This wellness-first stay is MICHELIN’S latest obsession.
Over the last year, MICHELIN has quietly added 14 Australian hotels to its global list of high-quality stays, and this serene bathhouse retreat is the latest. Meet The Sanctuary at Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, the wellness-led stay that shows exactly what MICHELIN is rewarding right now.
MICHELIN does not hand out hotel recognition lightly. So, when the guide adds new stays to its global list, it is worth paying attention. This year, 14 Aussie hotels have been added to its “Selections", bringing the national total to 72. In addition to those, 25 hotels hold One MICHELIN Key, nine have Two MICHELIN Keys, and just one has received the coveted Three MICHELIN Keys.
Why MICHELIN is obsessed with this Mornington Peninsula stay
The Sanctuary’s five luxurious stand-alone villas and two additional studio rooms opened in June 2025.
Set among native bushland on the Mornington Peninsula, The Sanctuary is Alba’s luxury accommodation offering. It is calm, pared back and entirely built around wellness. Private villas. Soft lighting. Thermal bathing rituals. Silence that feels intentional.
This is not luxury built to impress on arrival. It’s luxury designed to slow you down.
MICHELIN’s interest here is telling. Across its global hotel coverage, the guide is increasingly drawn to stays that prioritise experience over excess. Nature. Wellbeing. A strong sense of place. The Sanctuary ticks every box.
What MICHELIN “Selections" actually means
The Sanctuary includes inclusive access to Alba Thermal Springs and Spa for each day of your stay.
MICHELIN’s hotel guide sits alongside its restaurant ratings but follows a different system. Every hotel included in the guide is considered a high-quality stay, assessed by MICHELIN’s inspectors using the same global standards applied worldwide.
From within this collection, the very best are awarded One, Two or Three MICHELIN Keys, the hotel equivalent of MICHELIN Stars for restaurants.
In other words, “Selections" are hotels that have already met MICHELIN’s international benchmark. Keys identify the most exceptional of the exceptional. Many Selection hotels go on to earn Keys later, but all are considered worth travelling for.
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AI Prompt
The 14 newly added Australian hotels
The Sundays is the first new hotel to open on Hamilton Island since 2007.
InterContinental Sydney boasts the city’s most spectacular views.
Design-savvy travellers will love Kimpton Margot Sydney.
The Sanctuary at Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, Mornington Peninsula, Vic
Alba Thermal Springs and Spa is a destination in its own right.
The Sanctuary’s moment in the spotlight feels like a turning point. MICHELIN is clearly leaning into wellness-led stays, quiet luxury and hotels that offer something deeper than a beautiful room.
For travellers, this list is a shortcut to what is genuinely worth booking right now. For Australia’s hotel scene, it is confirmation that bathhouses, slow travel and nature-connected stays are no longer fringe experiences.
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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? South Australia and The Kimberley.
Whether you prefer harbour views or coastal escapes, these seven hotels prove that every holiday should start poolside.
For the 13 million Australians planning a domestic holiday next year, where to stay is as important as where to go. The ideal hotel is one that helps you relax the moment you check in, with freshly prepared dining, easy access to local attractions, and an inviting pool lined with loungers and lush greenery. These seven hotel pools tick every box.
1. Hilton Surfers Paradise
Dive into this sunny pool precinct.
What’s better than a stunning hotel swimming pool? Four stunning hotel swimming pools. Just two minutes’ walk from the iconic Surfers Paradise beachfront, Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & Residences has its own pool precinct extending over 1500sqm.
There’s a 40-metre lap pool, plunge pool, kids’ pool with playground, and an indoor pool for a heated escape on cooler days. Follow up your swim with a luxury treatment at the eforea Spa, before taking in the ocean and hinterland views at the hotel’s Catch Restaurant. Guests can choose from luxury hotel rooms, or fully self-contained apartments with a kitchen, laundry and private balcony. The Sky Residences are located on level 33 and above, and include floor-to-ceiling windows, larger balconies and stop-you-in-your-tracks views.
2. Hilton Cairns
Spend a day by the tropical lagoon-style pool.
