Here’s where to rest your head between winery visits and epicurean fare in Mudgee.

The streetscapes of Mudgee ooze nineteenth-century charm, delicious dining options can be found in abundance and there is always a good local tipple on hand to complement the meal or even just the moment, but this country town in Central NSW is also home to a variety of accommodation options.

From the alluring comforts of a hotel stay to the unique experience of bedding down in a 160-year-old heritage hideaway, a cosy, design-led Airbnb find or even glamping under the stars, there are plenty of enticing options when deciding where to stay in Mudgee. Here, find our pick of the best on offer.

Evanslea

This is where you stay when you want the best of both worlds. The luxury boutique accommodation is located a short drive from the town centre, yet is isolated enough to leave you feeling a million miles from anywhere.

The country cottages are set on four-and-a-half acres of land nestled alongside the Cudgegong River. The intimate, beautifully appointed cottages cater to both couples and small groups, with each one equipped with its own fireplace, spa bath and outdoor area, as well as undercover parking, a kitchenette and a barbecue.

The historical Evanslea House is perfect for families and larger groups. The character-filled property, which dates back to the 1860s, provides a charming mix of old and new styles. The four bedrooms sleep eight people and there are a number of formal and informal spaces to gather in throughout the duration of your stay, including the upstairs deck, so you’ll never feel crowded in this luxurious space.

There is a shared pool on the property for the warmer months and Evanslea is also pet-friendly. Bespoke packages offering in-room massages and private wine tasting experiences can be catered for upon request.

Sierra Escape

What started life as the most glamorous adults-only glamping option has expanded to offer a truly picturesque tiny house – Elouera . There might be a wall between the maximum two guests staying here and the surrounding nature that Elouera is nestled in, but it won’t feel like it. This shipping-container-turned-home has been designed with floor-to-ceiling windows to let the outside world in. Besides panoramic views, enjoy a unique outdoor shower and bathtub, an indoor fireplace and a designer kitchen.

Zensi Retreat

This exceptionally well-crafted retreat is an indulgent deep dive into design-led loveliness. Meticulously beautiful, Zensi Retreat invites guests to find their peace in absolute style. Opt-in for a group journey of relaxation at the house, which sleeps 10 guests, or lock-in with a lover in the one-bedroom villa. Both have their own indoor fireplace, sauna and heated pool, while the house also soothes guests with a plunge spa, gym and yoga room complete with wellness accessories and filtered water. Outdoors, there’s a sunken fire pit, an entertaining area with a barbecue, and if you’d like to arrive in your electric vehicle or helicopter, both can be accommodated here. If your numbers count more than 10, opt for an extra, luxe tee-pee to sleep two people.

Canguri Cottage

This boutique cottage takes farm stays to the next level. Close to Mudgee’s wineries, restaurants and shopping, yet feeling like it’s in its own world –  wake up to kangaroos bounding through this picturesque valley, and maybe a farm animal or two. Spend nights around the outdoor firepit (or the wood fireplace, if it’s chilly) and prepare the region’s best produce for dinner in the kitchen. Two to four guests can spread over the two bedrooms.

Gooree Farm Stays

Horse lovers and cosy home enthusiasts alike should turn their attention to Gooree Park’s four charming accommodations on a working farm, thoroughbred stud and vineyard. Each stay encapsulates the rustic beauty and equestrian heritage of its surrounds.

The Graziers House is located near the thoroughbred training complex and is perfect for large groups. Sleeping up to 10 guests, it features an indoor fireplace, outdoor BBQ and firepit area. The pet-friendly The Orchard Country sits by the Gooree’s Orchard and caters for up to six guests. Here you’ll find country-meets-contemporary style and large outdoor spaces.  The Stables House features a veranda to relax and watch the horses from, as well as orchard and olive grove views. Inside the three-bedroom home, there’s a kitchen, a wood fire and laundry. Alternatively, the six-person Racetrack House , is located next door and is adorned in a sophisticated racing theme.

Owl Head Lodge

A 4.5-star retreat in the middle of Cudgegong Valley, choose from one of seven cottages at Owl Head Lodge , with a size for every group from three (or less) to seven people. Each is designed to have a charming indoor-outdoor ambience, with landscaped gardens and a shared outdoor swimming pool inviting guests to explore.

