 |
A chic new hotel promising old-fashioned country comfort, impeccable service and relaxing golf. Sounds intriguing. Jon Underwood packs his clubs and heads south for the weekend.
When I told my wife we were going to Gibraltar for the weekend, she gave me one of those looks. Part sympathy, part ‘why didn’t I marry George Clooney instead?’
Fortunately, her demeanour changed when I clarified that we wouldn’t be taking a 17-hour plane ride some 16,000 kilometres to a large rock in the Mediterranean. This Gibraltar was much nearer home, just a 90-minute drive south of Sydney.
The Gibraltar Hotel is set on a beautiful 40 hectare piece of Bowral in the Southern Highlands. Golf Vacations visited the site last year when the hotel was being built. Now it is open for business, with a range of accommodation, function rooms, a spa, fitness centre and adjoining 18-hole golf course.
Owners John and Liz Uliana have spent more than AU$25 million on this environmentally friendly, funky, modern-yet-intimate hideaway that utilises some of the finest materials from around the world.
There’s Turkish travertine marble in hues of spotted cappuccino and dappled chocolate in the bathrooms. Exotic, textured wallpaper from Holland covers more than 70 per cent of the hotel’s walls. The copper tiles are from India, the glassware from Rajasthan.
Yet despite its chic, arty feel and a floor plan of some 7,300 square metres, the hotel has a homely quality, something that’s central to the Gibraltar’s raison d’etre.
“The Highlands hasn’t seen a new hotel in more than 30 years. With the style of the hotel and its facilities, we are without peer,” says John Uliana as we chat in Harvey’s Bar, named after former TV entertainer and friend of Gibraltar, Geoff Harvey.
“But you can turn up in a dinner suit or a good pair of jeans and still feel you belong. That’s what we are all about,” he adds.
“People like to come here and slow down a bit. We want to become a landmark for those who want that small country town feeling of welcome and belonging. To almost go back in time,” adds Liz.
“So we see ourselves appealing to golfers, to families, to a whole range of people who want to be out of the city for the weekend.”
The Gibraltar has proved to be the saviour of the adjoining Bowral Country Club course that was in danger of closing and the land sold off for development. It’s immediate future is now secure with the Ulianas taking up a 21-year lease and instigating a five-year improvement plan.
“Our first priority was to make the course a little more interesting so we put in a few water features. Because it’s undulating and we get a fair bit of water here, the course did get quite boggy. So we’ve put in a lot of subsoil and additional drainage and that has improved the situation,” explains Liz.
The work has certainly paid dividends. While it won’t win any awards for its physical challenge at just over 5,000 metres, the aesthetic value is exceptional. This is like playing golf on the private grounds of a country park – a course with beauty, not beast.
The journey starts in a somewhat unusual fashion, with a par-three played in front of the hotel. With guests looking on from their balconies and players watching from the bar, there’s a fair bit of pressure to hit the green.
After that it’s off into the country and a couple of cracking par-fours make way for one of only two par-fives on the course. A good drive will put the green in play for two for the low markers but most will need to lay up safe and pitch uphill to a green where the bottom of the flag can’t be seen.
The signature hole is probably the fifth, a downhill par-three played from a raised tee to a green guarded on the left by an out-of-bounds fence and a bunker on the right. The ninth, 11th and 15th are also fun holes to play.
The course saves two of its best holes for last. The big boys can drive the 17th but even they must be wary of a sneaky water feature on the left that can’t be seen from the tee. And the finishing hole is a dead straight par-four with a brand new green that is almost impossible to hold with anything other than a wedge. The fact that it sits right under the noses of those sitting in the players’ bar merely adds to the pressure.
You’ll learn early on that the occasional wayward tee shot isn’t going to spoil your round: even a slice or hook will usually leave you with a short-iron recovery shot. This is a course where brains not brawn can be the key to a career-best score.
While the big hitters will love the freedom and chance to drive some of the shorter par-fours, it’s a great place for mere mortals to re-build confidence or tune up the short game with small, often-raised greens providing the main defence to a thoroughly enjoyable layout. Weekends away are supposed to be relaxing, so why tackle a course that leaves you battered and bruised?
“Down the track I can see us attracting more people who want to play golf just because of the set up here. It looks like fun,” adds Liz.
“This course has got a lot of character. It is hilly, complex and a bit quirky. But it couldn’t support itself without the hotel. We have made a big commitment to the area – we want to bring our children up here – so we thought we would invest in this project, which has been quite a labour of love.”
When we visited, the hotel had only been open a few weeks but bookings were already steady. That is likely to increase with the opening of the spa and Gibraltar Grill, a take on the famous Soho Grill in London. The former has been designed by award-winning Exclusive Spas Australia and will offer a luxurious mix of beauty orientated and spiritual treatments. The Grill will focus on personal service.
“There is so much fancy food and so many great restaurants in Sydney that sometimes when people come to the country they just want simple food. I think you have to stick to what your strengths are.
“Golfers appreciate good, wholesome food that’s well cooked. It’s a beautiful restaurant but it won’t be silver service,” explains Liz.
While the smell of fresh paint still permeates the air and the finishing touches are still to be applied, the Gibraltar definitely offers the travelling golfer a stylish place to stay.
“It is unusual to find a hotel this size that is family owned and operated,” says John.
“If we can bring back that old fashioned concept of service, I think that’s a winning recipe.” a
* Pictures courtesy of the Gibraltar Hotel/Jon Underwood
at a glance
Getting there: The Gibraltar Hotel is in Bowral, about a 90-minute drive south west of Sydney.
Green fees: AU$25 for 18 holes (midweek), $30 (weekend)
Accommodation: The hotel has 76 luxury rooms and suites, comprising Double Rooms, two-bedroom Suites and Luxury Super King and Gibraltar King Suites.
Stay & Play: The Gibraltar is offering a package for AU$140 per person based
on twin share for a minimum two night stay in a Woodlands Deluxe room.
Package includes full hot buffet breakfast for two, one round of 18-holes
each and a cocktail in Harvey’s bar.
For further details and bookings, call +61 2/4862-8600; visit gibraltarbowral.com.au
For information on the Southern Highlands, visit southern-highlands.com.au
|
Comments
|
|
|
|
|
