Hydro Majestic Hotel

Retail magnate Mark Foy opened the Hydro Majestic in 1904 as a fashionable hydropathic sanatorium, importing a prefabricated dome from America and stringing more than a kilometre of buildings along the escarpment at Medlow Bath. The result is one of Australia's most eccentric and beloved buildings, a parade of Edwardian, art-deco and orientalist flourishes with the vast eucalyptus haze of the Megalong Valley falling away below. A multi-year restoration returned the derelict landmark to service in 2014.

Rooms across the Belgravia and other wings mix heritage detailing with contemporary comfort at prices notably gentler than city luxury; valley-view rooms are essential, as the escarpment outlook is the entire point. Public spaces are the glory — the domed Casino lobby, the Cat's Alley lounge for champagne with a view, and the Wintergarden restaurant where high tea runs to Eastern-influenced towers in a nod to Foy's orientalist tastes.

The hotel makes a natural base for the Blue Mountains: Katoomba's Three Sisters, the walking tracks of the Grose and Megalong valleys and the gardens of Blackheath are minutes away by car, with Sydney around 90 minutes east. It is a heritage-led leisure hotel rather than a full-service resort, and weekend high-tea crowds enliven the public rooms. As a romantic mountains escape with a story, it stands alone.