Osborn House

The absolute perfect stay in the Southern Highlands! This very luxury boutique hotel is the perfect staycation to relax, we were welcomed by the amazing staff & a glass of rose. The grounds are amazing, well appointed rooms & the spa was excellent!!! We highly recommend this hotel & will definitely be back!

This was our second stay at Osborn house and it was even better the first! The service levels have improved from a very good base and are now quite exceptional (comparable, say, to Southern Ocean lodge or Saffire). The coffee has also improved, thanks to a very dedicated barista seeking perfection. This is a beautiful property in a beautiful location, and a relatively short drive from Sydney. Visiting in January was a nice way to beat the summer heat as the Southern Highlands is a few degrees cooler (think light jumper for breakfast!). All in all, an outstanding experience!

What an amazing experience, everything was fabulous, the food, the service, the ambience. We went here for a special dinner and I would totally recommend to others, we had a really memorable evening. Thank you

I may have mentioned in previous reviews that I have been going down to the Southern Highlands, 3 hrs south of Sydney, for nearly 30 years because I have a friend who moved there after she and her husband retired. Therefore I know the region very well, especially Bundanoon, where my friend lives. It is such a gorgeous village, as are many of the villages in this beautiful part of New South Wales, but one can see how development is slowly getting a hold, so I really hope the magic can be retained. Moss Vale and Bowral are extremely touristy now but, they have some magic shopping, leaving Sydney totally and utterly for dead! If you are looking for cheap finds, forget it! This is an extremely affluent region so be ready to open your wallet, it is worth every cent! Countrylink trains go through Bundanoon onto Canberra with booked seating only, and the trains are full! NSW Train Link goes to Moss Vale then it is a car or coach to Bundanoon, as of this writing in November 2023. Also there is constant track work so plan your trip. I have been living in the UK for the past few years so I really noticed a change when I came back early in 2023. One such delight though, is the absolutely wonderful Osborn House, formerly Solar Springs Health Retreat, where my friend used to visit. We went for lunch in November on a lovely 28oC Saturday with a gentle breeze as we sat on the expansive verandah overlooking the majestic Morton National Park. From the moment we sat down the service was impeccable without any 'attitude' and we were given plenty of time to order, especially since we all chat until the end of time! This has been one of the most pleasureable restaurants I have been to in years, not only for service, but the wine and food were so delicious. It is getting up there in price (AUD), but it is worth every cent. Ooooh not many people can make a sublime Pisco Sour but I got it here! I was tempted for another but chose a lovely French rosé instead. Pisco Sours are lethal! Osborn House is a boutique hotel and spa set in the stunning surroundings and would be idyllic for a quiet getaway from Sydney. The decor is truly beautiful and intensely calming with latin music playing in the background. Magic! I have a big birthday coming up in March and my friend has asked where I'd like to go............

Vastly overpriced. It feels like the whole place has been built to look good on a website but when you get there it is only meh. It has maintenance issues, the pool area was dirty and there are dead flies everywhere. The staff were friendly and hard working but clearly live in fear of the general manager, who has a quite an over-powering personality. Reading through other reviews it is clear that the management is not good here. It sounds like staff turnover is huge as the general manager said that most of the staff had only been there three weeks. Either that or he is just hiring cheap working holiday visa labour but still expects guests to pay a small fortune to stay there.

If I could rate the experience out of ten I would rate Osborn House Fifteen out of Ten. Excellent Rooms, Ambiance, Staff, Menus, Food. A Great Experience. They could not have improved on any aspect. We will definitely be coming back again. Expensive but absolutely great value.

I was surprised at reading some of the reviews of this hotel. From the moment we booked to the moment we left we had excellent service. On arrival our luggage was removed from our car, our car parked and our luggage taken to our room while we checked in with a glass of rose’. Chloe on check in was lovely. We had a garden view room which was beautifully decorated and clean. A lovely bathroom, thick robes and slippers and really good tea and coffee in the room. One oversight was that there was no power point near the kettle. The common areas of this hotel are stunning.The interior decor as nice as I’ve seen anywhere. The pool and jacuzzi area are great and the outdoor areas have stunning views. We had dinner at George’s and the food was delicious and the service excellent from Augusta . Many of the staff are indeed Argentinian (as it says in other reviews). They spoke excellent English and were very good at their job. This is quite a new business, they are still learning and going out of their way to get it right. And they make an excellent cup of tea! It’s a short walk into town and a beautiful area . I’d happily stay there again.

Built in gratuities My friends and I ate at both Dinah's and Georges restaurants. Georges was much better value. At Dinah's, most of the staff are Argentinian and language was a barrier. Our waiter was confused and made a number of mistakes during the night. At the end of our meal, our bill was brought to us and then, the waiter said "Oh there's more than 4 of you, I must add the gratuity". So, the new bill was taken away and altered to include a mysterious 10% gratuity. I will tip when service is good, not when people have simply done their job. All Australian are paid a fair wage and tipping is and should be at the discretion of the customer and a reward for a job well done. We won't eat there again. Georges was a nicer experience. We also ate at the Bundanoon pub, and was happy with the the food, service, price and choice. I used to regularly go to Solar Springs before it's makeover to Osbourne House. Solar Springs had warmth and charm and was different to all the other 'try hard', overpriced 'exclusive' resorts. I miss it and am in no hurry to return to Osbourne House.

Confusingly, Osborn House have not one, but two dining spaces. We reserved a table in George's ＞ which appears to offer a good-looking Bar Menu online, but when we arrived we found ourselves in DINAH's their so-called "Formal" Dining Room . Never mind !..its a nice, comfortable informal (!) space & we were happy to be there. They aim high, & nearly make it, by Georgia! The enthusiastic service is well intentioned, but not polished as they'd like to think it was. That said we were well looked-after & certainly every effort was made to please. The food was pretty good --of the shared starters, the Charred Peach course won easily..stunning. The octopus was dreadfully disappointing . Best in Show main clearly were the rare-to-order lamb cutlets..& whilst the overpriced rainbow trout is spectacularly attempted at being de-boned table-side, their showmanship isn't quite flawless. Yet. So experienced diners wont be totally thrilled..but obviously most diners seemed to be! Good on them for trying so hard! Wines are too high for value in price mainly..but the La Boca Malbec proved completely worthwhile at $ 65 per bottle. Again if you insist on placing the newly-opened bottle on a sideboard (out of reach of the drinkers)..don't leave 'em gasping for a refill..pretentious nonesense that silliness attempting ONE HAT SERVICE..but failing to deliver ! In all a most welcome shift to quality & good food in a far away place that hithertofore has been a culinary backwater -- Bravo ! Recommended --with only a few reservations.