The Fairmont Resort is an impressive Blue Mountains estate that leans heavily into alpine-lodge energy. Soaring timber beams, crackling fireplaces, leather and wood everywhere, grand windows framing the Jamison Valley: she is a grand old dame but, it turns out, very young at heart.
The Fairmont has carved out a deserved reputation as one of the most family-friendly destination hotels in its category. You really don’t need to leave the resort if you’d rather not, though the hidden waterholes, bushwalks, lookouts, and the culturally cool villages of Leura and Katoomba are always worth a venture. For those of us with smaller kids, however, the appeal is simple: pack once and stay put.
What’s on offer?
This resort delivers. There’s an in-house cinema (kids’ sessions run every couple of hours), an outdoor rainbow slide, a soft-play centre, two arcades, indoor and outdoor pools, duck-filled gardens, a large playground, and a lake where you can hire inflatable paddle boats. The Fairmont Express, a battery-operated trackless train that loops the grounds for kids aged 3 to 12, runs daily including during school holidays. The train, like most of the rides, cost a few dollars and don’t run in fog or rainy weather. Our visit coincided with the train being out of service, but dinner alongside the nearby Wentworth Falls train line more than compensated for our boys.
The jewel in the crown
The ice skating rink was the undisputed highlight of our entire stay. The 600 square metre rink is big enough to feel like a real skating experience but quiet enough not to overwhelm beginners. Less than two minutes from our room, it meant wet socks and soggy bums were sorted in minutes, infinitely easier than making it happen in Sydney.
The space
Our family room had plenty of space and a large corner bath perfect for post-bushwalk scrubbing. Worth knowing before you book: the resort offers family suites with two interconnecting bedrooms, one king with ensuite and one with two singles, as well as a ground-floor pet-friendly room with a fenced courtyard. We stayed in a large room with two large beds which was more than enough space for the four of us.
On the food front, a solid cocktail list ( that counts as food, right?), an extensive breakfast buffet (the kids’ second highlight after the rink), an excellent value high tea, and a comforting room service bolognese were all wins. A quick trip to Leura village, just five minutes’ drive away, for supermarket snacks and simpler meals is worth factoring in for longer stays as the food bill can add up quickly and sometimes something small and simple does the trick.
My body enjoyed the chicken salad ( pictured below) after several days of rich dishes.
My husband and I treated ourselves to a half-day at the Ubika Day Spa, one of the largest purpose-built day spas in Australia, with 16 treatment rooms, a couples suite, and a serene Zen lounge.
It was wonderful, though again the cost adds up. Signature packages start at $440 per person for a 2.5-hour session, and factor in a local babysitter if you’re hoping for time alone, as there’s no in-house kids drop-off. The hotel is happy to provide local babysitting contacts on request, which we did with relative ease.
The one gap we felt was the lack of a daytime kids club for drop-off, something that would genuinely elevate an already strong offering for parents needing to decompress. That said, there were plenty of moments to sit back while the kids roamed within eyesight, and the memories made by doing things together more than made up for it. This is a destination for families to play together, and enjoy endless activities from which one can easily retreat for a rest.
The Fairmont’s service, setting, and sheer volume of activities remain hard to match. Though if you have a recommendation let this editor know and she will try it!
During school holidays the Fairmont Resort activity calendar expands further, with face painting, magic shows, cookie decorating, hair braiding, archery and golf clinics all added to the mix.
If you can time a visit for autumn or winter do it. The foliage turns extraordinary shades of crimson and gold, the lodge atmosphere hits differently when the air is crisp, and the whole place feels made for the season.
ℹ️ We already had a couple of self-paid nights booked and The Fairmont kindly extended our stay by three days in exchange for this review, so consider this a sponsored post, albeit a fair and accurate review.
