LUXURY ESCAPES

A gentleman called Mr Lovecraft once came to Australia. He’d travelled all the way from Hollywood, in search of respite from his legions of screaming fans and a doggedly-persistent paparazzi. He found what he was looking for, when he got here: one of the world’s most discreet destinations, Lizard Island. If you’ve never heard of Mr Lovecraft, well – that’s the point. A far cry from flashy cousins Hayman and Hamilton, Lizard is the definition of low-profile; a place of creamy beaches and white daybeds, where the well-heeled and world-famous come to retreat from the world. Despite its remote location,...

 Indulge yourselves at one of these weekend getaway destinations. By Alissa Jenkins INDULFENCE, EURO-STYLE, SA Where? // Aldgate House is two minutes from Aldgate Village in the Adelaide Hills, about 30km south-east of Adelaide’s CBD. Why? // Spa bath, wine cellar, heated floors and king-size everything – this is the newest accommodation of Adelaide Hills, and as luxe and lavish as you’d expect. Also at your doorstep are a plethora of food and wine hotspots. How much? // From $250 per night. aldgatehouse.com.au STYLE AND ARCHITECTURE, TAS Where? // Marion Bay House is situated on 100 acres overlooking Marion Bay, 40km east of Hobart Airport....

AT looks at the most indulgent lodge stays in Oz and why they're worth the splurge... #1 Saffire Freycinet Coles Bay, Tasmania #2 El Questro Homestead The Kimberley, WA #3 Lizard Island Great Barrier Reefer, QLD #4 Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa Wolgan Valley, NSW #5 Qualia Hamilton Island, QLD #6 Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, SA #7 Longitude 131 Yulara, NT #8 Bamurru Plains Swim Creek Station, Humpty Doo, Nt #9 Capella Lodge Lord Howe Island, NSW #10 Spicers Peak Lodge, Maryvale, QLD...

We countdown the ultimate Australian destinations where you can really unwind and indulge - #10 Spicers Peak Lodge, Maryvale, QLD 10 SPICERS PEAK LODGE Maryvale, QLD TOP CAPACITY: A maximum of 26 people can stay here at any time. There are 10 lodge suites and two private lodges. WHAT TO EXPECT Overlooking Queensland’s stunning Scenic Rim, Spicers Peak Lodge was built by travel industry entrepreneur and environmental advocate Graham Turner and his wife Jude. The multi-award-winning, architecturally exquisite property regularly attracts the highest echelon of Australian and international business executives and celebrities seeking a brief but intense dose of nature,...

Home swaps sound great in theory, but unless you’re good friends with the family you’re swapping with you’d be forgiven for feeling a little uncomfortable about how it would work in reality – you’ve got to trust someone with your possessions, after all. A managed luxury home swap agency takes some fear out of the equation, but unless you own an expensive home of your own it’s not going to be much use to you. It certainly rules out the AT office! But if your circumstances are better than ours, you might be interested in Luxe Home Swap, an online...

Where is it? All around Australia. This is a bit of a cheat: there are 17 experiences you need to tick off before you can say you’ve completed #28. “A girl’s gotta dream: just the idea of this makes me weak at the knees.”  Catriona Rowntree Luxury Lodges of Australia is a collection of independently owned and run five-star accommodation, including Arkaba Station in the Flinders Ranges, Bamarru Plains on the edge of Kakadu National Park, Bedarra Island off the coast of Queensland, Cape Lodge in Margaret River, Lake House in Daylesford, qualia on Hamilton Island, Saffire at Freycinet (pictured...

The luxury lodge is the new black of Australian travel – their time has truly come. The resort experience has been superseded as discerning travellers or exhausted couples in need of rejuvenation seek out the privacy, guest-only activities and indulgence of boutique luxury lodges. While a high-end resort packs in the rooms with relative luxury, the lodge experience goes so much further. Similar to the well-established luxury lodges of NZ and South Africa, the Australian luxury lodge is about the local environment, access to exclusive experiences, privacy and world-class service. The early pioneers of the luxury lodges of Australia were El...

Australian Traveller Magazine's 100 Great Australian Holiday Homes This two-story colonial cottage overlooking Darwin’s natural harbour and esplanade sets the standard for holiday homes in the area, and will have you reaching for your Panama Hat and gin and tonic in no time. As veteran travel journo Bruce Elder jotted in their guestbook: “I have reviewed accommodation for 12 years for the SMH and, after hundreds of places, this is seriously in my all-time top three. Sensational.” Big words, Bruce. But with its fresh white exterior, wrap-around balconies, mahogany shuttered windows, cream furnishings, scattering of Asian antiques, tropical garden full...

With soft-as-a-cloud beds, sweet-smelling soaps and elegant surrounds, five star stays serve up a generous slice of hotel heaven. But the prices can be sheer hell. By Tiana Templeman. 1. Sign up for savings Travellers who sign up for eNewsletters to receive advance notice of upcoming specials and great deals know that spam can be tasty. Large hotel groups offer the most variety, but small is beautiful too. A stay at one of the boutique Baillie Lodges is normally out of most people’s price range (Kangaroo Island’s admittedly beautiful Southern Ocean Lodge starts at $1800 per night) but they have...

When it comes to luxury, everyone seeks an intimate and private hotel in one of Australia’s unique locations. AT invited eight of the best boutique escapes from across Australia to open their doors to the AT community. It’s your lucky day . . . Boutique Luxury Gems  Special Australian Traveller Promotion   Boutique Luxury Gems When it comes to luxury, everyone seeks an intimate and private hotel in one of Australia’s unique locations. AT invited eight of the best boutique escapes from across Australia to open their doors to the AT community. It’s your lucky day . . .  Bannisters Point Lodge  McAlpine House...

An Australian Traveller feature across seven heavenly categories of luxury travel – on the road, in the air, in the snow, on the water, on the beach, Seven Heavenly Sins Australia's Most Expensive & Luxurious Holidays    Across seven heavenly categories of luxury travel – on the road, in the air, in the snow, on the water, on the beach, in the city and in the outback – Australian Traveller welcomes you inside our most lavish hotels, beach houses, secluded islands, private jets, ski resorts, boats and cars for this extraordinary look at what’s available to those with the means to...

A major feature on great places around Australia for the full spa resort treatment, just in time for Mothers Day Boarding the Pamper Wagon   By Michelle Hespe You’re dying to give mum the full spa treatment for Mothers Day, but how do you avoid the risks? What should you be paying? And what, for Pete’s sake, is a “Vichy Shower”? Read on, and be less and less confused about the world of spas and retreats . . . It’s been a part of tribal living and Asian lifestyle for centuries, European high society has long relied upon its charms...

Be swept away with these utterly indulgent destinations, where you can expect stunning surroundings, gourmet food, too much booze and hours of massage...ahhhhhh..... In Your Dreams? Who wants a freebie to an obscenely expensive and indulgent private resort, copious quantities of food and booze via personal chef and butler, a private spa pool with a gorgeous hands-on partner or two, then hours of massage and rejuvenation therapies while the ego is stroked? Those of us who work for Australian Traveller get all these perks . . . in our dreams. Few of us, if any, can actually afford to go....