Vico Monti Estate

Vico Monti sits on twenty-five acres off Hermitage Road at Pokolbin, a four-bedroom house plus a one-bedroom guest studio looking down over its own vineyard and dams. The alfresco room is built around a hand-cut sandstone fireplace with wicker lounges and a table for twelve, and a barbecue terrace runs off it toward the vines. Outside there is a plunge pool with a deck, a bocce court and a wood-fired pizza oven, with a pool table and bar in the studio.

The whole property takes twelve guests, adults only, which points it at a group rather than a family with young children. Published tariffs run to $1,600 a night on weekends and $1,200 midweek for up to ten, with extra adults at $100 a head and a $1,000 security deposit pre-authorised before arrival. The Hermitage Road cycleway runs past the gate linking a dozen cellar doors, and the property is managed by Hunter Valley Stays.