbished the property with the aim of bringing back its former glory – ‘tradition, celebration and decadence’ – as they put it. Have they succeeded? Well, they describe themselves as ‘Australia’s most awarded hotel’ – and they were TripAdvisor’s Top Hotel in Australia and the South Pacific in 2024. Naturally, we arrived with high expectations.
First impressions
After a 25-minute Uber drive from central Adelaide, we were dropped off at the main entrance – an imposing, closed, front door. Initially confused as to whether we were in the right place, I carefully opened the door and peeped inside. Luckily, a staff member happened to be close by who directed me to reception. We were greeted warmly and given a cup of fruity iced tea. Not my thing, but I’m sure many people would love it.
The decor at Mount Lofty House is rustic rather than luxuriously elegant. There’s lots of dark wood beams and chunky furniture. Although attractive, it did make parts of the hotel, particularly the lounge, feel rather dark. But it’s brightened considerably by the colourful artworks by local artist Stephen Trebilcock which are all around the hotel. Including in the bedrooms.
Our room
I had booked a Piccadilly Garden View room, one upgrade from the least expensive room available. This turned out to be a mistake, in that the ‘garden view’ was from below, rather than above as I had expected. Our room was lower-ground level and the garden rose above us.
Moreover, we were the last room in the row, squeezed in the inner corner of the garden area. The room was full of attractive period furniture including a large bookshelf unit. Over-full. Cluttered, in fact. Having just left the fabulously spacious EOS Sky City in Adelaide, we were disappointed. Even the little pack of house-made cookies didn’t make up for it.
Our 3 nights in the room did not improve our impressions, sadly. Close to a stairway and service area, we found it to be noisy – clashing doors and loud conversations outside. And we could hear every flush of next door’s toilet as though it were in our own room! Was this really the best hotel in Australia?
Facilities
Mount Lofty House had a cosy lounge, library, games room and outdoor pool area. There was also a spa, which we did not visit. The surrounding gardens were very attractive and pleasant to wander around. A wedding party, staying at the same time as us, had a lovely backdrop for their photos.
A free house tour is offered every afternoon, which we took advantage of. This was really good. Starting off with a glass of bubbly in the lounge, we were told the history of the house by one of the staff members who then led us round the various rooms – including the amazing wine cellar. This tour was definitely a highlight. Interestingly, when everyone was asked where they were from, most participants were locals, with only 2 couples from overseas including ourselves.
Food and drink
Fresh cookies were deposited in the lounge every day – a nice touch, though we wished they would vary the recipe a little from chocolate chip!
For my birthday treat, we were booked in the hotel’s flagship restaurant, Martha’s Verandah, for their 7-course degustation dinner. Lovely as the food was, service was so painfully slow that we ended up sitting there for over 4 hours. And once again, we found ourselves at the end of the row, tucked out of sight.
On another evening, we dined in the less formal Martha Hardy’s restaurant. We found the service to be friendly – although we were once again in the back row – but the food to be underwhelming.
Breakfast was definitely the culinary highlight, freshly cooked to order with a mix of traditional and innovative dishes. It was served in a lovely spacious room with views over the valley.
Staff
The multi-national staff at Mount Lofty House were unfailingly friendly, welcoming and helpful. Clearly well-trained, they were thoroughly professional. Had the speed of food and beverage service been adequate, I would have given them full marks.
Local area
The hill road up to Mount Lofty is not really fit for pedestrians so we took a taxi to Crafers Village to dine in the local pub, the Crafers Hotel. In all honesty this was the best dinner of our stay. Beautiful traditional pub, great friendly service and superb food. We highly recommend it.
We also enjoyed walking around the very scenic Mount Lofty Botanic Garden, which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. It is quite steep in places however, so anyone with compromised mobility mind find the paths tough going.
On one of our days at Mount Lofty, we went on a half day Barossa Valley wine tour with Best Wine Tours. This was fantastic and we highly recommend the tour. Read all about it in my post Wine touring in the Barossa Valley.
Overall impressions
Mount Lofty House is a luxurious but rustic property with a great history. It gets rave reviews and given the number of awards, clearly the owners must be doing something right.
We did enjoy our stay, but there were many aspects that were disappointing, particularly our room. What was clear to us is that not everyone will have an equal experience; the luck of the draw could leave you stuck in the corner, in the background, without the same level of service or luxury as those in the foreground. As for best hotel in Australia – absolutely no way! Pretty much every other hotel we’ve stayed at in Australia has delivered a better experience for us.
The owners have built a modern, exclusive, ultra-luxurious lodge in the grounds of Mount Lofty House, called Sequoia. No doubt there would be a very different experience here, as it’s truly one of the top Australian country hotels. We’d be happy to try that, but we would not return to Mount Lofty House.
Mount Lofty House
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Sequoia Lodge
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Lilianfels
I first stayed at Lilianfels, the second of our Australian country hotels, in 2000 as part of a small tour group. I loved it so much that I returned with my husband 24 years later. Inevitably there had been changes – some good, some not so good.
Like Mount Lofty House, Lilianfels was built as a summer house for an eminent statesman. Dublin-born Sir Frederick Darley, Chief Justice of New South Wales, had the house built in 1889 and named it after his daughter Lilian, who tragically died aged 22 after contracting typhoid. He chose the stunning Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, as the location of his retreat.
