Finance and hotel developer Dominic Lambrinos is behind a $130 million “seven-star” resort and medi-spa planned for the NSW Hunter Valley, supported by 70 investors including prominent winemakers.
The project, called Laval Hunter Valley, will be built on a 165-acre vineyard and feature 65 pavilion-style villas, a 1,000sqm medi-spa offering cosmetic medical treatments, and extensive wine and hospitality facilities.
Around $18 million has been raised from investors, with returns advertised at between 10 and 12.7 per cent depending on contribution.
“This is the first new-build luxury resort development of this scale in the Hunter Valley in two decades,” Lambrinos said.
Lambrinos, who also owns hotels in Poland and Oman, said villas at the resort will start from $940 a night, including breakfast and a mini-bar, with bookings opening in October ahead of an expected mid-2027 completion.
Winemakers Brian McGuigan and Col Peterson are among those involved as investors and advisers, with McGuigan confirming he helped broker the land sale for $25 million.
“We started work on the hotel three years ago, and we needed a professional,” McGuigan said.
“We looked for a person of the same sort of mindset, and fortunately we ran into Dominic. We were able to talk him into a deal whereby we would sell him the land.”
He said he will remain involved in an advisory capacity but will not hold ownership in the resort.
The site, previously part of the Lindeman’s and Ben Ean estates, has already undergone civil works and will include large-scale landscaping with 21,000 native plants, more than 6,700 vines, a 25-metre pool and a poolside bar overlooking the Shiraz vineyard. Artworks by Gillie and Marc worth about $3 million will feature across the property.
The project follows a previously abandoned luxury hotel proposal by Lambrinos at Stonefields in Victoria, which was scrapped after community backlash.
Winemaker Jon Osbeiston, who is curating the wine program, said the planned 10,000-bottle cellar will showcase Hunter Valley staples such as Semillon and Shiraz alongside Australian and international producers.
Source: The Australian.
