Margaret River Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night

Margaret River is a long way from almost everywhere, which is the best argument for not driving home at the end of it. Sixteen cellar doors in the region let you sleep on the estate, from a single adults-only cabin by a lake to twenty-one cabins on a ridge. Every stay below is described in the words of the venue or the business that books its rooms.

The Short Version

• Sixteen Margaret River wineries have somewhere to sleep on the estate, from Windows Estate's one eco cabin to Aravina's twenty-one cabins.
• Yallingup has seven of them and Wilyabrup six, with three more at Cowaramup, Margaret River and Yelverton.
• None of the sixteen promises a room for the dog, but Cullen's Homestead takes pets by arrangement and Jarvis Estate's campsites allow dogs on a lead.

Ten of the sixteen offer more than one place to stay, so a couple and a group of twelve can both sleep among the vines. Here they are by area, starting where there is the most choice.

Yallingup

All 16 are in the free Jedhi app. Mapped, and you can filter for Accommodation anywhere in the country, so the next weekend away starts with a map instead of 16 open tabs. Free on iPhone and Android.

1) Aravina Estate (Yallingup Siding), twenty-one cabins beyond the lake

Why it works:

• Their own words: "A collection of 21 modern cabins set beyond the lake on Wildwood Ridge", in king, twin, accessible and honeymoon versions.
• The twin cabins have two bedrooms and sleep four, the king cabins sleep three, and every cabin has a kitchenette and a BBQ.
• The cellar door is open every day, 11am to 5pm Wednesday to Sunday and 11am to 4pm on Monday and Tuesday, with food served on the same estate.

One thing to know before you book: Aravina is not a dog venue at all. In their words, "Sorry no pets allowed on the Estate; your guide dog however always welcome."

2) House of Cards Wine (Yallingup), a cabin, a cottage and a farmhouse

House of Cards describes its stays as "our luxurious, purpose built chalets", set in "a private and secluded Peppy tree grove, yet just a stones throw from our vineyard and cellar door". There are three to choose from: The Cabin sleeps six, The Cottage four and The Farmhouse eight. The cellar door on Quininup Road is open seven days, 10am to 5pm, and it is plain about dogs: "Yes! We are dog friendly, if they are on a leash and remain outside."

3) Rivendell Winery (Yallingup), eleven holiday homes in the bush

The most holiday homes in this guide: "Our property features 11 fully equipped holiday homes", in three, four and five-bedroom versions, "Tucked in amongst the vines and natural bushland". The homes are booked only through agents and online platforms, never direct with the winery. The restaurant and cellar door open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, and "Dogs on a lead are always welcome across all our outdoor areas", though the homes themselves say nothing about pets.

4) Swings & Roundabouts (Yallingup), a chalet you can walk home from

The Swings Vineyard Chalet sits on the working vineyard, within walking distance of the cellar door and restaurant on Caves Road. It has two bedrooms, one queen and one king or twin, sleeps four, and comes with a fireplace, a BBQ and a balcony over the vines. Bookings are handled by Seaside Homes rather than the winery. The Yallingup cellar door is open every day, 11am to 5pm.

5) Wills Domain (Yallingup), a homestead for ten above the valley

In their words: "The Wills Domain Homestead sits within our 60 hectare estate overlooking the majestic Gunyulgup Valley." There are two main bedrooms with ensuites and four more, taking up to ten guests, and one of them has "a two-person bathtub in a bay window looking out over the vines". The cellar door is open daily, 10am to 5pm, with a restaurant on the estate.

6) Windance Estate (Yallingup), three cottages near the beaches

Windance runs three cottages, Djilba, Kambarang and Birak, and "All three cottages have two king-sized bedrooms with their own ensuites". Each sleeps up to five with a cot, and Yallingup beach is a five minute drive. The cellar door is open daily, 10am to 5pm. Leave the dog at home for this one: "Strictly no pets and no smoking on the property."

7) Windows Estate (Yallingup), one eco cabin for two

The smallest stay in this guide, and deliberately so: "One cabin, nestled into the bush near the lake, overlooking our certified organic vineyard." It is adults only, for singles and couples, with an outdoor bath, a wood fire and no wifi or television, and minimum stays apply. The cellar door opens Thursday to Tuesday, 10am to 5pm, and on Wednesdays by appointment.

Wilyabrup

8) Cherubino Wines (Wilyabrup), three guest houses and a lakeside restaurant

"Our three large guest houses are set on six acres of gardens overlooking the Wilyabrup valley", close to the Cherubino cellar door and the Masseria restaurant. Two sleep six adults each and the third sleeps twelve, including a four-bunk room, which makes this the easiest place in the region to put a big group under three roofs. The cellar door opens 10am to 5pm Thursday to Monday, closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and Cherubino recommends booking a tasting.

9) Cullen Wines (Wilyabrup), the founders' homestead across the road

The one entry where you book the bed separately from the winery, so it is worth being clear about. Cullen Wines Homestead was built in 1976 by Diana and Kevin Cullen, the founders of Cullen Wines, and sits across Caves Road from the cellar door, a short walk away. It is booked through its own page rather than the winery's website. The main house has three bedrooms and sleeps five, and a studio with three more bedrooms can be added for another seven guests, though "the Studio cannot be booked separately to the Homestead". Pets are by arrangement. Tastings run 10am to 4.30pm, seven days.

