Published on
March 23, 2026
For more than a century, Caves House Hotel has been woven into the holiday rituals of West Australians which include sandy-footed surf trips and multi-generation family getaways. The heritage pub-hotel will soon enter its new chapter after local developer Adrian Fini and his family take over its management. The property will maintain its original character through its 1930s art deco hotel and heritage-listed gardens and relaxed beach environment while providing improved hospitality services for modern travelers.
Iconic Yallingup hotel set to change hands
Property developer and hotelier Adrian Fini is on the cusp of purchasing Caves House Hotel in Yallingup, with the settlement understood to be subject only to the transfer of the venue’s liquor licence in the coming weeks. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, includes the historic hotel, the adjoining Yallingup General Store and Café, Yallingup Gugelhupf and Caves House Cellar, with existing tenants expected to be offered long‑term leases to ensure continuity in the village‑style precinct.
Mr Fini has characterised the acquisition as a family project rather than a conventional property play, with the intention to refine the hotel’s food, drink and accommodation while maintaining its relaxed, local feel. He has indicated that there are no plans to alter the structure of the hotel itself and has pledged to protect the much‑loved gardens that frame so many wedding photos, summer sessions and sunset memories in Yallingup.
Protecting a 120‑year tourism landmark
Initially built in 1903 by the Government of Western Australia to cater for visitors to nearby Ngilgi Cave, Caves House Hotel has long been at the heart of tourism in Yallingup and the wider Margaret River region. Its current form, rebuilt in the 1930s after a fire in the 1920s, is recognised for its heritage‑listed fabric and lush terraced gardens, making it a standout example of early resort architecture in the South West.
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The hotel’s official history notes that it began as simple cave‑tour accommodation before evolving into a lively social hub, complete with extensions, beer gardens and entertainment spaces as coastal tourism boomed through the 20th century. Today, the venue markets itself as “the heart of Yallingup”, offering pub‑style dining, a busy live music schedule and a mix of heritage rooms, modern apartments and a homestead that together anchor the town’s year‑round visitor economy.
Heritage gardens and building in safe hands
In comments made around the sale, Mr Fini has stressed that his family views themselves as custodians of a Western Australian icon and that they intend to keep the structure intact while enhancing guest experiences. He has also emphasised that the terraced lawns and gardens – a favourite spot for alfresco drinks, weddings and sunset listening sessions to local bands – will be actively protected as part of the site’s heritage value.
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Caves House Hotel chief executive Leah Colton has said that outgoing owners Neil and Libby Jilley spent considerable time identifying a buyer who understood both the property’s heritage significance and its role in the local community. She has described Caves House as far more than a hotel, calling it a Western Australian icon with over 120 years of history, and expressed confidence that keeping the landmark in local hands would ensure its legacy is both protected and thoughtfully advanced.
What the sale means for visitors
For travellers, little is expected to change in the short term: the bar and restaurant will continue serving classic pub favourites and local South West produce, while live music remains a drawcard most nights of the week. The ten heritage‑listed hotel rooms, with their art deco styling, and the adjacent self‑contained apartments and homestead accommodation are set to remain key options for guests seeking a stay within walking distance of Yallingup Beach and Ngilgi Cave.
Over time, visitors may notice an uplift in the overall food and beverage offer, along with refreshed accommodation and public spaces, as the Fini family seeks to “elevate” the experience without losing the relaxed, coastal charm that has made Caves House a South West institution. Given the property’s status as a cornerstone venue of the Yallingup, Dunsborough and Margaret River region, any enhancements are likely to ripple through the broader tourism offering, from longer stays to increased mid‑week visitation.
A family with deep South West ties
The Fini family already has a significant footprint in the region, leading a proposed 280 million dollar coastal development at nearby Smiths Beach, which includes plans for homes, a 65‑room hotel and camping sites across a 19‑hectare parcel. Their involvement has positioned them as influential players in shaping how the South West balances environmental sensitivity, community expectations and high‑end tourism infrastructure.
Local stakeholders have suggested that having a buyer with an existing appreciation of the South West landscape and tourism economy bodes well for the future of Caves House. With the hotel’s liquor licence transfer expected within weeks, attention within the region’s tourism community is turning to how the new owners might weave Caves House even more tightly into Yallingup’s mix of surfing, cave exploration, wine touring and coastal walking experiences.
The future of Yallingup
Most people from Western Australia complete their visit to Yallingup by exploring the stone hallways of Caves House which leads to outdoor drinking areas with festoon lights and they spend the night in traditional heritage rooms after their daytime surfing activities. After a decade of Jilley family ownershipthe hotel will enter its next phase with Fini family members who will become its new owners. The local community and returning guests hope to maintain the hotel’s atmosphere which serves as Yallingup’s social gathering space while adding modern updates for future visitors who will arrive for road trips and wine tasting events and beach vacations.
Image Credit: Caves House Hotel
