In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- All rooms in the main hotel come with white ceilings and walls, and polished concrete floors – a lovely, cooling touch that’s the ideal counterpoint to New South Wales’ hot summers. We particularly love the two-bedroom apartment, though, which has a red room (complete with a battered old coke sign and some colourful children’s art) and a green room, filled with some seriously cool vases and quirky floral cushions in luscious lime tones. Even the digital displays on the in-room Grundig CD players match the relevant colour schemes.
- Packing tips
- Make sure you take a comprehensive wine guide, and maybe some strong plastic bags in case any of those bottles you’ll buy smash in your suitcase.
- Also
- The Tonic Concierge service – free for guests – is always on hand to answer queries and make bookings for you.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- A bottle of local wine to enjoy on your balcony
- Current special offer
More photos
Tonic
Hunter Valley, Australia[view map]
- Style
- Updated Australiana
- Setting
- A place of grape beauty
A fine example of Antipodean shabby chic, Tonic, in the Australian wine lovers’ paradise of the Hunter Valley, offers the kind of laid-back living that wannabe jackaroos go to bed dreaming about. Made up of four separate iron, timber and glass buildings, set in gardens that are filled with native grasses and plants, the hotel overlooks a series of creeks and dams, while the Brokenback mountain range lines the horizon. Sunsets are predictably jaw-dropping.
Need to know
- Rooms
- Eight, including two rooms in a separate apartment.
- Rates
- A$425–A$890, including breakfast.
- Check-out
- Midday; earliest check-in, 2pm.
- Facilities
- Pool, CD/DVD library, laundry services and massages on request. In rooms: king-size beds, private balcony, 15-metre lap pool, air-conditioning, broadband, flatscreen TV, DVD player, hifi, iPod and dock, Aesop toiletries, safe, telephone, kitchenette.
- Poolside
- Those floating in the pool get a lovely view out over the valley and the Brokenback mountain range.
- Also
- The hotel has a minimum two-night-stay policy at weekends, and it only allows one ‘small’ dog at a time.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- There is no restaurant at Tonic, but the Tonic Lounge, housed in a separate building, comes with a chunky wooden dining table and a fully equipped kitchen, complete with condiments, tea, coffee and maxi bar. Your personal fridge is stocked with plenty of do-it-yourself breakfast provisions.
- Dress code
- This place is so laid-back that you could go and fetch a drink in your pyjamas, and no one would bat an eyelid.
- Top table
- Take your drinks out onto the large deck outside the Tonic Lounge, and sip them while enjoying stunning views over the surrounding countryside.
- Last orders
- There’s no cut-off point here.
- Room service
- There’s no room service at Tonic.
- Hotel bar
- The cool, chic Tonic lounge has polished concrete floors, an open fire and comfy chocolate-brown couches. Don’t expect to while away the hours chatting to the bartender, though; in here, you just help yourself from the honesty bar.
Also worth knowing
- Children
- This hotel is better suited to couples - leave the children at home!
Smith Members offer
A bottle of local wine to enjoy on your balcony
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member
Smith travel team
If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
Tonic
251 Talga Road Lovedale
New South Wales
NSW 2320
