Heading to the snow with the crew? From luxury chalets to budget bunks or campgrounds with a view, here are the best group-friendly stays where friends, family and even your dog can experience a powder-dusted winter in NSW together.
Jun 2022 -
4
min readSki-in, ski-out
For a true winter wonderland experience, ski-in, ski-out can’t be beat. (It’s also convenient when the group decides to go in different directions on snow days!) Just 300 metres from Perisher’s Front Valley ski area, the European-style Salzburg Apartments comprises two- to four-bedroom apartments sleeping up to 10. Each apartment has a fireplace and jacuzzi or sauna, and there’s also a restaurant and bar onsite, a heated pool, kids’ club, and billiards room. Also in Perisher, the family-owned Eiger Chalet is a short walk to the Quad Express Chair. Groups of up to seven can stay in the two and three-bedroom apartments; each one is fitted out with a basic kitchenette, but breakfast and dinner is included at The White Spider Restaurant and Bar, where live music lights up après ski during winter. Over at Thredbo, the aptly named and premium Ski In Ski Out Chalets sit right on Thredbo’s 3.7km Supertrail, so close you’ll hear the snow being carved up from your front door. There are two to five-bedroom options that sleep up to 10 people, most with private jacuzzis or spas, while some even have steam rooms.
On a budget
If you’re spending all your time on the mountains, sometimes your accommodation’s bells and whistles are left untouched. Save the money for snow activities and check in to Ski Rider Hotel, located between Perisher and Jindabyne. It has simple rooms that sleep up to six people, as well as a bistro and bar, games room and free shuttle bus service to Perisher. Groups travelling with kids will love Highland Lodge Farmstay, a 65-hectare property 15 minutes from Jindabyne, offering three self-contained units that sleep up to six. When the snow gear is drying, little snow bunnies can interact with the farm animals, collect eggs and forage in the gardens. For an epic and remote location, Numbananga Lodge is a semi ski-in, ski-out stay, within minutes of Smiggin Holes at Perisher. The modern but simple three-bedroom lodge sleeps six and has a kitchen and laundry.
Numbananga Lodge, Smiggin Holes - Credit: OEH
Luxury lodgings
For groups that enjoy the finer things in life: enter Après Vous Apartment with its Scandi-style monochrome palette, premium furnishings and amenities (Aesop and Hunter Lab products, coffee machine, Marshall Bluetooth speaker and bar cart primed for après ski). This chic stay in Thredbo sleeps six people and is a short stroll from the village hub. Meanwhile, The Bastion is the type of place you can live out your European snow fantasies. Located between Thredbo and Jindabyne, with the Skitube railway only five minutes away, this hygge mountain house sleeps 10 guests, and has a warm design of dark woods and rich colours, with two fireplaces keeping things extra toasty. Kids will love sleeping in the room with four single beds, which makes a (very stylish) adult-free zone for fun-filled sleepovers. And if luxury and location are both on your mind, Bundaleer Chalet will tick the boxes. It’s within walking distance of Thredbo Village and the Friday Flat ski area, can sleep up to 10 in five bedrooms, has a full kitchen, three bathrooms, a drying area, and fireplace to warm your cockles at night.
Bundaleer Chalet, Snowy Mountains
Dog-friendly stays
If your furry friend is by your side rain, hail or snow, you may hesitate to book a trip to the Snowy Mountains knowing that dogs are not allowed in the national parks. But there are plenty of scenic walks in Jindabyne that do allow dogs, and thankfully some of the friendly accommodation folk cater to you too. Pender Lea in Crackenback, located five minutes from the Skitube, has fully insulated pet enclosures for your dogs to relax while you hit the slopes. Groups can choose from the cosy Swiss-style chalets that sleep up to 10; or The Cottage, which sleeps 13 and has a Finnish spa and sauna to ease tired muscles after a day on the slopes. In Jindabyne, Frostwood 1 is a modern townhouse with a perfect layout for two families of five plus your pooch, who can make the fenced-in yard their home-away-from-home. The townhouse has underfloor heating, WiFi, Netflix and Disney+, and sweeping mountain views as a bonus. Or snuggle up to your fur baby at Woodbury Park, nestled on 25 hectares just outside of Jindabyne. It offers three self-contained cottages, each boasting a fenced-in yard and purpose-built kennel, decked out like a mini home.
Woodbury Park, Jindabyne
Find your camp
Adventurous types yearning for a true wilderness escape can set up a tent or caravan at Thredbo Diggings, a picturesque campsite located on Thredbo River in Kosciuszko National Park. Nestled among snow gums with the mountains as a backdrop, you can enjoy your après ski under a blanket of stars. You’ll feel a million miles from anywhere, but Thredbo Alpine Village is just a short drive away. Alternatively, if you like your camping with a side of convenience, NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park mixes lake views with creature comforts. Groups can choose from powered and non-powered sites (which are dog-friendly) to cabins and villas that sleep up to six people. A short walk to the town centre makes going out for meals easy, and it’s just a 30-minute drive to Perisher.
Thredbo Diggings Campground, Thredbo - Credit: Robert Mulally/DPE
Lake views
Sure, being on snow is convenient, but Kosciuszko National Park also has some pretty magical lakes. Lakefront @Tyrolean sits on Lake Jindabyne and is surrounded by bushland; the property has a house (which sleeps 10) and an apartment (which sleeps eight) and comes with a cosy gas fireplace, underfloor heating and a modern kitchen for big group cook-ups. But if self-contained is not your preferred way to holiday, Lake Crackenback Resort has it all: a heated swimming pool, sauna, activities such as golf and archery, a spa and wellness centre, restaurant, bar and larder. Set on glassy Lake Crackenback, just 15 minutes from Thredbo, the stylish three-bedroom Mountain Chalets sleep up to six and have incredible mountain views from the fire-warmed living areas.
Lakefront @ Tyrolean, Jindabyne
