This was published 13 years ago
The Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley, review: Western civilisation
Weddings, parties ... the Sebel has 105 guest rooms and resort amenities.
Bruce Elder finds a stylish retreat as a base to explore the rich colonial history of a 'Macquarie' town.
There is a particular kind of upmarket hotel-resort that is common just beyond Greater Sydney. Think of the Fairmont Resort at Leura, Cypress Lakes Resort in the Hunter Valley and the Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley on the western edge of Windsor. They are "resort hotels", which is really code for a conference and wedding venue.
The Sebel Resort is a huge double-brick structure - the architect obviously had the Rum Corps Barracks in mind when he sat down to design it - with all the amenities expected of a resort hotel. Conferences are held during the week in one of the six conference rooms (appropriately named the Windsor Room, the Richmond Room, the Governor Phillip Ballroom, the Lachlan Macquarie Room, the John Tebbutt Room and the Samuel Marsden Room) scattered around the eight-hectare resort.
Remarkably, up to four weddings can be held simultaneously each weekend in venues that include a lovely alfresco setting beside a lake and a small timber church on the rise above that lake, conveniently next to the Villa Thalgo Day Spa. Scrub up, then walk out and get married.
We arrive on Sunday, the day after the weddings and the day before the conferences. Occupancy is 23 per cent today, which means the resort is wonderfully quiet (no one in the pool and only two in the spa) and we share the Harvest Restaurant with only four other diners.
We dine well. Meals are better-than-average hotel fare with trusted favourites including goat's cheese and pumpkin ravioli, pan-fried snapper and chargrilled pork tenderloin. There's a strong Italian leaning to the menu and the special of spaghetti with seafood (mussels, fish, prawns) in a pesto and cream sauce proves to be a fiery tour de force of chillis and garlic. There's an interesting (though not cheap) wine list and the desserts include mixed-berry pavlova, pecan pie and almond and chocolate torte.
The Sebel is a large resort with 105 guest rooms and suites, including four executive suites, four balcony suites, one three-bedroom apartment and 21 deluxe spa guestrooms. We stay in one of the deluxe spa rooms.
There is a compelling sense of solidity inside that is echoed in the room's heavy, colonial-style furniture. The room is large, the king-size bed is comfortable, the pillows are excellent and there is a large couch and a good-size desk. The hotel is undergoing renovation and the television in our room hasn't yet been upgraded but flat-screens will be installed later this year. The bathroom, although not large, is comfortable and elegant.
The resort has plenty of outdoor courtyards to relax in, a pool and gardens with lakes and shady areas. It is conveniently adjacent to the nine-hole Rum Corps Barracks Golf Course and an 18-hole championship course. There's an excellent and well-equipped gym and the resort claims its Villa Thalgo Day Spa is the largest day spa in the Greater Sydney area.
Most importantly, the resort is walking distance from historic Windsor. Driving the five minutes to the town centre offers greater flexibility, however, when exploring Windsor, one of the famous five "Macquarie towns", which are a wonderland of early colonial attractions.
Although not open for inspection, John Tebbutt's Observatory in Palmer Street on the eastern side of Windsor Road, built in 1879, is well worth seeing. There was a time when Tebbutt featured on the Australian $10 note and his contribution to astronomy in the young colony was significant.
No visit to Windsor is complete without an extended wander through the graveyard that surrounds the superb St Matthews Anglican Church, known affectionately as the "Cathedral of the Hawkesbury". It is widely acknowledged as one of the finest achievements of the convict architect Francis Greenway. The site was chosen by Governor Macquarie and the church was built by convicts between 1817 and 1820. The huge square tower is an impressive landmark that can be seen for kilometres.
The church's gravestones offer a fascinating insight into the early life of the town. Here lies Andrew Thompson, a convict who was transported to Australia in 1792 for 14 years for stealing some cloth that was worth £10. He became the first emancipist appointed as a magistrate and was the first person buried in the cemetery at St Matthews, in 1810.
The newest attraction in the region - and sufficient reason to spend a weekend in Windsor - is the Australiana Pioneer Village at Wilberforce. Local activism and the passionate commitment of volunteers saw this collection of 28 historic buildings reopen on Australia Day after being closed for a decade. It opens now on Sundays and the volunteers dress in colonial costume. There's a blacksmith banging away in the blacksmith's shop; tea, damper and cocky's joy is served in the Damper Camp; and, most amusingly, a saucy strumpet dressed in fishnet stockings and plunging neckline sits outside the old barber's shop "waiting for customers".
The Australiana Pioneer Village was always an excellent theme park and the enthusiasm of the new volunteers has given it a renewed vitality.
Windsor is so rich in historic buildings that it's easy to spend an entire weekend exploring them. Visit Hawkesbury Visitor Information Centre on Hawkesbury Valley Way to get your bearings.
Weekends Away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.
VISITORS' BOOK
The Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley
Address 61 Hawkesbury Valley Way, Windsor.
The verdict A pleasant conference and wedding venue and a base for exploring Windsor.
Price Rooms cost from $154 for a Barracks Room to $293 for an Executive King Room, including breakfast. Our deluxe spa guestrooms cost $243.
Bookings Phone 13 15 15, see sebelhawkesbury.com.au.
Getting there The resort is an easy 45-minute drive from the Sydney city centre, which is 52 kilometres via M2 motorway, or a 50-minute drive from Sydney Airport, which is 59 kilometres via the M5, then M7 motorways.
Perfect for A relaxing getaway within easy driving distance of the city.
Wheelchair access Yes.
While you're there Indulge in a treatment at the Villa Thalgo Day Spa, play a round of golf at the Rum Corps Barracks golf course and explore historic Windsor. The Historic Windsor Guide can be downloaded from hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/services /tourism/explore-the-hawkesbury. Australiana Pioneer Village at Wilberforce is open on Sundays 10am-4pm.
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