Mr & Mrs Smith

Spicers Vineyards Estate

Hunter Valley, Australia

Set among a patchwork of grapevines and kitchen gardens, Spicers Vineyards Estate hotel in the Hunter Valley ticks all the boxes for a romantic weekend away, thanks to its noted restaurant, world-class wine cellar and cosy communal areas.

Need to know

• Rooms Eight suites.
• Rates Double rooms from $310.32 (AU$318), excluding tax at 10 per cent.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (AU$318), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details Rates include a Parisian breakfast and a minibar stocked on arrival.
• Facilities Tennis and bocce courts, mini-golf course, vineyards, DVD library. In rooms: wood-burning fireplace, flatscreen TV, DVD/CD player, iPod dock, Lather toiletries.
• Poolside Shaded by eucalyptus trees and surrounded by a lounger-topped deck, the pint-sized pool and adjoining rock spa are perfect for a cooling dip.
• Check-out 10.30am; check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
• Children This is more of an adults' retreat. Leave the kids at home.
• Eco-friendly Food miles are kept to a minimum at this eco-minded estate, with a vegetable garden, resident pigs and grapevines all within the grounds. Recycling, solar power and mountain bikes for guests add to the green appeal.
• Also While the new Spa Anise is being built (slated to open mid-2012), dial up an in-room massage.

Food and drink at Spicers Vineyards Estate

• Hotel restaurant

  With a veggie patch, chickens and pigs, chef Mark Stapleton has culinary inspiration on tap. Restaurant Botanica's contemporary menu is loaded with lip-smacking dishes, such as house-made charcuterie, slow-cooked duck with caramelised fennel, and hand-cut pappardelle with lobster cream. Rattan chairs, earthy tones and floor-to-ceiling windows offering serene vineyard views make for a relaxed setting.  

• Dress code This is one of the Hunter's leading eateries, so smart casual is the way to roll.
• Top table Nab one of the tables by the window for uninterrupted vine vistas. If it's not too hot, the veranda perches are prime.
• Last orders Things wrap up early out here, with last orders called around 9pm.
• Room service Have breakfast brought up to your room until 11am. Beyond that, appealing bites such as cheese and antipasto platters, paté with sourdough crisps or an heirloom tomato salad are available until 9pm.
• Hotel bar

  There's no bar as such, but the climate-controlled cellar at the back of the restaurant is a neat spot for a pre- or post-prandial drink. From the 350-strong wine list (manager Belinda Stapleton's pride and joy), choose local gems from Margan, Tyrrell's and the like, or old-world classics from Burgundy and Bordeaux. 

Spicers Vineyards Estate 555 Hermitage Road, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, 2320