Rea Rea Lodge Could Be Kangaroo Valley’s Most Idyllic Retreat

Wake up to the misty mountains of Kangaroo Valley at this hideaway among the trees.

Almost every morning at dawn, gossamer clouds conceal the dramatic escarpment that encircles Kangaroo Valley. Just a two-hour drive south of Sydney but on what feels like its own other-worldly plane, the spectacle is best viewed from the deck at Rea Rea Lodge.

Wake early and wander from one of the five bedrooms to the edge of the infinity pool and it’s just you, the mist and perhaps the call of a cockatoo or the shuffle of a wallaby.

While the outdoors is the scenestealer here, the property itself is a bold supporting act. The broad brushstrokes of the décor are exquisite: soft leather sofas, earthenware ceramics and a huge chef’s kitchen (and private chef, should you want one). The bar fridge is stacked with beer, seltzer and wine for sale, as well as a selection of ready meals. Then there’s the welcome hamper of Kangaroo Valley eggs, fresh bread and marmalade from nearby Morning Cloud Farm. But it’s the little touches that elevate Rea Rea from elegant to excellent: a vase of bright magenta paper daisies in a bathroom, the perfect water pressure in every shower, a fireplace stacked and ready to light on arrival. If you’ve brought the kids, it’s the treehouse in a eucalypt, a short stroll down the hill.

Drive into Kangaroo Valley village to pick up charcuterie from Hampden Deli or dough from Terra & Mare Pizzeria to shape into woodfired crowd-pleasers in the property’s pizza oven. Detour to the local campground to see the wombats or explore the valley’s contours on horseback or by kayak.