2 Aussie stays made Conde Nast’s best hotels list – we stayed at both

Emily MurphyBy Emily Murphy
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The two iconic hotels were the only Australian stays to make the annual list and we’ve stayed at both. Our editors weigh in on their stays.

Condé Nast Traveller’s global editors have revealed their favourite places to stay across the world – and two Australian hotels have made the prestigious Gold List for 2025 . While the list includes some truly extraordinary properties from around the globe, what’s even more exciting is that we’ve stayed at both of the Aussie inclusions!

Here’s a glimpse into what it was like to stay at two of the best Australian hotels, shared through personal stories that bring these remarkable destinations to life.

Lizard Island

Lizard Island Great Barrier Reef Aerial
Do as much or as little as you like on Lizard Island. (Image: Supplied)

For Australian Traveller’s sub editor, Carla Grossetti, Lizard Island was more than just a luxury getaway – it was a homecoming. Growing up in Cairns, Carla spent her childhood snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, so the chance to revisit those waters in the lap of luxury was irresistible.

“You can do as much or as little as you like on Lizard Island. Launch yourself into the underwater environment and swim with turtles, snorkel over a giant clam garden and do your best impression of a starfish in Blue Lagoon," Carla says, who visited the Luxury Lodges of Australia property in 2024.

“The beauty of Lizard Island is that you can pamper yourself at the day spa, meet at the bar for sundowners and enjoy a world-class dining experience overlooking the waterfront," she says.

“I’m not surprised the resort featured on Condé Nast Traveller’s list of Best Hotels in Australia. It’s one of the best places I’ve stayed in the world and is the epitome of barefoot luxury."

Reflecting on her stay, Carla isn’t finished exploring this slice of paradise. “I’m currently manifesting a return visit: I’d like to go back in June to swim with minke whales during their annual migration," she concludes.

Lizard Island Great Barrier Reef Aerial Casuarina Beach and Blue Lagoon
Lizard Island is the epitome of barefoot luxury. (Image: Ken Butti)

Bullo River Station

Bullo River Station sign
Bullo River Station is rooted in connection to the land and its stories. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

For Australian Traveller’s print editor, Imogen Eveson, Bullo River Station offered a completely different kind of luxury – one rooted in connection to the land and its stories. Situated on over 160,000 hectares of Miriwoong and Gajirrawoong Country straddling a space between the Top End and the Kimberley, Bullo is a working cattle station (and one of our favourite station stays) that blends pastoral activities with conservation.

“My stay at Bullo River Station was one of the best domestic travel experiences I’ve had," Imogen explains.

“For me, it encapsulated what is distinctive about luxury travel in Australia. Low-key, down-to-earth and relaxed but with every last detail considered and executed flawlessly."

When Imogen visited in June 2024, Bullo River Station had just been announced as the latest member of Luxury Lodges of Australia, a collection of exceptional properties in spectacular locations that each tell a unique Aussie story.

Bullo River Station pool
Bullo River Station joined Luxury Lodges of Australia last year.

Days here are filled with adventure. From waterhole swims and leisurely cruises down the Bullo River to station tours and scenic helicopter flights over a sandstone wilderness carved by waterfalls, gorges and the convergence of two rivers.

“I saw the most stunning sunrise of my life when our chopper pilot landed on a pinnacle overlooking it all," she says.

“Above all, luxury travel in Australia means the luxury of experience. The privilege of access to an extraordinary environment and the opportunity to learn about it from the passionate people charged with protecting it."

Current owners Julian and Alexandra Burt, who bought Bullo in 2017, have set the property on a path towards transformation again with a groundbreaking new approach to land management and a collaboration with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). The vision is one where pastoral activities and conservation can thrive side by side, complemented by low-impact tourism that allows you to be totally immersed in the heart and soul of this place.

Bullo River Station outdoor dining experience
Days at Bullo River Station are filled with adventure. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

But the charm of Bullo lies in its quirks as much as its grandeur. Imogen recounted a moment of hilarity when her partner discovered a frog in the toilet.

“‘Ah, you’ve got a toilet frog!’ the staff chorused with a casual cheerfulness before instructing us, in such instances, to simply flush the loo and send the tiny tree frogs back where they came from; they are partial to the septic tank and don’t worry – we were assured it doesn’t harm them," Imogen recounts.

“I imagined all the traditional luxury hotels around the world where a commode cameo like this might provoke a freak-out among high-maintenance guests, and love knowing that Bullo is the kind of place that attracts likeminded people ready to throw themselves into the raw experience of it, frogs and all. And that to me feels so wonderfully Australian."

Bullo River Station toilet frog
Lucky the toilet frogs are cute. (Image: Imogen Eveson)
Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her time at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? Tasmania and The Kimberley.
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The ultimate Margaret River road trip itinerary for food & wine lovers

    Monique CeccatoBy Monique Ceccato
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    Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

    Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

    In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

    Day 1

    the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay
    Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

    There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

    Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

    Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

    Day 2

    After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

    Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering  dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

    Day 3

    Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

    With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

    Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

    Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

    For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

    Day 4

    Pair'd Beach Club
    Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.

    Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

    Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

    If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

    Day 5

    pair'd Grand Tasting
    Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

    Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

    Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

    Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

    Day 6

    Ngilgi Cave western australia
    Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

    After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

    Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

    Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

    Day 7

    Burnt Ends event at Pair'd
    Farewell the Margaret River.

    Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

    Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

    Pair’d Margaret River Region is proudly owned by the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA.