Lodge
Kangaroo Island, Australia
Southern Ocean Lodge
Twenty-five clifftop suites and a rebuilt Great Room look straight out over the Southern Ocean on Kangaroo Island's south coast.
Price on request
Oceania · Australia
Australia
Sydney and the reef, wine country and lodges in places most visitors never reach.
Our notes
Australia needs two weeks to be worth the flight. Sydney and the Barossa or Margaret River make one half; the Great Barrier Reef, the Kimberley or Tasmania make the other. The lodges, on the reef, in the outback and along the Tasmanian coast, are the reason to come rather than the cities alone. Seasons invert: the southern summer runs December to February, the reef is best from June to October, and the Kimberley only opens in the dry.
Stay
Hotels and resorts in Australia
Camp
Uluru, Australia
Longitude 131
Sixteen tented pavilions face Uluru across the red dunes of the Red Centre, with a single Dune Pavilion looking to both Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
Price on request
Resort
Hamilton Island, Australia
Qualia
Qualia occupies the northern tip of Hamilton Island, with pavilions facing the Coral Sea, two restaurants and a private helipad used for reef flights.
Price on request
Lodge
Kimberley, Australia
El Questro Homestead
An adults-only, all-inclusive retreat with cantilevered suites above the Chamberlain River, inside El Questro Wilderness Park in the East Kimberley.
Price on request
Hotel
Sydney, Australia
Capella Sydney
A heritage-listed 1912 building in Sydney's Sandstone Precinct, now housing 192 rooms, three restaurants and a Level Six spa.
Price on request
Private island
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Lizard Island
Lizard Island Resort sits directly on the Great Barrier Reef, 240 kilometres north of Cairns, across a 1,013-hectare National Park with 24 secluded white-sand beaches and 40 rooms, suites and villas.
Price on request
Private island
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Orpheus Island Lodge
Fourteen beachfront rooms, suites and villas on a privately held island in the Great Barrier Reef, with three daily meals and water sports equipment included in every stay.
Price on request
Private island
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
InterContinental Hayman Island Resort
An island resort within the Great Barrier Reef, reached only by boat, helicopter or private charter from Hamilton Island, with 182 rooms, suites and villas across four wings and four hilltop residences.
Price on request
Lodge
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Silky Oaks Lodge
Forty treehouse-style suites stand on 32 hectares of rainforest above the Mossman River, twenty minutes from Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef.
Price on request
Hotel
Sydney, Australia
The Langham, Sydney
A Georgian-style hotel on Kent Street in Millers Point, facing the Sydney Observatory, with a 20-metre pool and a tennis court across the road.
Price on request
Camp
Victoria Falls, Australia
Mpala Jena
Six suites sit above the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe's Zambezi National Park, upstream from Victoria Falls, sharing a thatched lounge, bar and pool overlooking the water.
Price on request
Camp
Victoria Falls, Australia
Mpala Jena Private Villas
Two three-bedroom villas on the banks of the Zambezi River in Zambezi National Park, each with its own pool, chef, butler and safari vehicle.
Price on request
Hotel
Melbourne, Australia
The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne
The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne occupies the upper floors of an 80-storey tower on Lonsdale Street, with guest rooms from level 65 and a restaurant on level 80.
Price on request
Hotel
Sydney, Australia
Crown Towers Sydney
Crown Towers Sydney stands above the Barangaroo precinct, with harbour-facing rooms and villas that include butler service.
Price on request