QT Newcastle gives back to the community by virtue of the fact it’s housed in the iconic 113-year-old former David Jones building, which Novocastrians have a high degree of ownership over. As well as respecting the elegant bones of the building, the luxury hotel has widened the lens to include a contemporary modern Australian bar and grill (Jana) and sky-high izakaya-style bar (Rooftop at QT) that celebrate NSW producers. The hotel uses refillable Kevin Murphy dispensers in its bathrooms, offers free bike hire and features upcycled materials throughout.
QT Newcastle is housed in the 113-year-old former David Jones building.
In keeping with IHG’s burgeoning brand, voco Brisbane City Centre is filled with edgy artworks and warm, playful interiors. The design of the 194-room hotel was influenced by its riverside location with a mostly neutral palette that features bright pops of the signature voco yellow. Conscious travellers will appreciate sustainable initiatives such as aerated showerheads to reduce water usage, plush bedding filled with 100 per cent recycled materials, refillable Antipodes amenities and free access to handcrafted bamboo bikes. Soak up some sunshine in the rooftop pool and kick back at Kraft & Co., a cafe by day and atmospheric lounge at night.
The design has a mostly neutral palette that features bright pops of the signature voco yellow.
Australia has a new high-end eco-resort, located in the pretty village of Blackheath in NSW’s Blue Mountains. So far Chalets at Blackheath has four chalets dotted around the 6.4-hectare property, each featuring a king-size bed, fireplace and oversized bathrooms fed by rainwater. The eco-resort is located where the Jemby Rinjah Eco Lodge once stood (it was destroyed during the 2019 bushfires) and the new owner, entrepreneur Angela O’Connell, has been busy regenerating the property since acquiring it in 2020. The resort is built around a ‘biophilic’ approach to architecture that aims to connect guests more closely with nature.
Chalets at Blackheath has four chalets dotted around the property.
Sample the austere beauty of the Mudgee Region with a stay in The Little Lady, the latest Tiny Away transplant at Naked Lady Wines, a small 5.6-hectare family-run vineyard in Rylstone. The modest but perfectly formed two-storey loft-style home was prefabricated offsite and includes an eco-friendly compost toilet and kitchenette and views over Capertee Valley that feel particularly extravagant. The Little Lady makes a great base from which to explore nearby Wollemi National Park or, if the mood takes you, participate in a tasting of the estate’s award-winning basket-pressed wines.
The Little Lady in the Mudgee region is the latest Tiny Away. (Image: Tiny Away)
There are four private campsites at Mirumiru, located at the foot of Mt Mackenzie near Tenterfield in NSW’s New England High Country, including the Mary Ann Bugg tiny bubble tent (must be aged over seven) that you can book alongside the Captain Thunderbolt. By night, you can soak in a vintage outdoor tub before curling up in your designer-appointed Bubbletent to watch the stars rise up through the valley and confetti the night sky.
Watch the stars from your bed. (Image: Sera J Wright)
Standing for ‘live your freedom’, lyf (pronounced life) is a next-gen hotel designed as a place to work, play and network. Targeted at millennials and digital nomads, the Collingwood property, located two minutes’ walk to Smith Street, described by Time Out as ‘the world’s coolest street’, has 105 studio rooms, a social lounge on the ground floor with colourful murals by local street artist Mysterious Al, a communal kitchen and meeting spaces.
lyf is a next-gen hotel designed as a place to work, play and network.
The town of Bundanoon in NSW’s Southern Highlands now has a gracious accommodation offering to match its delightful country vibe. Osborn House sits in a secluded knoll between Bundanoon and Morton National Park, providing a luxury country retreat that wouldn’t be out of place in the Cotswolds or the Hamptons. Housed in a fully refurbished 1892 heritage-listed guesthouse, the 15 suites enjoy garden and forest views and are filled with vintage furnishings and objects, while seven newly built self-contained cabins also boast fireplaces and balcony bathtubs.
The food offering is rustic but considered, making full use of the area’s outstanding regional produce and the property’s kitchen garden, while the wellness facilities include a lap pool, an indulgent spa and gym. Prices start from $660 per night for suites and $1045 for cabins.
Sleep in a fully refurbished 1892 heritage-listed guesthouse.
The newly revitalised Wake Up! Byron Bay is a refreshing offering in the holidaymaking mecca. A stylish hidden gem pitched at a reasonable price point, rooms here cater to all comers, from families to couples to solo travellers, with beachy self-contained cottages, private queen rooms and shared rooms that accommodate four, six, eight or 10 in comfort. Guests are spoilt with complimentary surfboards, SUP and bike hire, daily yoga classes, fitness classes and sunset lighthouse tours, while the sand and surf of Belongil Beach are just 50 metres away.