The house passed through the hands of a number of families before it opened as a hotel in 1992. Ulrich and Monica Renner had not only restored the original house but added an 86-room mansion-style property on the site.
Today, Lilianfels belongs to hotel group The Salter Brothers, who acquired it in 2023 along with other hotels in the area. It will be interesting to watch its future direction and development under the new owners.
First impressions
In 2000, our group arrived at Lilianfels in one of the tropical rains that the Blue Mountains is known for. It didn’t matter: the lovely entrance has a covered canopy so that guests can enter in any weather. After being checked in at reception, we entered a spacious, comfortable lounge with a fire going at one side. It was like being welcomed into someone’s luxurious country mansion.
25 years later, the lounge is just as gorgeous and there’s a bar for drinks, coffees and snacks. A graceful staircase leads to the upper floor rooms, but there’s also a lift.
Our room
We booked a Valley View room, which is 3 upgrades from the least expensive room type. Located on an upper floor with a lovely view across the Jamison Valley, the room was decorated in attractive retro cottagecore style with a Victorian-inspired bathroom. It was quiet and peaceful.
In fairness, the rooms are starting to show signs of wear and tear and are probably due for an update – and I gather that renovations are planned for 2025. Hopefully the new owners will do a good job and remain faithful to the house’s history.
Facilities
Lilianfels has 2 gorgeous heated swimming pools, one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor one is part of the new spa complex which has been added since my first visit. This makes so much sense given the number of wet weather days. I loved it! The outdoor pool is surrounded by pretty gardens and a terrace.
The lobby lounge extends across from the entrance area to the garden doors and is welcoming and luxurious. At the garden end of the room is a dining area for informal bar meals.
The lovely library that I so enjoyed on my first visit is now a small meeting or conference room, with presentation equipment provided. I definitely missed the old library, where I had previously spent a pleasant wet afternoon writing to my parents on gorgeous hotel headed writing paper. But the room is still classed as a ‘reading room’ with a small selection of books.
Food and drink
Lilianfels has a number of dining options. Our package gave us a top-end dining experience at Darley’s, the resort’s flagship restaurant, which was superb. Everything, from the perfect presentation to the delicious food and excellent service, was absolutely top-notch. Coral trout and porcini ice cream were 2 examples of the imaginative dishes on offer.
On another evening we dined at the less-formal but still excellent Echoes, which is located at the next-door sister hotel. The great thing about Echoes is that it has an outdoor terrace with superb views over the valley. At the most picturesque moment of sunset, all of us guests couldn’t resist popping outside with our phone cameras!
The food at the lounge bar was, to be honest, average. But since our stay, Lilianfels have opened another dining option: Miss Lilian, which serves Asian-style dishes. We’d definitely love to try that next time.
Buffet breakfasts were served in the Orangery, and were generally pretty good. But having since been spoiled in other hotels, including Mount Lofty House, with a-la-carte breakfast services, we’d have to say that buffets cannot live up to freshly-cooked dishes.
Staff
While some staff appeared to be better trained than others, they were all unfailingly friendly and helpful.
Local area
The Jamison Valley is a stunning wilderness of dramatic mountains, steep gorges and thick forests. We really enjoyed walking the tracks, marvelling at the ‘Three Sisters’ rock formation and viewing it all from above on the Scenic Skyway.
The closest town to Lilianfels, Katoomba, was an easy 25-minute walk away. One route takes you, dangerously, past an artisan chocolate factory; another past a craft brewery. We loved Katoomba – it’s a down-to-earth town but with hidden gems. And a train station linking you with other Blue Mountains towns and with Sydney. There’s heaps to do in this lovely area. Read more in my post 8 Relaxing activities in the Blue Mountains.
Overall impressions
We loved everything about Lilianfels – the buildings, the gardens, the staff, the food (mostly) and the wealth of things to do in the surrounding area. Even if those heavy rains arrive, you can feel cosy and at home inside the hotel, with plenty of options to chill out or entertain yourself.
Being able to walk to Katoomba was a big plus. We would buy a simple lunch at one of the supermarkets and either enjoy it somewhere, picnic-style, or take it back to our room and make a cup of tea to have with it.
Although Lilianfels is due for a renovation and some aspects of the hotel are looking a little tired, it’s still a fabulous property and we’d love to go back. Which is why it made no. 11 our list of 19 unforgettable bucket list hotels.
LILIANFELS BLUE MOUNTAINS
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Final thoughts
So which of these Australian country hotels did we prefer? Hands down, it was Lilianfels, which stood out a mile in terms of luxury and overall experience.
To be fair to Mount Lofty House, we would put them ahead of Lilianfels in a couple of area – staff and breakfasts. The staff were truly outstanding and clearly had been professionally trained. But then again, service was very slow. Lilianfels staff were less consistently good – some were better than others – but speed of service was never an issue.
These are luxury hotels and not exactly cheap, but both offered similar packages including 3 nights’ accommodation, 3 breakfasts, one dinner in the top-end restaurant, another dinner in the less formal restaurant, for 2 people. The Mount Lofty package was called Arthur’s Gourmet Getaway and the Lilianfels was called a Gourmet Getaway. Prices were similar and offered better value than booking rooms and meals independently.
It’s worth noting that in these country areas, Ubers and taxis can be scarce. Make sure you book your taxi well in advance if you need one, or aren’t driving yourself.
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