The Valet Edit: Osborn House, Southern Highlands

You pull up to a hotel for the first time knowing almost nothing. Not which room has the best light. Not where the locals actually choose to eat for date night. Not that the road behind the property leads somewhere better than anything TikTok would ever tell you.

And the person waiting for you at the door has the keys to all of it – literally.

An hour and a half south of Sydney, the road narrows, the speed drops, and the air bites down harder with a chilled freshness. When you arrive at Osborn House, Adam Abrams still has a habit of appearing at the door himself.

Pack more into your road trips. Purchase a new Volvo XC60 or XC90 before September 30, 2026, and you’ll receive a complimentary three-piece family set of July luggage. See here for more details.

Abrams is the founder. He's owned restaurants and bars in Sydney for years, and at some point decided he wanted to try hotels. That kicked off a two-year search for the right property, somewhere within a couple of hours of the city.

"Then I found Osborn House," he says. "It was really the setting that got me. You come down this beautiful long driveway, past the rotunda, and then on the other side of the house you've got this incredible view over Morton National Park. At sunset you'll have kangaroos and rabbits wandering around out the back. It just had that country escape magic I was looking for."

That magic is still the drawcard. Osborn House isn't trying to be a design hotel or a wellness retreat or a country club. It's a place built around a view, a fire, and the feeling that Sydney is a long way behind you, even if it’s not.

Ask Abrams which room he'd book tonight and the answer comes fast. "One of the Forest Lodges, easily. You've got an outdoor bath overlooking Morton National Park, your own fire inside, and exclusive access to the Forest Bathing Deck. Once you're there, there's really not much reason to leave."

The Forest Bathing Deck deserves its own paragraph. Sauna, ice bath, jacuzzi, fire pit, and nobody else around. It's also where Abrams goes when the clock hits sunset.

"There are a few ways to do it," he says. "Cocktail on the terrace, out on your balcony looking over the national park, or from the jacuzzi with the view through the trees. If I really want to disappear, I'll head down to the Forest Bathing Deck. Pretty hard to beat."

For dinner, he's biased, and he's not pretending otherwise. "Fire Kitchen at Osborn House. Live-fire cooking, Latin American dishes, cocktails or a bottle of champagne, then you can wander straight back to your room afterwards for a bath, candles and dessert. It's a pretty good anniversary playbook."

The morning routine splits depending on the day. Sometimes it's George's Lounge on the property. Otherwise it's Deli-licious around the corner for sweet treats and good coffee, or Exeter General Store if there's time for breakfast.

But what guests consistently underestimate is the area itself. "They don't realise how much there is to do down here," Abrams says. "People know the national park, but then there's horse riding at Rosthwaite Farm, wine tasting at Dawning Day Farms, pottery with local ceramicist Bruce Pryor, fly fishing, great hikes, and lookouts. Guests are always surprised by how much is on their doorstep once they get here."

The Volvo XC60 makes a good companion for getting out to some of it. Comfortable on the longer stretches and easy to place on the narrower country roads, it suits the unhurried pace of a weekend spent exploring the Highlands.

The driving road worth knowing is Kangaroo Valley Road. Pick it up from Fitzroy Falls and take the descent through the escarpment. It's a series of tight switchbacks carved into the sandstone, dropping through rainforest canopy with the valley floor opening up below you and the S-bends folding behind. The XC60 suits the road nicely. It's composed through the switchbacks, with a higher driving position that gives you a good look through the tighter bends. Take it slow, keep the sunroof open, and let the road do the work. At the bottom, the village and local pub are worth the stop.

And when it rains? Abrams doesn't flinch. "You kind of hope for rain when you're at Osborn House. Get in the heated indoor pool, have a sauna or steam, book a treatment, then settle in for a long lunch at George's. After that, find a fire, open a book in the drawing room or play backgammon in the games room. It's a very good place to be when the weather turns."

What's coming next has Abrams visibly excited. A cooking school is launching soon, with classes, private dining and events. There's also a forest artist retreat and a recording studio in the works. "They're all things we've wanted to bring to the property for a while," he says. "I'm really excited to see them come to life."

He should be. An hour and a smidge from Sydney, at the end of a long driveway, the man who built this place is still the best reason to visit it.

Osborn House

Southern Highlands, NSW

osbornhouse.com.au

Best room – Forest Lodge (outdoor bath, private fire, Forest Bathing Deck access)

Best hour – Sunset from the jacuzzi at the Forest Bathing Deck

Best coffee – Deli-licious (sweet treats) or Exeter General Store (breakfast)

Best dinner – Fire Kitchen at Osborn House (live-fire, Latin American)

Best drive – Kangaroo Valley Road via Fitzroy Falls (escarpment descent, switchbacks, rainforest canopy)

Best rainy day – Heated indoor pool, sauna, long lunch at George's, backgammon by the fire

On the radar – Upcoming cooking school, forest artist retreat, and recording studio

Pack more into your road trips. Purchase a new Volvo XC60 or XC90 before September 30, 2026, and you’ll receive a complimentary three-piece family set of July luggage. See here for more details.