By Caroline Gladstone
Melba House, Katoomba.
MELBA HOUSE
KATOOMBA
There's nothing like a dame, as guests discover at Melba House, where they can choose their diva for the night. The three bedrooms at this swish B&B are named Dame Nellie Melba, Dame Joan Sutherland and Dame Edna Everage, each with a distinctive flair. Nellie is a study in luxurious black and white, Joan is the smallest, but perfectly formed in a romantic blue, while Edna makes a statement with touches of cerise and gold. Breakfast is served on the balcony or in the cosy rooms (two are heated by log fires) in the cooler months. From $180 a night midweek, $230 on weekends including breakfast, in the Dame Joan suite.
See melbahouse.com.au.
THE GATSBY
KATOOMBA
Devotees of the 1920s and art deco will love this mountain bolthole, a 10-minute walk from Echo Point. A stickler for detail, owner Lorraine Allanson has decorated the two-bedroom cottage with ballerina lamps, figurines, reproduction 1920s dining table and leather sofa and vintage prints. A fan of the 1974 The Great Gatsby movie, Lorraine's poster of Robert Redford and Mia Farrow greets guests, who can unwind watching both the 1974 film and the 2013 version. Cottage from $360 midweek, including breakfast supplies and a bottle of wine.
THE OLD DAIRY LEURA
LEURA
This complex of six accommodations is cute and quirky, with names that milk many a dairy pun. The decor is industrial chic meets cosy country, with 80 per cent of the building materials recycled. The Worker's Cottage and the Milking Shed date to the original 1920s dairy; the other cottages that include the two-bedroom Moo Manor and the five-bedroom Straw Bale House are new but designed to look weathered. The two-person studio starts at $230 a night midweek ($185 a night if two nights booked). Weekend rate is $290 for one night; $240 a night if two nights booked.
See oldleuradairy.com.au.
MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HOTEL & SPA
KATOOMBA
When the Blue Mountains were abuzz with the exuberance and booze-fuelled parties of the Roaring '20s , this establishment was a beacon of sobriety. Then known as the California, it was a "coffee palace" where proponents of the temperance movement liked to lodge. Nowadays that's a distant memory and guests can let their hair down if they book the quaint tower suite, a circular, turreted guestroom with fantastic views. It's one of 41 rooms, many of which have log fireplaces. Everyone can soak in the views of the Jamison Valley from the balcony, sitting and dining rooms, and bliss out at the Sublime Spa. A Heritage roomfor two with continental buffet breakfast from $228 midweek, and $288 weekends.
LURLINE HOUSE
KATOOMBA
Hospitality runs through the veins of Peter and Suzanne Noble, who tend to guests at charming Lurline House, midway between the town and Echo Point. Both are on hand to prepare made-to-order breakfasts and dispense tourist information and discounted tour tickets. Each of the seven rooms has a four-poster bed, while the two Federation-styled rooms have french doors leading to a private verandah and others have large spa pools and sitting areas. Complimentary afternoon tea, chocolates and port in the guest lounge are the icing on the cake. From $130 a night midweek; $170 on weekends including breakfast.
See lurlinehouse.com.au.
SILVERMERE GUESTHOUSE
WENTWORTH FALLS
Guests find it hard to tear themselves away from the art deco pillared terrace and its view of Mount May at this beautifully restored 1923-built guesthouse. Owners love it too and stage Gatsby-style soirees with champagne fountains and jazz bands in February and July. Four guestrooms are named after local mountains (Hay, Irvine, Tomah and Yengo) and have polished floors, antique furniture and handmade quilts. Two of these have private bathrooms "down the hall", however, stylish robes are supplied for the short walk. Self-catering is on offer, however a degustation dinner in the Nineteen23 Restaurant is a must. From $190 midweek, $240 weekend a room, with breakfast.
See silvermere.com.au.
The writer was a guest of Lurline, the Gatsby, the Old Dairy and Mountain Heritage.
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