Peppers Craigieburn Bowral

Peppers Craigieburn is a historic guesthouse property on Centennial Road in Bowral, set in gardens on the edge of the Southern Highlands' most polished town, with the golf course at its boundary. The house trades on its era: verandahs, fireplaces, high tea, and rooms that look over the fairways, and it doubles as one of the region's wedding venues, so weekend atmosphere swings with the events calendar. It suits couples on a Highlands escape and visitors in town for a wedding who want everything on one property.

Dogs at Craigieburn

The hotel offers Pet Friendly Morton Wing Rooms for guests travelling with pets, which is a defined product rather than an informal exception, and that is what governs here even though the Accor chain page takes a blanket no-pets line. Guest reports add the practical edges: dogs are not permitted in the restaurant or on indoor house tours, so a dog stay means room-side time and grounds walks rather than the heritage interiors.

The workaround is outdoor seating: staff set aside covered spots on the veranda where you can eat with the dog at your feet, and reported practice is that pets are not left alone in rooms, so plan meals and outings dog-with-you. Travellers with dogs also report a one pet per room structure, so ask ahead if you run a pair, and bring your own bowls and a mud mat, because Highlands clay has a talent for paws.

For the daily walk, the perimeter of the golf course next door is the low-traffic loop at dawn or dusk, and the quieter benches toward the outer edges of the gardens make a fine dusk stop. In spring, skip the midday crush at the town's tulip gardens and walk the residential avenues instead, where the historic gardens spill over the fences.

The vibe

The gardens are the daily pleasure here, and the walk into central Bowral along Centennial Road is short enough that morning coffee runs work with a dog on lead. Bowral's Retford Park and the town parklands give leash-on exercise options, and the wineries and villages of the southern Highlands sit within a quarter hour's drive. If your dates collide with a wedding, ask for a wing away from the function spaces when you book the pet room.

For off-leash time nearby, Exeter Fenced Dog Park is the fenced option to the south, and Hillview Heritage Estate at Sutton Forest is the heritage stay alternative. Lloran Log Cabins at Robertson covers the misty green side of the Highlands, and more dog friendly stays in NSW are listed for the wider region.