Perfect score for this luxe NSW wine country gem

The villa

Villa Alaia, Cedars Mount View

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Check-in

It’s T-minus 15 minutes ’til arrival at our bush-luxe abode, nestled on private farmland in the Hunter Valley’s underrated southern reaches, and I’ve just spotted a wombat in the wild. The thrill of this rare twilight road sighting is soon surpassed by another equally rare sighting – a magnificent indoor spa bath, nuzzling a corner window, with views that slope down a grassy hill to a creek fortified with towering gums. Who’s to say which sighting is better? (But it’s the bath. The bath is better.)

Villa Alaia is the fifth luxury villa at the Cedars Mount View estate.Credit:

Villa Alaia is the fifth and most recent luxury villa to open on the sprawling 38-hectare Cedars Mount View estate. Like its sibling properties before it, it’s designed for ultimate seclusion. A crunchy dirt track drive in – hemmed by bush, wildflowers and pastoral surrounds – is a rustic prelude to some serious mod cons (hello, EV fast charger). Arriving after dark on a drizzly, cold Friday, the toasty open-plan compound wraps us in warmth and sustenance. A welcome platter piled with local meats and cheese, and a bottle of cuvee, are the only thing standing between us and a steamy tub soak right now.

The look

There are echoes of the Mediterranean in the modern interiors.Credit:

You can tell this top-to-toe new build has been deeply considered. The compound is clad on three sides for total privacy but for the odd mob of kangaroos. Its corrugated metal exterior lends it an Australian vernacular. But French owners and couple Gilbert Ponlot and Christelle Chardin may be giving away their European upbringing in the interiors, with Mediterranean-style blond and caramel tones set against a profusion of white. A built-in arched shelf frames the bed with echoes of Santorini; that sun-bleached aesthetic continues onto a wraparound verandah where there are two white sun lounges and white-pebble landscaping.

The room

A built-in arched shelf frames the king bed.Credit:

Inside the handsome split-level build, comforts run deep. A striking stone-clad gas fireplace, in addition to air-con, adds layers of cosiness, as do twin velvety robes, electric towel racks, heated ensuite floors, dual showers, lavish Ikou amenities, a comfy king bed and an enormous inbuilt spa bath looking out to private gardens.

Food + drink

The marble-topped kitchen comes with a swathe of designer-brand toys.Credit:

Guests who know their way around a kitchen are well catered for, with a full-sized fridge and pantry heaving with staples and condiments and a swathe of designer-brand toys including an Everdure by Heston Blumenthal gas barbecue and an Electrolux oven with induction cooktop and steam function. Breakfast provisions, which cover both hot and continental options many times over, are generous, and that’s putting it mildly.

Out + about

Lunch at Bistro Molines is mandatory: A slice of Provence in rural NSW.Credit:

Optional villa add-ons range from vineyard tours and bush tucker tastings to lavish long lunch helicopter experiences, but you won’t want to leave the villa. Melt into the spa with a glass of shiraz, stretch out on a sun lounge with a good book, smuggle a picnic haul down to the creek, or pull on some wellies to hit one of a number of private walking trails.

Just 10 minutes’ drive away, a detour to the picturesque Good Food Guide-hatted Bistro Molines and neighbouring Carillion Wines cellar door for a tasting and French-accented lunch on the vine-canopied terrace is mandatory. It’s the closest thing to a Provence getaway on Aussie soil.

The verdict

Romantic retreats don’t get better.Credit:

Straight out of the gate, this cushy farm stay out-luxes some of the country’s most lavishly appointed regional stays. Loved-up retreats don’t get better, and Villa Alaia makes one of the strongest cases for staying in we’ve seen.

Essentials

From $730 a night including a bottle of wine, breakfast supplies for the duration of the stay, and welcome chocolates when booked direct. The split-level villa and surrounds aren’t wheelchair accessible. 60 Mitchells Rd, Mount View, NSW. Phone: [phone]. See cedars.com.au

For lunch and wine tasting bookings at nearby Bistro Molines and Carillion Wines, see bistromolines.com.au; carillionwines.com.au

Our score out of five

★★★★★

Highlight

Pastries, granola, pancakes, eggs, butter, milk, bacon, fresh bread – the morning crowd-pleasers are all here. We’ve hit the breakfast hamper jackpot – this hefty stash, provided by the villa, could easily feed us all weekend.

Lowlight

An unfortunately timed spell of wet weather means we don’t get to explore the private walking trails or do a rather lovely-sounding stargazing campfire experience involving fluffy faux fur blankets, toasted marshmallows and wine. Next time.

The writer was a guest of Cedars Mount View, Bistro Molines and Carillion Wines.