Stunning natural landscapes at every turn, exquisite food and wine, and luxurious comforts to indulge in – if you’re planning a getaway for you and your partner, these are likely to be some of the non-negotiable requirements for your destination.
While it may feel like you need to travel great distances to escape the ordinary day-to-day, there is a place in our own backyard that can offer you a true way to disconnect and free yourself from distractions, a place where you can live life the way it was meant to be lived.
The destination is the SEQUOIA Lodge. Located in the highlands of the Adelaide Hills region, one of South Australia’s most celebrated areas, the SEQUOIA Lodge captures its surroundings and enhances your connection to it through a combination of the incredible amenities, the attentive hosts, and the experiences available to you during your time there.
A unique, luxurious journey to self-discovery awaits you at SEQUOIA, but before we tell you more about this one-of-a-kind destination, let us first tell you about the Adelaide Hills.
About the Adelaide Hills
There are many reasons the Adelaide Hills is a favourite destination for travellers to South Australia. There is an undeniable charm that exists throughout the entire region. This charm is borne through a true love of the area by the locals. Embracing the natural beauty and rich history of the area, the residents of the region work hard to cultivate the elements that make this area so unique, ensuring that this essence will remain for many years to come.
Located only 25 minutes from the Adelaide City precinct, while the drive may be short, the Adelaide Hills feels like a different country entirely. You would be forgiven for thinking you’ve somehow skipped the 20+ hour flight and ended up in a spectacular European countryside.
Delightful small towns are nestled amongst the luscious landscapes, the rolling green hills and the sprawling vineyards that cover the region. The Adelaide Hills has become a popular day trip destination for visitors to the Adelaide area.
However, if you’re going to venture to this part of the world, we suggest that you spend more than just a day here. The natural beauty of the Adelaide Hills region provides you with the right surroundings that allow you to remove yourself from the ordinary, and instead intimately connect with the world around you.
And there is no better place to connect than at the SEQUOIA Lodge.
About SEQUOIA
You will find SEQUOIA on the sprawling 30-acre Mount Lofty Estate. Aptly named after the Californian Redwood Sequoia trees on the property that were planted by the original owner Arthur Hardy, SEQUOIA offers guests the ideal destination for their journey to self-discovery.
The 14 luxurious suites have been designed to make you feel as if you are high amongst the treetops – physically and mentally removed from the everyday normality, and instead, immersed in a place where time slows down, and you can concentrate on you.
Each suite offers a private oasis that has been thoughtfully and sustainably designed. With luxurious open plan layouts, each suite incorporates layered areas that provide numerous vantage points to enjoy the view of the Piccadilly Valley below. You can observe the world from any area of your suite – from the king bed, from the lounge by the fireplace, from the free-standing oversized bathtub, or from the day bed on the suite’s private sundeck. Each suite is also fitted with advanced technological features that allow you to control and enhance the entire mood and feel of the suite.
Outside the sanctuary of the suite, guests have exclusive access to the sunken lounges, panoramic views, and crackling fireplaces in the Lodge’s Lounge. As well as an infinity pool, spring-fed, stone hot pools, a campfire amphitheatre, a tennis court, and even a wildlife enclosure.
Guests can also experience the ultimate indulgence into relaxation at the Gatekeeper’s Day Spa on the Estate. An exclusive Jurlique approved day spa, the spa rituals available at the Gatekeeper’s Day Spa have been holistically designed to ensure that every individual will leave with a nourished mind and body.
And speaking of nourishment, guests can relish in the fine dining culinary experiences available to them at SEQUOIA. The Mount Lofty Estate is also home to the award winning, three-hatted Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant. With a focus on local produce, following the concept of ‘Valley to Verandah’ guests can enjoy the a la carte or seasonally changing degustation menus. And with an exemplary wine list complementing the incredible dishes, dining at Hardy’s must not be missed.
About the Experience
What makes SEQUOIA the ideal destination for your sojourn is that whatever you need your experience to be, it can be just that.
Designed to enable guests to disconnect from the everyday and instead connect with their immediate surroundings, the experiences have been developed around the elements that celebrate the best of the region – wellness, wildlife, nature, history, and of course local produce and wine. No matter your interests, there is something extraordinary for you to experience.
With both onsite and offsite experiences available, guests can work with their Experience Host to navigate the incredible array of bespoke activities available.
