Hunter Valley - January 2009

If you are looking for a few days/week of golf in the Hunter Valley - this is a good place to consider - The Crown Plaza Hunter Valley Course which is close to Cessnock and about an hour's or so drive from Gosford. The Crown Plaza has some really good deals on offer - check the Drummond Golf offers also as there are some great stay and play offers which is what we took advantage of this week. The accomodation was in units/villa style at the resort just a short walk away from the clubhouse & in really nice quite surroundings. The the units were two large bedrooms/two large bathrooms with a fully equiped kitchen, lounge, dining and balcony. There were BBQ's available for hire if you want to cook your own meals & spend some time some time appreciating the unit facilities instead of going to the restaurant at the Clubhouse. We booked two units side by side for the eight of us and it proved to be very comfortable as we opted for the BBQ dinners and stayed in an played cards in the large living room in the evenings after golf. The rooms were serviced each day & had all the amenities that we required. The golf course is lovely to play - challenging but not as hard as Kooindah Waters that we played at Wyong on the way through. Kooindah Waters is only 20 minutes from Gosford (on a good day) and has a lovely clubhouse. The course is well set out with very challenging water hazards & lovely landscaping.

The boys played Cypress Lakes on the girl's rest day - that is only a short distance away.

There are several really lovely courses within easy drive - so it is a good option for accommodation. The main clubhouse also has rooms available with restaurant facilities, gym, swimming pool, pro shop all in the same complex.

We were lucky enough to get good weather - Thursday was very hot & the boys felt it at Cypress Lakes. The air conditioning in the units and the swimming pool were very attractive that day.

I could certainly spend some more time there in the future. There are enough nearby attractions with the wineries & golf courses to make it a popular choice & the units are by far the most comfortable I have ever stayed at for this type of holiday. This report comes with a "highly recommended" tag from me.

Images attached: Some photos taken at Kooindah Waters Golf Club at Wyong; photos at the Crown Plaza Hunter Valley Resort including photos at the units.