The newest hotel openings and refurbs in WA

Carla GrossettiBy Carla Grossetti
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Check in to check out the latest, greatest and most fabulous new (and refreshed) stays in Western Australia.

Samphire Rottnest

If you’re feeling starved of sky, sea and sunshine, Rottnest Island’s first beachfront boutique accommodation is the place to escape to. Like the native samphire it’s named after, Samphire Rottnest is found close to the water’s edge on Thomson Bay on the island’s east coast. It’s all about understated elegance at the flip-flop-friendly hotel, which has 80 bright and breezy rooms all designed to celebrate the island’s rugged, relaxed environment. Throw in great cocktails, fantastic food, and a beach club with kick-back configurations of seating and you’ll find even more reasons to rate Rotto.

Bedroom, Samphire Lontara, Rottnest Island, Western Australia
Rottnest Island’s first beachfront boutique accommodation is the place to escape to. (Image: Jilian McHugh)

Vibe Hotel Subiaco

Subiaco, or Subi as it is affectionately known, is one of Perth’s most popular precincts for shopping and dining, and the Vibe Hotel Subiaco is a great base from which to explore it. The hip 12-storey hotel has 168 spacious rooms, including 14 suites, as well as a rooftop pool, gym and hatted restaurant in Storehouse Subiaco. There’s also St Marks Road Co. cafe, which keeps guests fuelled for forays into nearby Kings Park and the leafy laneways all around.

Restaurant interiors, The Vibe Hotel Subiaco, Western Australia
Dine at the hatted restaurant, Storehouse Subiaco.

Doubletree by Hilton Perth Waterfront

While the 18-storey, 229-room DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Waterfront is right in the thick of it, near Perth’s exciting Elizabeth Quay precinct, it also offers softly lit bedrooms with Swan River views that provide a calm oasis away from the action. The hotel has a smart contemporary feel that appeals to both slick business travellers and out-of-towners, with splashes of colour and modern artworks. There’s also a 24-hour fitness centre, a smart-casual restaurant, Reel Kitchen, an infinity pool, and rooftop bar that has 360-degree views of the Swan River. Oh, and the famous DoubleTree cookies are worth the reservation alone.

Room interior, Double Tree Waterfront Hotel, WA
Relax in softly lit bedrooms with Swan River views. (Image: Double Tree Waterfront Hotel)

Wheatbelt Luxury Escapes

Visitors to the Wheatbelt can enjoy an exclusive stay at one of three Wheatbelt Luxury Escapes : Talbot Lodge, located on a sandalwood plantation; The Barn, a renovated Quakers Lodge kit home; and Federation-style Mansfield Cottage. The homesteads are located just under 100 clicks from Perth in the Avon Valley, where the pastoral landscape is mottled in bands of gold and green. While Talbot Lodge is 20 kilometres out of York, WA’s oldest inland town, and sleeps six, Mansfield Cottage and The Barn are on York’s outskirts and both sleep four.

Wheatbelt Luxury Escapes, Western Australia
Retire to one of three luxury residences. (Image: Angie Roe Photography)

Parmelia Hilton

Parmelia Hilton has been completely reimagined after a 10-month refurbishment in conjunction with Cox Architecture. The $45 million update includes the addition of 32 new rooms, including Premier Suites, to elevate the offering, an executive lounge, as well as direct access to buzzy Brookfield Place. The hotel’s transformation includes a pleasing coastal-chic contemporary lobby.

Parmelia Hilton Perth, WA
The hotel’s transformation includes a pleasing coastal-chic contemporary lobby. (Image: Robert Frith)

Ampersand Estates

Ampersand Estates has completed an extensive refurbishment program that has brought the region’s oldest winery, cellar door and accommodation thoroughly up to date. Located amid the rumpled folds of the Pemberton region, the winery is named after the ampersand symbol in reference to the many add-ons on offer. Enjoy a picnic on the grounds surrounded by old-growth trees, visit the gin and vodka lounge, and then retire to one of three luxury residences.

RAC Karri Valley Resort

The RAC Karri Valley Resort is one to bookmark for your next family holiday, with the top-to-toe renovation of its Chalets and Lakeside Rooms enhancing the guest experience. The Lakeside Restaurant and lounge room have also had an update, fixing the spotlight onto Lake Beedelup and the Karri Forest surrounds.

Aerial Shot of RAC Karri Valley, Western Australia
The RAC Karri Valley Resort is one to bookmark for your next family holiday. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
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6 reasons the best way to experience the Kimberley is by cruise

    Kate BettesBy Kate Bettes
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    This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

    Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

    The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs.
    Adventure starts where the road ends.

    1. Discover Broome, and beyond

    Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

    At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

    If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

    Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea.
    Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

    2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

    Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

    At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

    Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

    Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

    A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters.
    Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

    3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

    You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

    Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

    4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

    These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

    If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

    Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

    A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs.
    Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

    5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

    Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

    A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance.
    See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

    6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

    You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

    Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

    If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

    aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia
    Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

    Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

    The newest hotel openings and refurbs in WA - Australian Traveller