Welcome to Hotel Addict, a monthly column where I check into Australia’s best hotels, exploring not just the rooms, but the stories, service and settings that make each stay unforgettable and worthy of your wishlist.
The Tweed Coast is an underrated hidden gem in Australia. While Byron Bay draws the crowds, this idyllic pocket of the NSW north coast offers something a little more calm – more peaceful beaches, incredible food and a relaxed authenticity. The highlight stay is Halcyon House, a property which has long been regarded as one of the best hotels in Australia and has been drawing in design-savvy travellers for 10 years. When I first started working in media I remember the design community’s excitement around it. I decided to check in a decade later to see if it still lives up to the hype.
This idyllic coastal stay has been drawing in design-savvy travellers for 10 years.
My car pulls up to the blindingly white building nestled in Cabarita Beach, the waves just steps away. The once sleepy seaside town got a serious injection of cool with the opening of Halcyon House in 2015. Sisters Elisha and Siobhan Bickle originally purchased the old Hideaway motel with the intention of turning it into a family beach house, but instead converted it into the now luxury accommodation. It exudes sun-bleached glamour with retro mid-century energy thanks to palm trees, breeze blocks, verandahs and outdoor walkways with elegant archways.
The family beach house is adorned with graceful archways.
The hotel sits behind Cabarita Beach.
I arrive early and am ushered to the bar area next to the pool to enjoy a welcome drink – a gin and tonic made with the region’s iconic Ink Gin, which turns purple when you add tonic. I sip it a little too enthusiastically before heading up to my room.
My design tastes have never leaned towards maximalism, but when it’s done right, I can’t help but feel in awe. Elisha and Siobhan called upon interior designer Anna Spiro to create a stay that evokes an old beach hotel layered with antiques and art. Spiro’s signature style is layered, colourful and bold, and features a mix of eras and styles. Blues, greens, corals and warm yellows come alive in patterned wallpaper, tiling and upholstered furniture, against lime-washed timber flooring and bright white walls.
The eclectic interior design features bold blues, vibrant prints and antiques.
Spiro’s signature style is layered, colourful and bold.
There are just 22 uniquely styled rooms and suites, so the property never feels busy, and I notice throughout the stay how calm it is. I’m staying in a Pool King Balcony room, which, as the name suggests, has pool (and partial ocean) views. At 40 square metres it’s spacious and the floor-to-ceiling windows and doors make it feel even larger, flooding the room with natural light. There’s a big balcony with chairs to relax on and take in the sea breeze and views.
By the decade mark, most hotels are starting to show their age. Here, though, that’s not the case. Timeless design choices (even in the bathrooms) and upholstered furniture that can be reinvigorated keep the space feeling fresh.
Relax in style.
Patterned tiles elevate the bathrooms.
Check into the Halcyon House for an elevated coastal stay.
Stay for the artistic flair.
The only fault I can really find is that there isn’t a chair at the desk – a subtle reminder, perhaps, that you’re here to relax, not work, so I make a beeline for the swimming pool. This delightfully sunny spot is lined with navy blue daybeds and beach umbrellas for lazily lounging between dips and listening to the calming sounds of the wind in the pandanus trees and palms. Morning yoga, spa treatments and a morning cold plunge are also available to wellness enthusiasts. Onsite shop Halcyon Atelier offers a curated selection of high-end designer fashion, accessories and homewares from brands such as Lucy Folk, Cecile Copenhagen and Matteau.
Relax on plush daybeds under the palms. (Credit: Kara Roselund)
I have a pre-dinner coconut daiquiri (10/10) before eating at onsite restaurant Paper Daisy – a hatted restaurant that draws guests from well beyond the hotel. On the current menu, designed by Executive Chef Baxter Newstead (ex Noma Australia, Vue de Monde and Michelin-starred Ekstedt in Stockholm), are refined coastal plates with Aussie touches such as lobster, carrot, finger lime and brown butter; seared kangaroo with beetroot, fermented blueberries and saltbush; and strawberry gum lamington, coconut and preserved cherry. As I’ve done with all of my Hotel Addict hotel stays, I pair the delicious bites with a couple of glasses of Chablis.
Full and content, I sink into the comfiest king bed for a peaceful sleep.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
Bay lobster with carrot and brown butter at the two-hatted Paper Daisy restaurant.
The signature cocktails are unmissable.
Dine on seasonal, coastal plates.
In the morning, I head to Cabarita Beach for a calm morning stroll before enjoying breakfast back at Paper Daisy. The seasonal menu offers dishes such as open egg omelette with green onion, cold smoked fish and soured dill cream and macadamia muesli with banana, lemon balm and natural yoghurt – what more could you want from the start of your day?
Halcyon House does a fantastic job of balancing classic Australian coastal stay nostalgia with luxury. While the rooms and restaurant have evolved over the years, what hasn’t changed is that it still feels like a beloved beach house that’s been carefully elevated, in one of Australia’s most overlooked corners.
Details
Address: 21 Cypress Cres, Cabarita Beach NSW 2488
Best for: Design-savvy travellers and honeymoons
Room rate: From $$ per night
Getting there: There are very limited Ubers in this area. Car hire or booking a taxi to the airport is necessary. There are two Audi A1’s available for guest hire and bicycles for hire.
