Our pick of the top 5 luxury lodges of Australia
It’s time to stop armchair dreaming and start living it…
If you’re desperate to throw off the shackles of lockdown and treat yourself to a luxury getaway, we’ve put together our top 5 best luxury lodges right here in Australia.
Emirates One&Only
WOLGAN VALLEY, NSW
Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is an ultra-luxury retreat, located 2.5 hours northwest of Sydney in the majestic World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains region. Set on 7,000 acres of carbon-neutral conservation and wildlife reserve, the resort blends absolute luxury and seclusion with a quintessentially Australian bush experience.
Nestled between two national parks, the resort offers a unique blend of solitude, native wildlife, dramatic natural beauty, conservation and heritage combined with unsurpassed facilities and outstanding food and wine.
Occupying just one per cent of the total land area, the resort features forty elegantly appointed, free-standing villas, each with its own swimming pool, double-sided fireplace and private verandah with stunning views of the
Wolgan Valley and rugged sandstone escarpments. At the centre of the resort sits the Main Homestead with several dining settings, a heritage precinct, and the One&Only Spa – a pampering sanctuary, featuring Australian Sodashi skin care.
The resort’s impressive assortment of native wildlife, dramatic landscapes and heritage, can be explored through a range of activities including wildlife safaris, nature walks, heritage tours, mountain biking and horse riding.
Guests are also invited to take part in the daily Conservation Activity, working alongside passionate field guides to help preserve this distinctive environment for the future.
Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley offers the rare opportunity to experience true luxury in the spectacular Australian bush.
Lake House
DAYLESFORD, VICTORIA
Culinary excellence, art, natural beauty and world class service. Welcome to Lake House, Daylesford.
Good food and wine are consuming passions here. A team of talented hospitality professionals with industry legend Culinary Director Alla WolfTasker at the helm, deliver beautiful cutting edge menus and wines from the
acclaimed cellar.
Regarded as one of the Best Restaurants in Australia, Lake House has two Chefs Hats and has topped many respected restaurant lists including The Hot 50, Wine List of the Year and Australia’s Best Food & Wine Experience.
The hotel’s chic studios, suites and Retreat Villas nestle in six acres of lush gardens extending down to Lake Daylesford. Each boasts artwork from acclaimed artist and co-owner Allan Wolf-Tasker’s onsite studio.
Guests can join one of the hands on classes or demonstrations in the Cooking School; visit the Salus Day Spa; play tennis; unwind by the infinity pool; explore lake paths meandering past mineral springs into the Wombat State Forest, and enjoy the walkable proximity of the charming village itself. Kookaburras fly in for dinner. Corellas, Cockatoos and Gang Gangs are frequent visitors. Many of Australia’s native animals can be encountered along the forest tracks.
As the sun sets over the far shore of the lake, the Argyle Library Bar or the Lagoon Deck are popular places to gather with fellow guests to share tales of the day’s adventures.
Cape Lodge
MARGARET RIVER, WA
Sitting on forty acres of manicured gardens, vineyard and native bushland within earshot of the sparkling Indian Ocean, Cape Lodge attracts those seeking a sophisticated retreat with all the trappings of a private country
house hotel.
A home away from home guests can while away the day away with a book under the shade of a peppermint tree, by the pool or for those with an energetic inclination there is tennis, croquet and hotel bikes for use to visit
neighbouring vineyards, boutique breweries and artisan chocolate makers.
Dining at the restaurant is a highlight of a stay at Cape Lodge. Menus feature local and home grown produce plucked from nearby oceans, local farms and the kitchen garden creating fresh, innovative cuisine.
The Margaret River Region is one of the most naturally beautiful wine regions in the World with over 160km of pristine coastline and beaches, karri forests and limestone caves. World class surfing, swimming, abseiling, mountain biking, golf and coastal hiking are nearby as well as a rich array of art galleries, farms shops and produce stores.
This private country estate has twenty-two secluded rooms and suites, a four bedroom private residence and its own eight acre vineyard producing some of Margaret River’s finest handcrafted Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz exclusively for guests of the lodge.
Spicers Peak Lodge
MARYVALE, QLD
Spicers Peak Lodge is Australia’s highest mountain lodge, standing 1,100 metres above sea level, surrounded by breathtaking views of south-east Queensland’s World Heritage listed Main Range National Park, Great Dividing
Range and Scenic Rim.
The lodge offers a range of activities designed to give guests an intimate opportunity to experience this strikingly beautiful part of the Australian wilderness including nature walks, 4WD discovery tours, scenic helicopter
tours, star gazing, mountain biking adventures, sunset picnics.
Facilities in and around the architecturally designed lodge include an infinity-edge swimming pool, hot spa, tennis court, guided walking and mountain bike trails, produce gardens, outdoor campfire, secluded picnic areas, guest lounge with library and fireplace, viewing deck with telescope, on-site day spa with heated plunge pool, bar and restaurant.
The Peak Restaurant offers guests a truly gourmet dining experience, with an emphasis on respect for produce, producer and the environment. These values are blended with impeccable techniques to yield a culinary style that pleases guests and food critics alike.
With ten luxurious suites and two private lodges, Spicers Peak Lodge is a unique blend of relaxing accommodation and fine dining at the height of luxury in one of south-east Queensland High Country’s most beautiful and
rugged wilderness areas.
Arkaba
FLINDERS RANGES, WA
An ancient landscape moulded by millions of years of geological activity, the Ikara-Flinders Ranges offers some of Australia’s most striking outback scenery.
Arkaba’s former sheep station turned thriving wildlife conservancy is home to a wondrous variety of bird and wildlife. The real luxury at Arkaba comes in the privilege of sharing this spectacular 60,000 acre private conservancy with just ten guests.
Arkaba’s homestead pays homage to a rich pastoral heritage in a style that is rustically chic and utterly exclusive. The homestead’s five rooms provide an oasis of comfort and style amidst a harsh and rugged landscape, where guests enjoy a taste of classic Australian country hospitality on a fully hosted, expertly guided Wild Bush Luxury experience in the outback.
Bush walks take you on a visible journey through time among creek beds riveted with seemingly immortal River Red Gums. Safari drives reveal craggy sandstone bluffs and the beauty of prehistoric mountain ranges. Track native wildlife with one of Arkaba’s conservationists or take a walk with one of the first inhabitants, the Adnamatna people, who have a connection with the land that emanates long before any European explorers or settlers appeared. Take a scenic flight over the ancient ramparts of Wilpena Pound and the salt pans of Lake Torrens or embrace your inner explorer and Heli-Hike along the spine of Arkaba’s rainbow-hued Elder Range. Swag out under star studded skies on an overnight Heli-Swag experience or enjoy a sundowner drink atop your own mountain as the sun sinks behind one of the world’s most incredible land formations: Wilpena Pound.