Glass Studio East, Glass Studio West and Glass Cottage blend cosy, country-style elegance with modern floor-to-ceiling windows to let in the surrounding country views. For a more traditional cottage stay, opt for one of the Shearers’ cottages.

Wollemi Retreat

Encased by native bushland, Wollemi Retreat – a wilderness-edged escape in Rylstone, just 50 kilometres from Mudgee – offers a true untethering from cosmopolitan life. You’ll be surrounded by incredible native flora and fauna, so bring your binoculars to spot 72 species of birds, 11 species of mammals, plus microbats and reptiles.

On the property, find two beautiful, one-bedroom cabins, Wambal and Winyu, as well as the house, which sleeps six people. Both rammed earth cabins feature grey gum timber, polished concrete floors and suspended fireplaces, and spoil guests with sweeping mountain vistas. The house has a full kitchen, fireplace and large deck complete with an inbuilt hot tub, for nature-gazing in style.

Parklands Resort

Check in and exhale at this well-appointed resort set amid 30 acres of carefully tended gardens. A holiday within a holiday, settle in at Parklands Resort to soak up some country chill before hitting the vine trails of Mudgee. From sleek studio suites and family rooms to a two-bedroom apartment and luxe safari tent-style retreats, there’s an accommodation type to match your preferences. There’s also a host of the usual resort amenities, such as indoor pool, spa and gym, tennis court, conference rooms and wedding facilities.

Meanwhile, the onsite Vine Restaurant and Bar with live music ensures a stay here is an easy-going mix of calm and convivial.

Cobb & Co Court

This 160-year-old boutique hotel is a surviving relic from Mudgee’s early settlement. Restored with tenderness, this is for the mavens who appreciate a heritage vibe, from the original staircase leading to the rooms to the upstairs loft. Each room features vintage fixtures, quality linen and a gourmet mini bar – as well as plenty of historical details adorning the walls. For those who like to spread out a little more, opt for the generously proportioned one- or two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens.

The cobbled courtyard shows traces of where the horses were stabled in the days of stagecoaches. The loft was even used to store fodder once upon a time. Relax upon the sun-splashed deck and dine on your private balcony for a quiet night in, or head out for a stroll along the many cafe and restaurant options along Market Street for a delicious night out.

Paragon Hotel

Above-pub accommodation that is worthy of a mention, the 13 rooms at the Paragon Hotel are carefully curated and entirely comfortable for discerning budgets. While casual country hospitality plays out downstairs, upstairs, you can settle in away from the buzz in entirely pleasant rooms. All have shared bathrooms and range from queen to twin, and a large group room. This is a great option for a night out in Mudgee’s centre.

Perry Street Hotel

Set in the 1862-era Mechanics Institute, the grand boutique Perry Street Hotel is layered with Victorian charm that’s been revived for a contemporary stay. Settle into a suite here and enjoy a modern interpretation of bygone style right in Mudgee’s CBD. Suites range from studios to the larger Perry Suite, which offers a little more than your average upscale iteration, with a luxurious king bed, powder-blue couch, your choice of a decadent walk-in shower or bathtub, kitchenette and espresso machine to ease you into the day.

The Horatio

Well-positioned in the main streets of Mudgee, The Horatio offers hotel suites, motel rooms and a private, three-bedroom cottage. The rooms are simple, but contain everything one needs for a holiday, with a modern and stylish finish. Explore the area, or stay on site to enjoy the lounge and bar or take a dip in the pool. It’s also lauded for the friendly service of staff.

Woolpack Hotel

Located smack-bang in the middle of the main street, the Woolpack Hotel is pub-style accommodation at its best. Single, twin and family rooms are available depending on your party size. Minimalistic Scandi-style – think pile rugs, light-wooden tables and dark-coloured carpets – features throughout the rooms providing a modern and comfortable vibe.

Downstairs, the Woolpack operates as an iconic country pub. Find live entertainment, a warm vibe and plenty of quaint spaces to enjoy a local wine, cocktail or craft beer. When the sun is out, venture to the beer garden out back.