Rachael Thompson is Australian Traveller's Evergreen Editor and a self-proclaimed cheese and Chablis connoisseur. In her role, she creates and manages online content that remains relevant and valuable over time. With a background in publishing and e-commerce in both interior design and travel, Rachael is dedicated to curating engaging content that informs and inspires. She began her career at Belle magazine, then went on to become Senior Content Producer at Homes to Love focusing on Australian House & Garden and Belle, followed by Editor at Bed Threads. Her work has also appeared in Qantas Travel Insider. When she's not writing, editing, or optimising content, Rachael enjoys exploring the city's newest restaurants, bars, and hotels. Next on her Aussie travel wish list are Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and Lord Howe Island.
This winter, these secret Sydney harbour suites are the staycation we’ve been looking for.
Whether it’s the crisscrossing ferries or the white sails of the Opera House rising out of blue depths, Australia’s biggest city lives for its harbour. But while locals might glance at that watery expanse on their daily commute across the Bridge, it can still be hard to truly connect with Sydney’s maritime soul. The secret: seeing the harbour eye-to-eye, right at water level. And what better place to submerge yourself in that energy than sleeping there? That’s where Pier One Sydney Harbour comes in (and with new all-inclusive bed and breakfast benefits, there’s even more to love).
All-inclusive VIP benefits
Book in for the all-inclusive VIP treatment.
The hard truth is that it will be very difficult to tear yourself away from your ultra-luxurious harbour home-away-from-home to explore the city. If you want to make leaving even harder, opt for Pier One’s all-inclusive VIP treatment.
The Bed and Breakfast with Suite Benefits package turns up the volume on what is already the ultimate staycation, with complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two and turndown service. The biggest perk? Enjoy a bottle of French champagne every day during your whole stay
Pier One Sydney Harbour
Step into a piece of history with all the modern comforts. (Credit: Dave Wheeler)
The five-star Pier One Sydney Harbour is quite literally old Sydney through and through. Built on what was once a working cargo wharf and the passenger terminal for those heading to the North Shore before the bridge was constructed, the heritage building sits right between the tangle of cobblestones, pubs and alleyways of The Rocks and the historic docking zone of Walsh Bay – at the centre of the city’s old sea trade.
If knowing the hotel’s history isn’t enough to get your sea-longing going, the interior design certainly will. As soon as you step up to the concierge desk in the lobby of the restored building – which underwent a $15 million redevelopment in 2019 – you’re immersed in Sydney’s seafaring tale. Weathered wood panelling and white marble floors surround you, while loop lighting installations hover above the bar island just beyond, ringed with stools ready for intimate, martini-tinted conversations. Steel rivets and timber beams speak to its past, and glass-walled views anchor you firmly in the present-day life on the harbour.
Pier One Suites
Enjoy incredible views from your suite.
Across the 189 rooms and suites built on and over the water, the maritime theme continues. Sculptural aged brass fittings, exposed girders, colour schemes that evoke shifting currents, and mirrors that reflect ripples that – depending on your booking – sit just metres from your pillow.
United on theme yet unique in set-up, each room or suite is different. On the ground floor, dog-friendly rooms with direct access to the pier are all prepped for pampered pups, while others have views and even balconies overlooking Walsh Bay, the Bridge and the Harbour.
But the 19 suites step things up even more. Gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows, or get even closer. Your private balcony is made for sipping a Nespresso coffee on as the sun comes up – or soaking in the bathtub of the Admiral Suite on the deck, a drink from the locally stocked mini bar in hand. This mini bar was recently completely transformed, so you have more Aussie favourites to choose from, including alcohol and snacks.
Dining at Pier One
Settle in for an afternoon of good drinks and views.
Once you’re checked in, start your afternoon with a spritz at PIER BAR – or arrive by boat via the private pontoon if the occasion calls for it – and settle into one of the cabanas. Weekdays bring Happy Hour (or ‘sunset hour’ at Pier One); weekends bring the DJs. After an even sweeter experience? The Everyday Creamery and Matcha Kiosk is slinging mango and vanilla soft serve – classic and those spiked with Midori and gin alike.
PIER Dining is an ode to contemporary Australian flavours across the terrace, pier and dining room. On its seafood-leaning menu are Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, potato scallops with salmon roe and crème fraîche, chicken with melting sundried tomato butter, vodka rigatoni with Shark Bay prawns. And the ‘Pierlova’ – that’s pavlova with chocolate, dulce de leche and banana is worth saving room for. Make sure to ask for the wine list – it’s 100 per cent Australian drops.
Around town
Explore the neighbourhood during your stay. (Credit: Destination NSW)
If you’re strong enough to polish off just one last pastry from the breakfast buffet and walk out the door, we applaud you. Luna Park across the harbour beckons with its wide grin, while a glance upward might spur you to climb the Bridge’s famous iron arches. The Opera House – just across Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art – sings out for a concert.
You’ll want to book ahead for those hot-ticket performances at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, just a few minutes’ walk south of the hotel. Ten minutes further brings you to the waterfront bars, restaurants and clubs of Barangaroo, or the karaoke, gardens and dim sum of Chinatown further afield.
Keep the mellow of your weekend getaway going with a stop at Barangaroo Reserve, watching the yachts go by – all before returning for that Sydney sundowner at Pier One.
