'I'm calling it: This NSW luxury stay is the perfect weekend escape.'

If you know me, you would know that I am a huge fan of low-key luxury stays. Even though I live in Sydney, I hold staycations as the superior form of escapism because they're completely stress free from beginning to end.

They're easier to get to (because they're usually closer to home), they require no itineraries or to-do lists, and because they're so "chill", all you need is a weekend or a few days to relax and reset before you go back to normal programming.

My love for low-key luxury stays was inherited from my mother. So, when I had the opportunity to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, an IHG Hotel, I knew that I had to bring my mum along (it was also her birthday, so it coincidentally doubled up as a present *phew*).

The hotel was only a 20-minute drive from my mum's place in Castle Hill — a huge win for carsick girlies like myself. When we got there, there was plenty of parking — a huge win for parking anxiety girlies (also like myself), and a pleasant surprise, because they had a few events happening while we were staying there.

Before we entered the hotel, we were lucky enough to see a beautiful wedding take place on the front lawn. The backdrop of the valley and greenery was so stunning it almost made us forget that we were still in Sydney. It didn't, however, make my mother forget to ask me, "When would you like to get married?"

I ignored her, playing the 'it's-my-birthday-so-I'm-allowed-to' card, because we were thrown straight into a fresh air of relaxation.

The hotel offers a range of packages, and we were fittingly on the "hush trip" package, which is a new addition to their offerings. You can read more about hush trips here, but I would definitely recommend this package if you need a quick escape from work (but you didn't hear that from me *wink*).

Even better, the hotel gave us a complimentary $50 voucher to use at the bar, a suite upgrade, and unlimited barista made coffee — heaven!

Although our aim was to relax, I can speak for both of us when I say that the highlight of our stay was definitely the cocktail-making class. Located in Harvest Restaurant, our teacher, Te Taawhi Patena, was brilliant at not only teaching us how to make our favourite drinks, but also explaining the reason behind different mixes, the origins of the cocktails and the techniques needed.

Just two girls and their cocktails. Image: Supplied.

I've been recommending this class to everyone who's asked me about this stay. It's such a great idea for a birthday present, date night or — like me — a mother-daughter bonding session. Oh and yes, they are very generous with the drinks.

Another highlight I have to mention is the dinner at Harvest Restaurant. My mum and I are both such big foodies, AKA we literally eat anything and everything. That night, we ate everything.

The dreamy dishes in question.

Harvest Restaurant on a Friday night is a vibe. We indulged in a three-course dinner while listening to live acoustic piano music. And because I know you're going to ask, my favourite was the bone marrow and steak tartare, and my mum's favourite was the shrimp bisque soup — literally mouth watering.

And now for the best part of the stay… the room. We spent hours just lounging in our hotel room and taking as much time as we possibly could to get ready for our dinner. The room was beautiful, comfortable and so, so quiet — something I did not expect, because there was a massive wedding party happening right next to us.

Mum was very happy! Image: Supplied.

That one night away made it feel like I indulged in this low-key luxury for an entire week. It was the ideal escape from our everyday routines, and made us both feel we were on a long holiday.

Mamamia travelled as a guest of Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.

If you want more from Emily Vernem you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.