If location is key, Hilton Cairns offers an urban, waterfront escape just two minutes’ walk from the marina, Cairns Esplanade Lagoon and CBD. When you’re not exploring the Great Barrier Reef or the local restaurants and markets, you’ll most likely spend your time on a lounger by the inviting tropical lagoon-style pool, shaded by lush palm trees. There’s even a ‘Popsicle Hotline’ for a complimentary ice block delivered straight to your lounger, or order from the popular pool bar.
Every room at the Hilton Cairns features a private balcony – rare for city hotels – so you can sip your coffee and watch the sunrise as the marina readies itself for boats heading out to the reef through Trinity Inlet.
3. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns
Pull up a lounge chair and enjoy the Cairns weather.
Famous for their ridiculously delicious welcome cookies, served warm on arrival, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns is also known for its seven-story, open-air tropical atrium with waterfalls, bridges, pathways and a pond filled with barramundi. Some rooms and internal balconies overlook this rainforest indoor garden, and you can explore it anytime you like.
Don’t miss the regular fish-feeding sessions. When you’re not adventuring in the atrium, pull up a lounge chair beside the newly refurbished pool, or enjoy The Vine Room restaurant and bar, which won best redeveloped hotel in QLD at the Queensland Hospitality Awards. This hotel is the perfect base to visit the nearby Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, Cairns Aquarium, and the Reef Fleet Terminal.
4. Hilton Garden Inn Busselton
Enjoy the heated pool at Hilton Garden Inn Busselton.
To experience the colour-soaked sunrises of South West WA, get up early and take a dip in the welcoming, heated pool at Hilton Garden Inn Busselton. Overlooking the sheltered Geographe Bay foreshore, the loungers are perfectly positioned to take advantage of sunny afternoons as well.
Order a cool drink or devour fresh seafood from the hotel’s restaurant, Together & Co Restaurant. The unique menu is refreshed seasonally, but expect locally sourced Western Australian produce, Margaret River wines and modern Australian dishes. This hotel also offers Ocean View Rooms that frame the iconic Busselton Jetty nearby, as well as some rooms with private balconies, all decked out in soft coastal colours, pale timbers and sandy tones, reflecting the surrounding landscape.
5. Hilton Darwin
Head to the sun-drenched rooftop pool.
As soon as you drop your bags off in your harbour-view room at the Hilton Darwin, you’ll most likely head to the sun-drenched rooftop pool to wash away the tropical humidity and enjoy the endlessly blue Northern Territory skies.
After a dip, book into award-winning PepperBerry Restaurant. The menu leans into the cultural significance of the region by incorporating native ingredients. Think lemon myrtle, Kakadu plum, saltbush, wattle seed and other Indigenous flavours. Round out your evening with a short stroll to the CBD for an after-dinner drink or ice cream by the waterfront.
6. DoubleTree by Hilton Esplanade Darwin
Dine beside the pool, or dive right in.
The most sought-after seat at the DoubleTree by Hilton Esplanade Darwin is undoubtedly a terrace table in the hotel’s Aqua Restaurant and Bar. With views across the oversized pool and tropical gardens, the terrace is the best place to relax and enjoy the Mediterranean-inspired dishes with local ingredients.
From there, famous attractions such as Crocosaurus Cove and the Darwin Waterfront are within a gentle stroll. Recharge in one of the comfortable, luxury rooms with the Sweet Dreams® by DoubleTree sleep experience – a custom-designed bed, with feather or down bedding and crisp white sheets. It’ll give you a sleep so restorative, you’ll want to take the bed home with you, which you literally can, thanks to the brand’s retail collection.
7. Hilton Garden Inn Darwin
Hit the on-site pool under shady palms for a respite.
Striking a balance between being central and blissfully removed from Darwin’s busy nightlife, the Hilton Garden Inn Darwin hugs the quieter end of the famous Esplanade. With a resort-style pool set among palms and tropical plants, it’s a destination in its own right. Harbour View rooms have sweeping panoramic views of ochre-coloured sunsets, while other rooms enjoy the striking city skyline. The hotel is so highly regarded by the locals, it recently won the Best Overall Accommodation Hotel and Best Mid-Range Accommodation categories at the Hospitality NT awards – but that won’t surprise anyone who has stayed there.
