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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Victoria’s surprising new outdoor adventure hotspot

    Craig TansleyBy Craig Tansley
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    A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination. 

    There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.  

    old gold bank Victoria
    Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time. 

    It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.  

    Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital 

    Creswick bike trail
    This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

    Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria. 

    I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers. 

    I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.  

    The Woodlands
    The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides. 

    A traveller’s checklist 

    Staying there 

    1970s log cabin
    Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife. 

    Eating there 

    Le Peche Gourmand
    Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

    The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand . The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857. 

    Playing there 

    Miss NorthcottsGarden
    Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.