The intimate escape hiding among the trees

The Grand Saddles Lodge opens this spring, bringing 20 private villas, an Art Deco piano bar and a native-botanical day spa to the Central Coast bush.

Just under an hour from Sydney, where the bushland gives way to the Hawkesbury’s waterways, something big is taking shape at Saddles Mount White. The Grand Saddles Lodge – the newest chapter from the team behind the wildly popular Homestead restaurant – opens this spring, and it’s set to turn the already-beloved Saddles precinct into a fully-fledged luxury destination. Think: stay, dine, spa, repeat.

The intimate escape hiding among the trees

Conceived by Aussie business icon John Singleton, The Grand Saddles Lodge is built around just 20 private villas – keeping things intimate rather than sprawling. Each one comes with its own living space, open fireplace, private terrace and plunge pool, tucked among the bushland so all you hear is birdsong. There’s also a communal infinity pool and pool bar looking straight out over the treetops, for when you want company (or just a better view with your cocktail).

Getting there is part of the experience: a winding driveway through native bush leads to a glass-domed entrance, opening into interiors dressed in sandstone, spotted gum and warm brass – all designed by Michelle Leslie alongside White + Dickson Architects, and all built to feel unmistakably of Mount White, not dropped onto it.

Inside the main building, the onsite restaurant will lean hard into Australian produce – fresh local seafood, organic beef and poultry, and a menu shaped season-to-season by the property’s own herb and vegetable gardens.

Then, as the sun goes down, the mood shifts to Ned’s – an Art Deco-inspired piano bar anchored by a grand piano, built for martinis, live jazz and bar plates that don’t need to be rushed. It’s the kind of room designed for lingering.

For the wellness crowd, The Spa at The Grand Saddles Lodge brings five treatment rooms, both traditional and infrared saunas, ice baths and treatments built around native Australian botanicals – plus a tailored itinerary service if you’d rather spend your stay exploring nearby oyster farms, the Hawkesbury River or the region’s walking trails.

Why this matters for the Central Coast

The Lodge joins an already-strong lineup at Saddles Mount White – The Homestead, The Barn events venue and The Caravan – cementing the 11-hectare precinct as one of the most exciting luxury destinations within striking distance of Sydney.

Where: 20 Ashbrookes Road, Mount White, NSW

What: 20 private villas with plunge pools and open fireplaces

When: Bookings open this spring

Sydneysiders, start clearing your calendars – this one’s going to book out fast.