Hotel review: Spicers Hidden Vale in Grandchester, Queensland

The Getaway: Spicers Hidden Vale, Grandchester, Queensland

THE LOCATION

It's one hour and a whole era's drive west of Brisbane. You leave the city's suburban satellite belts and soon find yourself in the Lockyer Valley and on the Lockyer Way. The latter was named, in true Queensland style, to honour local, state and international rugby league hero, Darren Lockyer, while the earlier Mr Lockyer — namesake of the valley — has sunk to such obscurity that who he was, or even the team he played for, rates not a mention in Wikipedia. This fertile realm, Queensland's grain basket and salad bowl, gives way to ranges and before you know it you're half way to Toowoomba, and winkling among the foothills around Grandchester to find Hidden Vale (which, despite the allure of its name, is not completely so). Spicers Hidden Vale resort boasts that it sits amid "12,000 acres" of true Australian bush. The "old money" statistic is fitting for this stately, 4856-hectare property.

THE SPACE

Spicers aspires to the style and comfort of a luxury country retreat and has successfully embodied this in what was the property's original house. This gracious Queensland homestead (as opposed to a classic "Queenslander"), now much expanded, features curved, deco-style archways, reading nooks and a long verandah (of course) that looks out over the first swells of the Great Dividing Range. Additions include a reception area, bar and lounge-room with log-fire, all of them being in loose harmony with the house's Federation style. A small outdoor swimming pool (one of two) sits to the side of the centrepiece lawns and lush gardens without intruding on the vista or the vivid horticulture. Equally unobtrusive are the tennis court, croquet lawn, campfire barbecue and meeting barn, all set to the rear of the main house. Guest accommodation, too, stands slightly apart and largely unseen from the homestead verandah.

THE ROOM

There are four styles of accommodation with some 30 rooms. Mine is a standard Valley View Room, one in a row of similar, single-storey units. From my porch I have uninterrupted views — a giant vista, in fact — across a valley to the Little Liverpool Range. The moon comes up like a headlight over its ridges, while in the morning a temperature inversion fills the valley like a bowl of fog soup until the sun burns it off. My room, although slightly cramped by its accoutrements, is well appointed with mini-bar, television and air-conditioning, plus free Wi-Fi and tea/coffee making facilities. Polished timber, crisp linen, brass, Appelles bathroom amenities, and robes and slippers, all tick the Wildean, "luxuries are the only necessities" box. The more elaborate accommodation includes Heritage Suites, Stand-Alone Cottages and Colonial Cottages, of differing configurations that are suitable for couples, families or friends and feature up to six ensuite bedrooms. Options include open fireplaces, spa baths, verandahs with valley views, and luxury amenities.