Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld

Overview

You'll find the Royal Mail Hotel at the foothills of the Grampians National Park, within the town of Dunkeld. But these guys don't offer up your usual hotel room accommodation.

Instead, they have a super diverse range of places to stay on the property. Their timber clad semi-attached rooms look out over the mountains and are relatively close to the Royal Mail Hotel's restaurant and pool area (these are the most hotelly). They then have a few small apartments, a grand colonial homestead and the newly renovated bluestone cottages.

These cottages are located three kilometres from the main property (within the 91-hectare Mount Sturgeon Biodiversity Reserve), offering up a totally secluded stay in the Victorian countryside.

The 1850's bluestone cottages are the perfect blend of country charm and modern style. But they have left the modern tech out on purpose. You won't find a television on the property.

Instead, sit out in the courtyard with a cup of tea (or bottle of wine) and take in some Aussie nature. Wugarri (Mount Sturgeon) dominates the scenery, while wallabies and kangaroos wander all about this area too.

It's easy to forget that you're actual staying in a hotel. That is until you tuck into the daily in-room breakfast, take the complimentary transfers to and from the main hotel property and let the team organise both nature feeding experiences and local wine tours.

Either use Royal Mail Hotel as a base to explore the region, or just live it up on their properties — relaxing in the surrounds of nature, dining at their award-winning Wickens restaurant or paddling about the pool all day long. Dealer's choice.

Images: Emily Weaving.