Wake Up in Byron Bay.
When it comes to end-of-the-earth escapes, SA’s Eyre Peninsula is the perfect location to make you feel removed from the day-to-day of our modern existence. Yambara (meaning ‘away’ or ‘out of sight’ in the local Barngarla language), the area’s newest beachfront tiny abode, indulges in the blissful isolation of the area, with an off-grid focus and views of Sleaford Bay, Whalers Way and Port Lincoln National Park that can only be described as awe-inspiring.
The zero-carbon, sustainably designed, luxuriously appointed cabin (think handmade Moroccan tiles, Bed Threads and I Love Linen linens and eco-friendly Koala mattresses) sits lightly in its surroundings, which includes its own private beach just 100 metres from the generous deck.
Yambara means ‘away’ or ‘out of sight’ in the local Barngarla language.
Opening early in 2022, Travelodge Hotel Hurstville will offer easy access to the city, as well as the natural wonders of Cronulla’s beaches and nearby Royal National Park. Sydney’s newest Travelodge Hotel will be situated smack-bang in the heart of Hurstville, a vibrant multicultural hub just seven kilometres from Sydney Airport. All up, there will be 124 rooms in the new centrally located hotel, a rooftop restaurant and bar, and extensive conferencing facilities (the biggest outside of the Sydney CBD, in fact).
Accor’s latest Sofitel hotel, the Sofitel Adelaide, is the first new internationally branded five-star hotel to open in Adelaide in 30 years. The sleek property, set to include 251 luxurious guest rooms and suites, nods to the fact the SA capital was once best known as ‘the city of churches’.
Confession: we love the cathedral-like ceilings in the lobby, the red-wine-inspired chandelier and heavenly artworks said to ‘blend the secular with the sacred’. While the guest rooms are designed with a French-colonial-meets-contemporary aesthetic in mind, there’s additional wow factor with the French-inspired restaurant, two bars and a swimming pool.
Accor’s latest Sofitel hotel, the Sofitel Adelaide.
Set for a mid-year opening, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne will dominate the city skyline, standing at a soaring 270 metres tall. Guests will be offered an equally heady experience, entering an express elevator in order to check in at the Sky Lobby on level 80.
The 257 guest rooms and suites, rendered in a muted colour palette and materials inspired by the city, will come with comforts expected of the Ritz-Carlton name and reputation. The guest offering is completed by a restaurant, library bar, all-day dining lounge, and The Ritz-Carlton Spa, with six treatment rooms, spa, sauna and infinity pool.
Relax in the backdrop of Melbourne’s skyline.
The Langham, Gold Coast has 169 rooms and suites (located on the third to 20th floors), with the Jewel Residences by The Langham offering up another 170 serviced apartments from level 22–49. Sitting on the beachfront in Surfers Paradise, the property’s striking exterior resembles quartz crystals, while its interiors will embrace a ‘coast meets city’ vibe with sun-bleached timbers and lots of teal, azure and tan hues.
Expect a selection of eateries including signature Cantonese restaurant, T’ang Court; the lobby lounge and bar, the setting for the brand’s celebrated afternoon tea; and a pool bar and sky terrace bar with uninterrupted ocean views. Chuan Spa offers treatments inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine with a fully equipped fitness centre and outdoor swimming pools.
Sit on the beachfront in Surfers Paradise.
Housed within the grand Art Deco proportions of the former Sydney Water Board building (known officially, yet less glamorously, as the Sydney Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board), the arrival of Kimpton Sydney in early 2022 will inject some eclectic style into the Emerald City’s hotel scene.
The brand is known for its melding of art, pattern, colour and texture to create interiors that are interesting and welcoming, and this latest property will be no exception with 172 rooms and suites filled with art, coffee machines and yoga mats; a selection of eateries, including the Luke Mangan-helmed Luke’s Kitchen; 24-hour fitness centre; and an oh-so-Sydney rooftop swimming pool and bar.
The Kimpton will be known for its melding of art, pattern, colour and texture.
Inspired by the rich history of Surry Hills and the warm, cinematic colour palette of the Australian landscape, the new Ace Hotel (designed by Flack Studio) is Sydney’s new accommodation playground.
Slated for a early 2022 opening, the premiere property will be the first Ace in the Southern Hemisphere, drawing clear design cues from the neighbourhood fabric that surrounds. Many of the furnishings, artworks and interior details were created uniquely for the property, ticking the boxes for both style and substance.
As of right now, reservations are now open. Book to enjoy a post-COVID escape in one of 264 rooms, a gym, a restaurant and cafe, a lobby bar, and, of course, a rooftop bar and restaurant.
Meet the interiors of Ace Hotel.
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