Romantic places to stay close to Sydney

You don’t need to travel far from Australia’s largest city to find seclusion. Read on for five romantic places to stay that are an easy drive from Sydney.

Woman relaxing in the bath with views at Spicers Sangoma Retreat, Bowen Mountain

Spicers Sangoma Retreat at Bowen Mountain. Photo: Destination NSW

Lilypad Palm Beach, Northern Beaches

Driving distance: 43 kilometres north of Sydney CBD

Proving that good things really do come in small packages, petite Lilypad Palm Beach bobs off the coast of one of greater Sydney’s most exclusive peninsulas. Recently reopened after a top-to-toe rebuild, the floating villa was crafted with couples in mind. Park at the private Palm Beach wharf to cruise to your abode – your only neighbours for the night are those of the marine kind, which means you can pop those champagne corks with abandon while preparing your gourmet sunset barbecue. Then, settle in with every trimming imaginable, from high-thread count sheets to bespoke furnishings. Still, the real luxury here comes in the form of distance – you’re totally removed from the city’s bustle, unless you want to be ferried to a powdery cove for a picnic or call on the services of a masseuse for in-villa pampering.

A treed peninsula shaped like an elephant's head with the trunk extending back to the shore, seen from a distance at sunset.

Sun rising over Barrenjoey Headland, Palm Beach

Pretty Beach House, Central Coast

Driving distance: 105 kilometres north of Sydney CBD

Across Broken Bay from Palm Beach lies Pretty Beach House, enveloped by the ethereal eucalypts and powdery beaches of the Bouddi Peninsula. The pavilions here are the epitome of laidback luxury, uniting earthy materials like reclaimed timber, stone and leather in design – with swathes of glass to ensure the real eye-candy outside is in full focus. Between your enormous bed, wood-burning fireplace, private pool and patio made for wildlife spotting, you’ll find it hard to leave. Perhaps the only reason to emerge from your blissful cocoon is to indulge in the central dining room’s modern-Australian fare, or to book a spa treatment, with experiences on offer influenced by ancient Aboriginal healing rituals.

A four poster day bed with pillows and chairs next to a spa bath on the corner of a veranda, in a sunlit treetop.

The Retreat swimming pool at Pretty Beach House, Pretty Beach.

Me Jane Camp Out, Southern Highlands

Driving distance: 100 kilometres south of Sydney CBD

Atop a gentle hill laced with fragrant gums; beside a lagoon; overlooking grape vines – these are some of the settings the Me Jane Camp Out bell tents occupy on a bucolic estate in the Southern Highlands. Under each canvas is a supremely cosy and calming nook – think rattan rugs and faux-fur throws, a low-slung bed and luxe sheets, wicker baskets and glossy books. You barely notice the absence of an ensuite; that’s a short stroll away in the main homestead. The tents are moved around the property, depending on the season and occasion. All are completely off-grid, which means you’re lulled to sleep beside your loved one by an insect chorus and flicker of lantern light – and little else.

Spicers Sangoma Retreat, Blue Mountains

Driving distance: 80 kilometres northwest of Sydney CBD

Sunset, champagne and an infinity pool overlooking the Blue Mountains National Park – Sangoma (lead image for this article) delivers all the ingredients you need for a romantic getaway close to home. Each of the six accommodations is individual in design, from the two-storey Chief Suite with private plunge pool, to the Escarpment Suite, replete with patio swing chair. The Luxury Bush Suite boasts a tub set on a raised marbled pedestal, so grand that Cleopatra might have bathed in it. All facilities are discretely positioned to maximise bush views, which means that unless you’re in the dining room or by the main infinity pool, you’d never suspect other guests were nearby.

Marramarra Lodge, Berowra Waters

Driving distance: 40 kilometres north of Sydney CBD

Where the Hawkesbury River meets Berowra Creek north of Sydney you’ll find postcard-worthy Marramarra Lodge, its glamping tents and bungalows dotted amid native forest on the Fishermans Point peninsula. Check-in to stylish accommodations that maximise water views, whether from bed or broad patios, where you’ll no-doubt spend a lot of sunset hours. We can’t blame you for never wanting to leave, but it would be a shame not to make the most of the lodge’s thoughtful roster of experiences, whether hiking with an Indigenous guide, enjoying a private pearl tour, or setting out on a sunset oyster and champagne cruise. It doesn’t get much more romantic.

Two glamping tents on platforms on stilts at the top of a rocky forest hill, among sunlit trees.

Glamping suites at the luxurious Marramarra Lodge, Berowra Waters. Credit: Isabel Darling

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