The hotel restaurant abandons the typical pub grub menu in favour of an unexpectedly delicious Asian cuisine offering dubbed Jumbucks Chinese Fusion. Feast on prawn dumplings, deep-fried duck, king prawns with all the trimmings and more. If traditional pub grub is your preference, you can get it here, too. The best bit? Finish your meal and roll upstairs for a restorative night’s sleep.

The Mudgee Homestead Guesthouse

The Mudgee Homestead Guesthouse draws on the character of the Federation era, with everything from its décor to its dimensions. Positioned on the flanks of Mt Buckaroo, overlooking the Mudgee Valley, the homestead is one of the best places to stay in Mudgee with rooms as cosy as a wombat’s burrow. Book into one of seven guest rooms, then explore the onsite formal dining room, fireside lounge, billiards room and guest tearoom.

The Parkview Hotel Mudgee

This sensitively restored 1870s-era heritage hotel is a Mudgee icon. Having spent time as a chemist, a first-class boarding house, hospital, surgery and several iterations of a guesthouse, the hotel’s contemporary guise comes with a fascinating and detailed backstory. Absorb it with a stay in one of the hotel’s seven boutique suites, each elegantly furnished with a modern interpretation of country style and luxe creature comforts. Of course, there is a park view, which can be admired from the rooms, some of which open out onto the generously proportioned wrap-around verandah.

Forgandenny House Bed and Breakfast

Jane Austen would feel right at home in Forgandenny House. Experience the ambience of a bygone era during a stay at the historic property located on the doorstep of the Mudgee Valley vineyards. The guest lounge and breakfast room are reminiscent of an English country cottage, complete with a timber piano, floral couches and crystal glassware – the perfect place to practice one’s needlework while you await your own Mr Darcy. A full English breakfast is served to guests each morning.

Sleep in one of the storybook bedrooms: the Red Room features crimson walls and a four-poster bed, a private ensuite is attached and French doors open out onto the garden area; the neighbouring Blue Room is accented with pastel walls and eastern-facing sunlight, French doors and a generous ensuite also feature; and the signature Queen Suite overlooks the recently resurfaced, full-size tennis court.

Farmers Quarters

A short drive north of Mudgee, owners Belinda and Gavin have created a luxe home away from home for your Mudgee sojourn at the Farmers Quarters. Find yourself relaxing among the vines at one of their four prized properties.

The homestead circa 1970, is a large three-bedroom and two-bathroom quarter that invites groups to gather and enjoy the surrounding views in style. Enjoy the open-plan kitchen, dining and lounge areas or settle under the wrap-around bullnose verandah.

Modern design permeates the two-bedroom, two-bathroom Drovers cottage. Find an upscale kitchen, comfortable living and dining areas with glass sliding doors delivering valley views and those famous Mudgee sunsets lay to the west of the 2009-built property.

Wake to vineyard views in the three-bedroom, three-bathroom Lodge La Vi. The large verandah is the perfect spot for al fresco meals to be shared as you overlook the magical escarpments. While a stay in the shiraz vine-adjacent Tinshed is all rustic country-luxe, it’s perfect for a couple or small family.

Peppertree Hill Cottages

The self-contained, luxurious Peppertree Hill Cottages deliver all the joys of a rustic farm stay experience without sacrificing on creature comforts. There are 10 upscale cottages and one superb homestead to choose from. Thoughtful design reigns throughout the properties, each varying by way of speciality. Woolshed is a renovated former ranch, Hilltop was the property’s original cellar door, Palmy is the perfect light oasis for couples, Bilgola is a hilltop cottage with panoramic valley views, to name but a few.

Shed by Zin

What could be more memorable during a stay in Mudgee than hunkering down in the boutique Shed by Zin to bookend a day of wine tasting? There are plenty of noteworthy reasons to visit Lowe Family Wine Co. and staying in this contemporary Aussie shed is one of them. The boutique studio accommodation is the ideal couple’s studio, with organic food and wine at your doorstep at the Lowe Family Wine Co. property, which includes modern farmhouse restaurant The Zin House.

