The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains: a review for families

Ah, the gorgeous Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains in beautiful Leura, it’s a real escape from the city.

Are you looking for a Blue Mountains family resort? Look no further!  The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel is a paradise for families.

By Mireia Garriga Seguranyes and Seana Smith

Unlike most Blue Mountains family accommodation, the Fairmont Resort is a true family resort with an exuberance of excellent activities for children of all ages and for the adults too.  

Between us, we have stayed four times with our children aged from 3 – 16 years, on a mix of stays that we paid for ourselves and hosted nights. We would both go back any time!

PS Grab a cup of tea, this is the longest of all the Fairmont Resort & Spa reviews online, we are sure.

Where is The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains?

Address: 1 Sublime Point Road, Leura, NSW 2780 

Phone number: + 61 2 4785 0000

Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains website here: you can book direct here

Or if you prefer  Booking.com check dates and prices here.

The Fairmont Resort is in the scenic village of Leura, looking out over the Blue Mountains escarpment.  Leura itself is known as “the jewel of the Mountains,” and also as “the garden village.”

Leura is right alongside Katoomba, so the resort is super central to all the excellent things to do with kids in the Blue Mountains.

People often call this resort the Fairmont Resort Katoomba, but it is definitely in Leura, just a few minutes drive from Katoomba.

3 Reasons To Stay At the Fairmont Resort With Kids

1. Kid-Friendly + Top Quality

The resort is a 4.5 star and it is super family-friendly.

2. Location: great for views and walks

The location is unbeatable with gorgeous Jamison Valley views.  From the resort, you can go for a hike, if you are a family that loves the outdoors. The Concierge team has maps and information about local tracks accessible from the resort.

3. Wide range of activities to enjoy

You do not need to leave the resort at all if you don’t want to. See the full rage of activities available below, as well as things to do around this area of the Blue Mountains.

Family-Sized Rooms at the Fairmont

The best family rooms at the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains include the standard and superior rooms with two queen beds.  The courtyard rooms are lovely too, with enclosed courtyards, these can be configured with two singles or one king bed plus extra beds for the kids.

Family suites have two interconnecting bedrooms, a king for the adults with ensuite then a second room with two singles for the kids.  I (Seana) have stayed in one of these family suites when travelling with all four kids and no husband and found it very spacious.

There are also pet-friendly bedrooms too, plus very luxurious suites.

When travelling with an assortment of kids, it’s often wise to call the resort and explain your circumstances then to ask their advice about which rooms would suit your family best.

Activities at the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains

The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains facilities and activities are endless. You cannot get bored!

Swimming Pools

There’s a large outdoor pool with a lovely terrace with loungers all around it. You’ll also find a circular toddler wading pool here. These pools are not heated though.

Indoors there is a 20-metre pool which is terrific for early morning laps and also for pool play at any time of day. We have swum here in winter and found the water nice and warm. There’s a bubbly spa pool here too and a sauna (though these are currently closed due to social distancing protocols.)

Gym

There’s a large and well-equipped gym beside the pool. Patrons must be 16+ years to use the gym.

Kidzone: Huge Kid-Friendly Spaces

Kidzone has several area for children to play and play games. However not all of these are open at the moment.

Arcade Alley and the Teenage Retreat are open, bookings must be made for timeslots in these areas.

The areas known as Magic Kingdom, Dane’s Room and the Mirror Maze are not currently open. We look forward to things changing as restrictions ease.

The Fairmont Express

This beloved choo choo train takes kids and adults for trips around the resort at weekends and in school holidays. Tickets can be purchased at reception.

Sports Courts + Outdoor Gym

Close to the main building you will find new tennis courts and a basketball court, plus a very spacious outdoor gym. No bookings are required for these sports courts. It’s best to bring your balls and racquets with you, however these can be hired at reception too.

The Maze + Gardens

Little children, parents with prams, older couples or couples looking for a romantic walk will love to go for a stroll in the gardens. The little ones will enjoy observing the fish and ducks in the lakes. There is even a little waterfall. Also, there is a maze, where kids will have a good time exploring it or playing chasing games.

Pony Rides

Blossom and Diego are the two ponies who live at the resort, close to the sports area and near the high ropes course. It’s lovely to stroll over to say hello to them. Pony rides can also be arranged, book at reception.

The Outdoor Playground

There’s a lovely large natural-themed playground on the south side of the resort. If you have very active kids then asking for a Courtyard Room alongside this playground work very well for you. Here’s a little bit of video showing the playground.

Leura Golf Course and Golf Simulator

Right beside the resort is the oldest golf course in the Blue Mountains.Leura Golf Course has 18 holes with spectacular views of the Jamison Valley. The Leura Golf Course TruGolf Simulator has internationally renowned courses to play.

Read more about Leura Golf Course and book ahead here.

The Cinema

The Fairmont Resort & Spa shows complimentary movies on the big screen in the auditorium. There are sessions in the morning, late afternoon and evening at weekends and daily in school holidays.

