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Spicers Sangoma Retreat
Bowen Mountain, Australia · Spicers Retreats · High Luxury
A half-built stone castle once stood here, with gun turrets, a moat and a secret tunnel, and the basement tunnel remains. South Africans Michael Podles and Zenga Butler named it Sangoma, a Zulu word for healer, and Barbara Tarnawski set steel-and-glass pavilions in the bush with Glenn Murcutt's bush houses in mind. Spicers opened it under their name on 2 January 2015. Eight private suites share the ten acres. On a clear day the Chief Suite sees the Sydney skyline, eighty kilometres off. Michelin has awarded Two Keys.
- 8 rooms
- Neighborhood: Blue Mountains
- Architect: Barbara Tarnawski
About Spicers Sangoma Retreat
- The abandoned castle had gun turrets, sentry boxes, a moat and a secret escape tunnel. It was too unsafe to keep, but the basement and the tunnel were retained in the new retreat.
- Barbara Tarnawski was the architect. Michael Podles, a former art consultant, and stylist Zenga Butler, both from South Africa, shaped the first interiors and gave the retreat its Zulu name.
- The steel, glass and raw concrete block take their cue from Glenn Murcutt's rural buildings, and Barbara Tarnawski turned that cue into the retreat.
- The Chief Suite runs to two levels and 102 square metres, with a private heated plunge pool. Upstairs, a clear day shows the Sydney skyline about 80 kilometres away.
- Podles and Butler were already hosting guests when Spicers bought the retreat. The group opened it under the Spicers name on 2 January 2015, and the count is now eight suites.
History
Spicers Sangoma Retreat stands at 70 Grandview Lane, Bowen Mountain, on about ten acres at the foot of the Blue Mountains. A half-built stone castle once occupied the site, with gun turrets, sentry boxes, a moat and a secret tunnel. The castle was unsafe and could not be saved. The basement and the tunnel stayed.
South African owners Michael Podles and Zenga Butler named the retreat Sangoma, a Zulu word for healer. Barbara Tarnawski designed the pavilions. Spicers opened the property under the group name on 2 January 2015. Eight private suites now sit around the main house. The two-level Chief Suite looks toward Sydney, about eighty kilometres away on a clear day.
The setting
15 km from Richmond Golf Course.
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
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