CityMag’s get-out guide
South Australia is full of accommodation designed to help you unwind. We bring you the best of them in our series CityMag Stays, where we check out where to check-in for a night. Here are some of our favourites so far, just in time to plan your January long weekend.
Divine domes
Tucked behind the sprawling Oliver’s Taranga vineyards of McLaren Vale is a row of domes, each with its own interior theme. When CityMag stayed, we were in the Marrakesh dome, which features a 60-year-old hand-dyed rug, a warm terracotta colour scheme, Moroccan light fixtures and green patterned bathroom tiles and furnishings. Our advice for a dome stay is to bring a book, crack open the bottle of Chalk Hill Rosé in the fridge and settle in for the night.
Read the full writeup here.
Divine Domes are located at 49 Vaughtons Track, McLaren Vale SA 5171.
Kingsford the Barossa
Though it’s only a short drive from other Barossa wineries and restaurants, Kingsford the Barossa’s homestead is full of activities that will keep guests on site for the stay. Its features include a lodge, bars, conservatory, wine vaults and Kegelbahn – a German nine-pin bowling alley. The place is steeped in history and colourful anecdotes, from how McLeod’s Daughters was filmed here to how Kerry Packer once owned the place from 1999 to 2008 and left a spot for his helicopter to land when he visited.
Read the full writeup here.
Kingsford The Barossa is located at 68 Kingsford Road, Kingsford.
The Stillhouse
Tucked to the left of Clare Valley Distillery, a popular gin haunt on the Reisling Trail, is its boutique accommodation, The Stillhouse. It features four king-sized bedrooms, two of which live in the front section of what used to be a heritage cottage. The open-plan lounge and kitchen space is well-suited for a big group of twenty-somethings to do exactly what they do best – sprawl out, crank the heater and play card games (Flip 7, if you were curious) over gin and sodas.
Read the full writeup here.
Clare Valley Distillery and The Stillhouse are located at 8538 Horrocks Highway, Clare 5453.
CABN
Despite being a mere eight minutes from the main street of McLaren Vale, the immediate surroundings of CABN’s McLaren Flat location feels remote. There is deliberately no Wi-Fi and no television, with the ethos of the CABN being to connect with nature and each other. CityMag stayed in a CABN named Melissa and while Melissa can sleep four, the three stools under her kitchen benchtop tell a different story. Melissa is a compact and cosy introduction to the tiny-house vibe, but better suited for a couples getaway or solo stay especially if, like us, you value your personal space.
Read the full writeup here.
CABN Melissa is located at McLaren Flat, one of various CABN locations across the Fleurieu Peninsula, Barossa, Kangaroo Island and Hahndorf.
Good vibes, Robe
This Robe holiday home is a “contemporary oasis” built in 2024, with modern Scandi vibes and a comfortable layout. It’s a newer AirBnB that’s part of the Robe Lifestyle Properties accommodation stable. The property sleeps up to 10 guests across four bedrooms, including one with two double bunks for junior holiday makers. It’s inland from the main road, and just a short distance from the Robe Town Brewery.
Read the full writeup here.
Good Vibes Robe is located at 33 Alexander Tolmer Way.