Yeates Wine Cellar Door

A weekend in Mudgee doesn’t get more immersive than when staying at in-vine accommodation at Yeates Wines . The Gate House and Vine Loft both offer proximity to Yeates Wines’ award-winning cellar door, which is set in the middle of the historic vineyards; one is a mezzanine-style apartment, the other a smaller bedroom that sits above the cellar door and both benefit from a restrained, minimalist palette and vineyard-chic style. Pre-order a breakfast hamper to enjoy on the grounds the next morning when you step out the front door.

Rosby Guesthouse

Spend the night in the stylish Rosby guesthouse that sleeps up to eight and sits seamlessly within the watercolour landscape. From sunrise to dusk, watch your surroundings change as the light shifts softly through the day. The homestead scores exceptionally well on all fronts: there are the hand-crafted wines, the paddock-to-plate-style food, the artistic flourishes found in each stylish room and the sculpture garden designed to encourage visitors to unwind artfully. The smaller, one-bedroom studio is a sweet and sunny-hued self-contained delight for cosy minibreaks.

While here, wander the collection of the Rosby Art Gallery and admire the architecturally significant and award-winning rammed earth building by architect Cameron Anderson or sign up for an art workshop and make plans to return to the annual Sculptures in the Garden exhibition.

Wine Lover’s Den

A perfect weekend in one of NSW’s number-one wine towns involves staying somewhere a little bit luxe. Sydneysiders in the know are onto the Wine Lover’s Den , booking out the luxury three-bedroom Airbnb in order to seek refuge from the city while enjoying the town’s epicurean delights. A stay here may involve a barbecue feast shared with friends around the large communal table with your complimentary bottle of Mudgee chardonnay or doing not much at all by the wood-burning fireplace in the main lounge area. Whatever way you go, relaxing is the order of the day at this soothingly styled abode.

Tom’s Cottage

The heritage-listed Wilgowrah homestead, where you’ll find the converted Wilgowrah Church and the architecturally adored Gawthorne’s Hut, is also home to the petite Tom’s Cottage , which was originally built as a bachelor pad for Thomas Mills, one of the original owners of the property. Bachelors are, of course, still welcome to stay, but such sweet lodgings are best shared with a significant other.

As with all the Wilgowrah brand’s outposts, the details in the cottage are subtle but utterly elevated. Today, the cottage continues to facilitate romantic weekends, and you will feel that warm embrace the minute you set foot on the property, which has a sun-soaked deck, wood-burning kitchen stove, and fire pit purpose-built for stargazing.

Strikes Mudgee

Sunlit gumtrees rustling in a gentle breeze and sweeping valley views over the Lucerne flats of Bunnamagoo Estate draw attention outwards, but it’s hard not to give equal adoration to the sleek, architecturally designed cabins at Strikes . Three Strikes and you’re out and out in love with this place. The three contemporary cottages have been designed to allow guests to reconnect with nature and each other. Book a private in-house yoga session and pilates class, enjoy a signature massage, read a book undisturbed, and simply enjoy the intimacy, privacy and quiet of the picturesque Eurunderee Valley.

Hepburn Retreat

Each individually designed, bespoke cabin at Hepburn Retreat has been designed to maximise the views, while also maintaining privacy and inviting you to unhook yourself from the frenetic pace of life for a few days. If you’re looking for greener pastures, you will find them at this working farm, which treads lightly on the Earth.

Pick vegetables from the garden, enjoy farm-fresh pastured eggs from the resident chickens, or go for a stroll around the bucolic property to find cows and ponies grazing on the grass nearby. Each cabin sleeps two to four guests comfortably. And with Hepburn Retreat just a 30-minute drive from Mudgee, it’s close enough to enjoy the diversions of town, while still being all country.

The Clairfield Hotel

Formerly the Aden Hotel, the style at this edge-of-town lodging is faultless. The Clairfield Hotel features deluxe king, queen and family rooms in a serene palette of sage green walls, polished timber and luxe linens, all furnished with life’s necessary luxuries, such as free wi-fi, Netflix and climate control. In the warmer months, conclude a day of wine-tasting or countryside exploring with a dip in the on-site pool.