Feb/110
Finding Hunter Valley Accommodation for Travelers in Australia
Visitors can thank Sydneysiders for making it difficult to get hold of good Hunter Valley accommodation. The problem is that Australia's wine country is just two hours away from the unofficial capital of Australia. All year around, visitors come here for a weekend getaway or a day trip, or just for the winery and vineyard tours.
This part of New South Wales is spectacularly beautiful and lush green, with over 80 wineries. The cuisine at restaurants here is just as intoxicating as everything on the wine list. But one problem with having so much choice spread over an area that covers 12,000 sq km is that visitors find it hard to decide where to go and what kind of accommodations to choose for the stay.
The choices are dizzying for someone unfamiliar with the towns and lodging options in the area. Let's start with the most popular towns and then move to specific lodging types. The main gateway into the Hunter region is the town of Cessnock. But the town at the centre of the wine country is Pokolbin, which is located between Cessnock and Branxton.
Also worth a mention here are Barrington Tops, Kurri Kurri, Lovedate and Wollombi Valley. For these and most other destinations here, the most popular Hunter Valley accommodation type among visitors is a hotel or resort. After that, there are many alternative lodging choices such as apartment rentals, B&B's and guesthouses, caravan parks and campsites, and motels, motor inns & backpacker hostels.
The town which gets the maximum attention from tourists is Pokolbin, resulting in a wide range of tourism facilities and choices for travellers. The best choice and range of restaurants & cafes is to be found here. The lodging choices too are extensive, with a particular focus on hotels and resorts in the town and in surrounding vineyards, and many fine country guest houses a few minutes outside town.
For those who need cheap lodging, there are backpacker hostels in Cessnock and the Rothbury & Pokolbin regions. These are not the kind of backpackers found in cities and are much more impressive, with kitchens and free breakfasts, plus facilities like swimming pools, saunas and bbq's. For those who prefer a motor inn or a motel, there are many dotted throughout the district.
For those who prefer a more intimate and isolated getaway, there are select country guesthouses and cozy Bed & Breakfasts all over the Hunter region. The best ones can be found around Pokolbin & Rothbury, with many more in Lovedale and Wollombi Valley. These are all high grade facilities, with fancy dining rooms, libraries full of books, spacious quarters and absolute privacy.
For those who prefer to get up close and personal with the lush green beauty of the region, there are many caravan parks and campsites. One of these caravan parks can be found in Dungog, alongside the Williams River. There's also a Big4 holiday park on Mount View Road in Cessnock.
It must be pretty obvious by now to anyone reading that it's a hard job to pick one town or Hunter Valley accommodation type and label it as the best choice. It depends entirely on the travel budget, along with factors like the kind of activities desired, size of the group/family and duration of stay. But as long as travellers opt for one of the choices mentioned above, the holiday is bound to be memorable and comfortable.
John Bryce-Thornton arrived in this district having a zeal for article writing regarding wine and great food. He immediately determined he had unearthed perfect city and set about implementing his very own Hunter Valley accommodation which he currently runs for those travellers to the region.