Library + Billiard Rooms

The resort has an elegant library, a lovely place to escape with a book if you can. Children need to be supervised if they visit. The billiards room has pool, snooker and billiards tables. Note that the billiards room is not available for use by children under the age of 16. Board games for all ages are available free of charge from Reception. NB Check with resort to see if these are open

In-House Boutique

Lara’s of Leura has a selection of gifts such as Australian-made scented candles and everyday items. It has even cozzies in case you forgot yours or quality wool cardigans, if the temperature drops in autumn.

Fairmont Adventure Park High Ropes Course

Fairmont Adventure Park offers a high ropes course in the bush close to the ponies and stables. The Blue Course is suitable for beginners and the Black Course is much higher and more challenging.

The minimum age for climbers is 10 year, and children must be taller than 1.4m. Adults need to supervise children up to 15 years old on the course. 16-17 year olds can go by themselves but cannot supervise younger kids.

Costs range from $30-$45, check dates and availability and make booking on the Fairmont Adventure Park website here.

Ubika Day Spa

Now in its own building, the Ubika Day Spa is a day spa destination for both hotel guests and others in the Blue Mountains. Ubika is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘to grow.’

There are 16 rooms in the day spa, and the spa menu is very wide and varied; from massages and facials to longer wellness treatments and rituals for men, women, couples and for pregnancy.

Mireia sums up:

We went to the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains with my parents who were over from Spain.

All of us enjoyed the mini holidays, my three daughters had a blast. Thanks to its amazing facilities there is something to do for everyone.

I saw several families with grandparents like us. Our family would go back here any time with my husband (who had to work this time) or with my parents, if they have the chance to come back to visit us again.

Restaurants at the Fairmont Resort

At the present time bookings are essential and ideally made in good time. Social distancing rules mean that the restaurants have less capacity than usual and all menus are a la carte.

Room service dining is available every day and there are several restaurants to try:

Jamison’s Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with spectacular views over the Jamison Valley, especially from the Terrace area. This is the best restaurant for families with young children. Delicious high teas can also be enjoyed, you do need to book 48 hours ahead though.

The Eucalypt Grill offers Modern Australian cuisine and is open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.

Embers Restaurant has magnificent views and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in several seatings.

The Sublime Lounge is a relaxed area where light meals and drinks are served from 10am to late. This is a lovely space to play board games in the afternoon.

Leura Gold Club Bistro is just a hop, skip and a jump away and serves lunches and dinners daily and has an extensive list of craft beers and local wines.

Leura and surrounds

There is so much to do around Leura! Some of the things that we did:

• We went to the Sublime Point Lookout and the Gordon Falls Lookout and Picnic Area. Those are very easy walks suitable for young children (remember always to keep a close eye on them, as some sections are not protected). Also, the walks were not challenging, so older adults like my parents could do them. Leura Cascades is another nice excursion, although we didn’t have time to do this one.
• We ate very well in Bon Ton Bistro and Waygoose Café, both located in the Leura Mall. My 6-year-old tried the Dijon escargots and she said that were delicious. She keeps asking to go back to the Blue Mountains to eat escargots in the Bon Ton Bistro. I tried the gazpacho (Spanish traditional cold soup) of the Waygoose Café and I can reassure you that it was nearly as good as the one that I make.
• Finally, did you know that Leura and Katoomba have the best cafes for chocoholics? I saved this information for my next post. But, meanwhile, you might want to do a search of The Blue Mountains Chocolate Company, Josophan’s Chocolate Shop / Café Madeleine, and the super kid friendly Gingerbread House.

Other attractions of the area are Scenic World, the Everglades Mall, the Echo Point Lookout, etc. Check these articles out!

Have you ever visited the gorgeous Megalong Valley Tea Rooms, just a 15-minute drive from Blackheath? Read our article  here. 

Or you  might enjoy doing the short but steep Empress Falls Walk, read all about it here.

Find more things do in the Blue Mountains with kids- click here.

Getting To The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains

Leura village is only 100 km from Sydney. Taking the M4, it is around hour and a half by car or nearly two hours by train from Central Station. Leura can be reached by public transport, although car is the easier option when travelling with kids. Leura Rail Station is around the corner from the main street, full of unique shops and cafes.

Blue Mountain Trolley Tours / Explorer Bus is an hourly hop on and hop of service that runs 7 days a week. The bus route consists of 29 stops / locations, including the Fairmont Resort & Spa.

Book The Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains

Book The Fairmont Resort & Spa direct, just click here.

Or, if you prefer, check pricing and availability on Booking.com  here.

So that’s it, the longest of all the Fairmont Resort & Spas reviews ever… hope you enjoyed this.  We really do believe that this is the best Blue Mountains resort and we are always happy to recommend it to families.

Have you stayed at the Fairmont Resort yourself?

If not, would it appeal to your family?

Mireia says: Thanks to Fairmont Resort for looking after us so well. My parents paid for their room and I paid one night’s accommodation. One night was free.  Seana has visited the resort both as a hosted and as a paying guest… and will return!

This post contains some affiliate links, meaning that if you book a stay at the Fairmont Resort & Spa a small feee is paid to support Hello Sydney Kids, at no cost to you.

Share with a friend