Signature Onsite Experiences
SEQUOIA provides guests the opportunity to take part in a variety of immersive experiences onsite. Some of these inclusive onsite experiences are:
Lodge Welcome
Discover the story of SEQUOIA, the region, and the rich Indigenous history, at a sunset gathering on the valley rim. Each evening guests have the opportunity to meet their fellow guests, enjoy local produce and wine of the Adelaide Hills region and learn more about this part of the world through fascinating stories in this engaging environment.
Sunrise Private Practise Yoga
One of the ultimate desires of the SEQUOIA team is to provide guests with the opportunity to connect with the nature and land around them and the sunrise yoga session is one of the ways to help forge this connection. Designed for all levels of ability, the sunrise yoga sessions are transformative both physically and mentally. Along with your local practitioner, you can begin your day with a session of movement and nothing but the sounds of the real world around you.
Guided Nature Walks
Forging a connection to the land is about more than just disconnecting from your everyday reality and rejuvenation, it’s also a celebration of the majesty of the land – especially in this part of Australia. The Mount Lofty region is a unique part of the world and one of the only 15 formally recognised Commonwealth Biodiversity hotspots. This biogeographic region is home to flora and fauna that cannot found anywhere else in the world. Rich in wildlife and plant species, you can discover the area through the daily guided walks where you can enjoy sweeping views all the way to the coast.
Maker & Somm
It’s undeniable that South Australia is known for its wine, with the Adelaide Hills being one of the most celebrated wine regions in Australia. Through the Maker & Somm experience, you can discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about wine through an intimate session with a South Australian based winemaker and one of the highly skilled SEQUOIA sommeliers. Enjoy the local wines matched with canapes and tapas, during this intimate and informative session.
Star Gazing
The opportunity to take the time to gaze at the world above does not come around too often. During your time at SEQUOIA, you can enjoy the view of the stars and planets that light up the night sky in the region through the use of the private telescope on site. From dusk until midnight, you can find the constellations that make the Southern Hemisphere so unique and take some time out to just let it sink in.
Exclusive Bespoke Offsite Experiences:
With a focus on embracing the local region, SEQUOIA has created a number of exclusive and intimate behind-the-scenes experiences with some of the most luxurious brands in the world. With your Experience Host, you can find the right experience for you. Some of the amazing offsite experiences you can have include:
Luxury Drives
Discover the Adelaide hills in the fast lane with a luxury drive in a high-end supercar. Prancing Horse offers the opportunity to experience the immersive thrill of winding through the famous Hills region behind the wheel of one of their many luxurious vehicles. The Prancing Horse stables include the likes of the latest Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and McLarens to choose from. As part of this experience, you can enjoy an indulgent lunch at the Lane Vineyard in Hahndorf and a private dining experience at Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant.
Cleland Koala Experience
The rich and diverse landscape of the Mount Lofty region is home to a large array of native Australian animals, and you have the opportunity to get up close with them at the Cleland Wildlife Park. You can take part in a variety of encounters with the local wildlife, including cockatoos, kangaroos, emus, and koalas. You will be able to hand feed the cockatoos, kangaroos, and emus, and even hold a koala during your private tour. This experience is a two-hour venture through the Cleland Wildlife Park before it opens to the general public that day.
R.M. Williams Experience
South Australia is home to the world-renowned R.M. Williams boots and during this experience you have the opportunity to discover the care that goes into the creation of every pair of these handcrafted boots. Known as one of the most well-made pair of shoes in the world, as part of this behind-the-scenes experience you will receive your own pair of R.M.’s personally fitted. You’ll then spend the afternoon discovering the creative precinct of Adelaide’s West End through private tours of the Jam Factory and the South Australian Museum.
Hills and Vale
South Australia is home to two of the world’s most celebrated wine regions – the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale, and through the Hills and Vale experience, you will have the opportunity to discover some of the incredible wineries of these two regions – including the two highest wineries in the Adelaide Hills, and the best vineyards and exquisite coastline of McLaren Vale. Enjoy a tasting lunch and masterclass as part of this experience.
Adelaide Hills
Journey through the Adelaide Hills to the historic German settlement town Hahndorf. Discover the traditional European aesthetics of the town with a local guide before you go behind the scenes of the Shaw and Smith winery in Hahndorf. You’ll finish your journey through the Hills region at the Deviation Road winery!
Experience Being at SEQUOIA
SEQUOIA Lodge provides the perfect destination for you to escape the ordinary and step into the extraordinary through a journey of personal nourishment.
*Experiences are subject to change each season