Once a humble sheep farm established in the 19th century, Louth Island is now the site of an opulent eco-conscious property that’s redefining Australia’s luxury accommodation landscape.
Since first opening its doors in 2023, Rumi on Louth has expanded in carefully crafted stages, each more impressive than the last. And now, with the unveiling of its brand-new cabins, the resort is poised to elevate the experience once again.
The current accommodation options
While the future is looking particularly bright for guests of Rumi on Louth, the current accommodation options are nothing to sneeze at. Presently, the resort boasts a one-bedroom ocean view suite with an open-plan kitchenette, in-suite bar, en suite with rain shower and king-size bed.
Wake up to views of the sea from your one-bedroom suite.
There are also four ocean view king rooms available, each offering rain showers, king-size beds and in-room amenities like coffee machines and 65-inch flatscreens. No matter what room you stay in, you’ll be treated to floor-to-ceiling windows that soak in uninterrupted ocean views across the pristine Spencer Gulf.
For larger groups, the gorgeous private retreat is the ideal escape. It features one queen-size and eight king-single rooms, two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, spacious living area, split-system air conditioning and large private deck with outdoor furnishings.
Spend time with family and friends on the outdoor deck.
A spacious open-plan design invites the outside in.
The private retreat sleeps up to 10 guests.
Earlier this year, Rumi on Louth’s founder Che Metcalfe also revealed his $20-million plans for 23 earth-sheltered villas and a VIP residence with its own private beach and horizon pool. But clearly, that was just the beginning.
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The new cabins
Just when you thought it couldn’t get more impressive, another chapter begins. South Australian entrepreneur and former CEO of Uniti Group, Che Metcalfe, who bought Louth Island in 2021, has just announced additional accommodation for the eco-resort.
The new cabins will join 23 private earth-sheltered villas.
Rumi on Louth will add 22 new ocean view cabins to its portfolio during its next phase of development, with hot tubs and a tennis court to match. While not a lot is known about the specific design of these new cabins or how they will differ from the existing rooms and upcoming villas, Metcalfe’s track record hints at something special. In adherence to its core ethos, the rooms will be fully off-grid and sustainable, too.
Rumi on Louth is completely powered by solar energy.
Rumi on Louth is completely powered by solar energy, equipped with advanced compost/recycling systems and even has its own desalination plant. The addition of chicken coops and vegetable gardens will also help the eco-resort on its mission to restore and revegetate Louth Island.
This forward-thinking approach has already landed the resort among Australia’s best eco-retreats, so guests can enjoy their stay knowing it won’t leave an environmental footprint.
The rest of the resort
If you can tear yourself away from your room, there’s plenty to keep you occupied across the 135-hectare property. Current guests can indulge at the onsite day spa, dine at the two-hatted Samphire restaurant and partake in a variety of signature experiences.
Dine on fresh local produce at two-hatted Samphire restaurant.
From dreamy beach picnics and cooking masterclasses to catamaran cruises and kayak fishing, you’re spoilt for choice. Or simply wile away the day at Louth Island’s stunning secluded beach.
When plans were revealed for Rumi’s earth-sheltered villas at the start of 2025, an extensive blueprint for new resort-style facilities came with it. Think pickleball courts, a Japanese-style onsen and a five-star restaurant, plunge pools, saunas and private cabanas, as well as a map of walking trails around the island.
Enjoy a private cabana on the beach.
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The details
Rumi on Louth is situated on Louth Island, just a few kilometres off the coast of Port Lincoln in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. It is completely self-sufficient, off-grid and sustainable, with conservation and regeneration at its heart.
The resort is only accessible by boat – guests will be picked up from Port Lincoln Airport and transported to the resort via its amphibious water vessel, Sealegs. Day visitors are also welcome, but transport to the jetty for pick up must be arranged independently.
Louth Island is only accessible via boat transfer.
Reservations are open now, with room prices varying from $630 per night in an ocean view king room to $945 per night for the one-bedroom ocean view suite. The private retreat can be booked from $2500 per night with a minimum stay of two nights.
No date of completion has been confirmed for the second phase of development, but with the green light granted, construction is now moving ahead. Watch this space!
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to visit places like Norway and New Zealand, her favourite place to explore will forever be her homeland.
Whether you’re after the perfect family holiday or after something a little more romantic, Accor has the stay for you.
Nothing sets the tone of your holiday quite like the accommodation you’ve chosen. After all, who can imagine a wellness retreat without an on-site day spa, or a sprawling family resort without a kids’ club (or babysitting service)? The truth is there are as many ways to holiday as there are types of travellers – but happily, there’s accommodation for every type of traveller.
Fun family holidays
A successful family holiday requires plenty of space – not to mention essential amenities, like a fully equipped kitchen and laundry, a central location near plenty of activities and attractions, and those all-important beaches. The following properties all fit the bill and were designed with kids in mind.
1. Peppers Beach Club Port Douglas
Peppers Beach Club Port Douglas is perfect for a family getaway.
Will it be a day of snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, horse riding along the golden sands of Cape Tribulation, or trying your hand at watersports at Four Mile Beach? For those checked in at Peppers Beach Club Port Douglas, the correct answer can only ever be ‘all of the above’ – but only if you can convince the kids to get out of the hotel’s lagoon-style swimming pool.
Featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments (some with private swim-up pool decks), the hotel is also conveniently located moments from the town centre.
2. Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour
Send the kids to Kid’s club, and head to the restaurant.
Kids’ club: the two words most parents of little ones long to hear. With Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour, however, that’s only the beginning. This eco-friendly hotel (which is famous for its spacious rooms) pulls out all the stops, serving up a 10-metre outdoor pool, tennis court and a signature restaurant, The Ternary.
When the kids are screaming ‘Gold Coast theme parks’ but your body needs a little Byron Bay downtime, the answer arrives in the form of Mantra on Salt Beach Kingscliff, an airy resort located in The Tweed. Some of Queensland and New South Wales’s top beaches and attractions are only a short drive away.
Featuring one- and two-bedroom suites, a tennis court and a lagoon-style pool (plus a children’s wading pool), guests also have the option to rent a bike, book a treatment at the onsite day spa, or organise child-minding for date night.
Couples getaways
Remember those candlelit dinners when you first got together? Or what about those long walks along the beach and lazy sleep-ins – complete with room service?
If you’re still searching your memory, it’s time to hit reboot on romance by booking a hotel geared around good food, good times and more than a little privacy.
Top tip? Book the Romance Getaway Package, which includes a bottle of French champagne, breakfast in bed and a leisurely 2pm check out.
2. Mondrian Gold Coast
Enjoy classy surrounds at The Mondrian.
The Gold Coast suburb of Burleigh has all the ingredients needed for a romantic escape. And the best place to explore it all from is the stunning beachfront lifestyle precinct, Mondrian Gold Coast.
Stay in one of 208 accommodation options, including studios, suites, homes and houses. Taste your way through the levels of dining options, from authentic Italian and surf-to-plate seafood, and dive into the lively pool club. Or relax with a restorative treatment together at the spa.
City escapes
Nabbing a front-row seat to urban life (and momentarily feeling like a local) is as easy as checking into a city hotel and letting the streets around you set the pace for your next holiday.
Laidback retreats and coastal getaways will always have their place, but here you can step straight into galleries and boutique stores, roll into restaurants and tumble out of bars – all before watching the sun rise across a gleaming skyline.
A convenient location, of course, is key.
1. 25hours Hotel The Olympia
Book into Sydney’s newest boutique spot.
Hotels are all too often about retreating from the city they’re located in, but at Sydney’s newest boutique spot, 25hours Hotel Sydney The Olympia, a stay is all about immersing yourself in the area. Channelling the energy and creativity of its Oxford Street location, the hotel’s bold and playful design is a nod to the building’s arthouse beginnings as West’s Olympia Theatre. Guests can choose to stay in either a light and airy Dreamers room or the more dramatic Renegades option.
This is home to two stand-out bars (one of them on the rooftop) and a cafe serving Lune croissants, as well as The Palomar, a hot dining spot that serves as a love letter to the Mediterranean.
2. Hyde Melbourne Place
Be steps from Melbourne’s best attractions.
Some of Melbourne’s finest restaurants might be on Hyde Melbourne Place’s doorstep, but there’s no need for guests to venture out the front door for a bite to remember. The innovative brand’s first Australian offering is not only home to three distinctive venues (including an atmospheric rooftop restaurant), but is also the winner of a Michelin Key 2025.
Conveniently located in the east end of the city’s CBD within moments of the city’s iconic laneways, accommodation ranges from a soothing General Admission Queen to the spectacular Headliner Suite (many with balconies overlooking the city buzzing below). A high-end fitness space and Peach Pilates streamed straight to your in-room tablet are available too. Our top tip? Call ahead for a Sonna Brightening LED Face Mask and say yes to winding down with a meditative ritual designed to support skin health, clarity and calm.
Tranquil retreats
There’s no question 2026 is going to be your year, but it would be foolish to hard-launch this new and improved you without first taking some time to relax, rejuvenate and reflect on how you can find better balance in the year to come.
It’s time to treat yourself to a wellness getaway that’s designed around peace, natural beauty and more than a few spa treatments.
1. Pullman Bunker Bay Resort
Relax into Pullman Bunker Bay Resort.
Kangaroos at dawn, Margaret River wineries at noon and a long evening of life-affirming massage treatment come the late afternoon; there’s a lot to love about a stay at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort. And that’s without even touching on the resort’s secluded beachfront location.
Whether you check into a studio villa or a three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa, the views stretching out over the lake or garden will help you hit reset as you ponder the important questions: should you take a drive to nearby Geographe Bay to enjoy the dive of a lifetime, settle in for a long and lazy day in the resort’s heated infinity-edge pool, or make booking after booking at Vie Spa to try its extensive range of massages, facials and treatments?
The cherry on top? The resort has a complimentary – albeit seasonal – kids’ club, too.
2. Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge
Connect with yourself and nature at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge.
Welcome to the ultimate alpine wellness experience, a luxurious lodge nestled in the lush peaks of Tasmania’s World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, where ‘forest bathing’ takes on a whole new meaning.
Offering quick and easy access to some of the region’s most iconic walking trails (not to mention a window to our most striking flora and fauna), every cabin and suite at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge – some with their own fireplace – is designed to help you exhale.
Say yes to a wealth of included activities, such as an evening wildlife safari, a guided Crater Lake mountain walk or the Aboriginal Heritage & Bush Tucker tour. Unwind by retreating to the famous Waldheim Alpine Spa, where treatment rooms overlook rugged mountains and ancient forests.
Wellness has never looked – or felt – so luxurious.
