Love is in the air at this time of year, and you’ll find much to make you weak at the knees throughout NSW. A flurry of heart-stopping dining and accommodation openings – with no expenses spared – bring a new spark, building on the state’s world-renowned reputation for natural beauty, boundless creativity and tantalising food and wine offerings. Take a look at these new and timeless reasons to fall in love with NSW. 

The newest hot spots for dinner dates
If the way to your heart is through your stomach, you’ll fall in love every day in NSW. In Sydney, experience the newest incarnation of an icon at Golden Century at The Crown, where the famed XO pippies always delight. Or revel in the punchy snack-style bites of Spanish tapas within the history-rich walls of Hotel Woolstore 1888 at Percy – the newly converted wool store of yesteryear a beautiful backdrop to the vibrant menu.

Getting out of the city, the culinary-curious will be rewarded with next-level dining throughout the state. Visit the fresh-faced Bistro Penny in Newcastle for dishes combining French bravado with flame-enhanced flavours, or Lucetta Dining in Orange for light and lovely Italian fare complemented with a cracking wine list featuring top NSW drops alongside Italian vinos. 

The standing-ovation-worthy events for every taste
With everything from international headliners to up-and-coming local talent, anyone and everyone can make a hot date with the state! Bask in the glow of Vivid Sydney’s celebration of light, music, ideas and food or  keep the cogs turning at a confluence of visionaries at South by Southwest Sydney festival. Sports aficionados are never at a loose end. Witness the rising stars of golf at the Australian Women’s Classic or the giants of AFL (a game forged in Australia). Music-lovers can find their groove by way of folk and roots acts playing the Cobargo Folk Festival in February or Chaka Khan’s set at Bluesfest in Byron Bay in April. And there’s always daily music and comedy shows in Sydney, as well as festivals all over the state.  

The thriving wine regions rich in diversity 
If wine is your love language, you’ll be drawn to NSW. Home to 14 incredible wine regions – among the oldest in the country – NSW wine bottles all the sweetness thanks to pockets of diverse climate. Snake through the Southern Highlands, stopping in at Tractorless Vineyard in Berrima for some top cool-climate wines while meeting the resident sheep, or head north from Sydney to tap into the vibrant vinicultural vein of Mudgee. Try wines made with six generations of knowledge at The Cellar by Gilbert after a morning soaring above the vineyards in a hot air balloon, or stop by De Beaurepaire Wines, where you’ll taste French-style drops within the 170-year-old stables. Of course, as the oldest wine region in Australia with 150 premium producers, the Hunter Valley never disappoints and the Shoalhaven, comprising the unique terroir of valleys meeting the coast, is also emerging as a major player in food and wine experiences. 

The culture of core-shaking creativity
Love has played the muse of artists for centuries and there’s a whole lot to love about the art and creativity within NSW. Explore the iconic halls of the Art Gallery of NSW, both the historic south building (Naala Nura), and the new north building where you’ll discover the powerful, contemporary exhibitions as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art displayed in the Yiribana Gallery. And, for a (free) dive into the world of Chinese experimental art, don’t miss White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale. Further afield, you’ll find the land just as fertile for creativity with regional galleries carving out bold identities for themselves. Set within the landscape, comprising 1,000 hectares of wildlife sanctuary Bundanon is also a subterranean art museum and site of Arthur Boyd’s studio on the South Coast. Continue down and you’ll arrive at the South East Centre for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Bega, a gallery seeking to unite community through engagement with the arts. There are many more experiences throughout the state, including Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, a celebration of its namesake (Australia's most celebrated still life painter, Margaret Olley), Ngununggula, the first regional gallery in the Southern Highlands and the Museum of Art and Culture yapang (MAC yapang) with its expansive sculpture garden on the shores of Lake Macquarie. 

The swoon-worthy coastline that’s made for play
Love at first sight is rare, but it’s almost assured when you’re met with the natural beauty of NSW’s coastline. Whether you’re dazzled by the crystal-clear waters lapping the shores of the white-sand beaches of the Shoalhaven or awed by the drama atop the dramatic cliffs in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, you’ll find beauty beyond compare where the ocean meets the shore. Take a hike along the new Southern Headlands Walk – a 20km one-way path between Narrawallee and Burrill Lake that connects 10 beautiful beaches – or swim in the splash zone of dolphin pods at Wategos Beach, recently listed as one of the best beaches in the world by Condé Nast Traveler. Whatever way you play, NSW’s coastline delivers ultimate natural playgrounds.

The luxe offering of unique stays worth cosying up to 
NSW plays host to incredible accommodation, with fresh openings so luxurious you’ll be seeing (five) stars. Part of Wunderlich Lane lifestyle precinct in Redfern, The EVE Hotel will draw glitterati and glamazons the world over for its Instagrammable interiors and adjacent hot-list restaurants. Recently scoring a mention in the New York Times’ ‘52 Places To Go This Year’ article, the newly refurbished Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is sure to be THE destination for international travellers, especially those eyeing a quick trip over to the state-of-the-art, four-storey upgrade to the Sydney Fish Markets. And lovers of seafood may also be lured by a new addition to Sydney’s Paddington – The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter features boutique accommodation above the three-chef-hatted, and 2025 Restaurant of the Year, Saint Peter. 

Regionally, The Silos Accommodation in Junee is an off-grid, eco-friendly retreat you’ll never want to leave, while Sona in Molong is a design-savvy converted bank with space for ten that can also be rented in one-bedroom and two-bedroom configurations if you’re looking for a more intimate affair.  Lovers of glamour will be making a beeline for voco Gosford. The Central Coast’s first new-build hotel in 15 years features a rooftop pool with swim-up bar that has ‘lap of luxury’ written all over it. 

The wealth of natural beauty
It’s safe to say that NSW is a perfect 10 when it comes to views and vistas. Marvel at the majesty of Sydney’s harbour from rooftops, restaurants, reserves or even by climbing the iconic bridge. The stunning outlooks from Barrenjoey Head and Sea Cliff Bridge (which you may know from various car commercials) offer a different take on a water view, while it’s the lack of water at Mungo National Park that makes it so arresting – the undulating moonscape will have you feeling like you’re on another planet. North of Newcastle, the desert-like Stockton Sand Dunes in Worimi Conservation Lands will transport you somewhere far beyond Australia’s shores.