10) Fermoy Estate (Wilyabrup), a four-bedroom lodge among the vines

"The Lodge is a private four-bedroom homestead set among the vines at Fermoy, with vineyard views, generous living spaces, a cosy fireplace, fully equipped kitchen and outdoor areas." It is booked through Exclusive Escapes. The cellar door is open daily, 11am to 5pm, and well-behaved dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas on a lead, though the Lodge itself says nothing about pets.

11) Juniper Estate (Wilyabrup), a residence and a tiny house on their other vineyard

Read this one carefully, because the beds are not at the cellar door. Both stays are on Juniper's Metricup Vineyard: The Residence, with "4 queen bedrooms and 1 bunk room", and an "Off-grid tiny home" with one bedroom and valley views. Both are booked through Airbnb. The cellar door on Tom Cullity Drive keeps winter hours of 11am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on weekends, closed Mondays, and "Friendly dogs on leads welcome in the garden."

12) The Grove Distillery (Wilyabrup), a lakeside house, three chalets and a bungalow

The only distillery in this guide. The Grove offers The White House, "A spacious lakeside retreat", three chalets "Set among the vines" and a Bungalow "designed for two", all on the same property as the tasting room, so the tasting is a walk from your door. The cellar door is open Wednesday to Monday, 10.30am to 5pm, and the restaurant Thursday to Sunday.

13) Woody Nook Wines (Wilyabrup), a house with breakfast included

Woody Nook House takes up to ten, with a double bedroom downstairs, four single beds upstairs and two double sofa beds on the mezzanine, and "Continental breakfast included, served in The Nookery Café". The minimum stay is two nights, with no pets and no children under twelve. The cellar door is open daily, 10am to 4.30pm.

Further afield

14) Bettenays Margaret River (Cowaramup), lake views and a nougat kitchen

Bettenays offers three ways to stay: a two-bedroom Lakeview Chalet and a three-bedroom Vineyard Villa, both sleeping up to six, and a Lakeside Spa Apartment with a king bed and a balcony over the lake. Every stay comes with a complimentary wine tasting, and the estate makes its own nougat as well as wine. The cellar door is open seven days, 10am to 5pm.

15) Burnside Organic Farm (Margaret River), bungalows on a biodynamic farm

"Burnside Organic Farm offers three self-contained bungalows" on its working farm, from a one-bedroom bungalow with a stone bath to a two-bedroom limestone bungalow. The minimum stay is two nights, longer over holidays, and "Sorry no pets allowed." There is no walk-in cellar door: tastings are by appointment, and guests receive complimentary wine and caper tastings.

16) Island Brook Estate (Yelverton), spa chalets in the jarrah forest

Island Brook has three spa chalets, Cabernet, Semillon and Chardonnay, "Nestled in our jarrah forest, or overlooking our vineyards", and a three-bedroom house called The Residence, "just adjacent to the Cellar Door". It is the first cellar door on the Bussell Highway heading south from Vasse. The cellar door is open Friday to Monday, 11am to 5pm.

If you are towing

Two more estates take self-contained rigs rather than guests in beds. Jarvis Estate at Bramley has "8 grassy, unpowered camp sites" on its 50-acre estate, a very short walk from the cellar door, and allows dogs on a lead. Rosa Glen Farm has six off-grid sites for self-contained caravans, RVs and motorhomes, open January to April and booked through Hipcamp. More stops like these are in WA Wineries With Caravan Camping.

The Cheat Code: How to Plan a Margaret River Stay Without Driving Twice

Margaret River's cellar doors are spread along Caves Road and the back roads behind it, so the bed you pick decides which tastings are a walk and which are a drive. The mistake is booking the bed first and the tastings second.

Book in this order:

• Pick your days, then check who is open on them. Island Brook is Friday to Monday, Rivendell Thursday to Sunday, The Grove closes on Tuesdays and Windows opens Wednesdays by appointment only.
• Match the stay to the group. Two people are best served by Windows' eco cabin, Burnside's one-bedroom bungalow or Aravina's honeymoon cabin. Ten or more should look at Wills Domain, Woody Nook, Cherubino's largest guest house or Rivendell.
• Make the estate you sleep at the last tasting of the day, so the final stop is the one you can walk home from.

Two things people get wrong:

• Assuming the bed is at the cellar door. Juniper's stays are on a different vineyard, Cullen's Homestead is across the road, and Swings and Rivendell take bookings through agents rather than the winery.
• Assuming a dog-friendly cellar door means a dog-friendly room. House of Cards, Rivendell, Fermoy and Juniper all welcome dogs outside at the tasting, and none of their stays says the same. Aravina and Windance rule pets out across the whole property.

Pick the stay, then let the app line up everything around it. Jedhi has Margaret River mapped, cellar door by cellar door, so you can see which ones are open on the days you are actually there.

More Margaret River guides: Family-Friendly Wineries in Margaret River With Playgrounds, Dog-Friendly Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries in Western Australia, WA Wineries With Caravan Camping and Hunter Valley Wineries Where You Can Stay the Night.

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