The Louise

From the Hideaway Report

March 2011 Hideaway Report

Following our weekend on Kangaroo Island, we drove north for two hours from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley. Australia’s most famous wine region is just 20 miles long, an enchanting place with a landscape of rolling hills and neat vineyards. Its small but sophisticated towns such as Tanunda and Lyndoch display a Teutonic tidiness, which, along with excellent charcuteries and Lutheran churches, provides evidence of the German immigrants who joined the original British settlers. Barossa should be toured at a gentle pace, stopping for a wine-tasting, a really excellent meal or a walk down an old-fashioned main street lined with bakeries, bookstores and colorful boutiques.

After an excellent lunch at the 1918 Bistro & Grill in Tanunda, we headed north to The Louise, an elegant 15-suite contemporary country house hotel at the northern end of the valley. The hotel was purchased by Jim Carreker, an American who had previously worked in the San Francisco high-tech world. A decade ago, he and his wife opted to start a new life, and after several years of travel, they decided to open a hotel. “We took notes,” Carreker told us during a chat before dinner. “Our goal was to create a hotel that was almost perfect.”

Ideally situated for touring the Barossa vineyards, The Louise stands amid beautifully landscaped grounds that overlook neat rows of vines. A bank of lavender and a long rectangular pool line a stoned-paved path that leads up to the main building. This houses reception, the hotel’s acclaimed Appellation restaurant, a sauna and a swimming pool.

Our suite was both luxurious and exceptionally well-conceived. Opening a wooden gate in a stone wall, we found a pretty interior courtyard with a table and chairs in an alcove that later proved ideal for a sunny breakfast. The peaceful sitting room came with a high ceiling, crown moldings, a gas fireplace, a Bose CD player with an iPod dock, and contemporary paintings. French doors led to a spacious private terrace with twin chaises longues. Beyond a pair of heavy wooden doors, the bedroom provided a counter desk, an extremely comfortable double bed and sophisticated lighting. The well-lit limestone bath was equipped with a whirlpool tub and a stall shower. (An additional outdoor shower was enclosed by a high stone wall.)

Appellation is one of the most highly rated restaurants in Australia, and despite occasionally slow and rather mannered service, we enjoyed an excellent meal that included smoked salmon with tiny cubes of cucumber, tomato and crushed hazelnuts with a pool of wasabi cream; barley risotto with spinach and shavings of tangy local cheese; and filet of beef — all accompanied by a superb assortment of local wines by the glass. It should be noted, however, that the prices here are as steep as those in the best restaurants of New York or San Francisco. For food and wine travelers, The Louise provides a variety of excursions, including a “Winemaker Private Introductions” package.

Amenities