Daintree Eco Lodge
Awarded winning eco-lodge set in secluded forest. Features aborginally-led nature walks.
T: +61 740 986 100. 15 bungalows. US$ 260-
www.daintree-ecolodge.com.au
Come discover 100 of the most romantic small hotels and places in the world.
National parks and endless beaches; sparkling azure blue waters contrast dramatically with lush green tropical rainforests. Fringing Queensland’s shoreline is a vast snorkeling and scuba diving paradise, the Great Barrier Reef. Fly into Cairns and drive north to Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation.
Awarded winning eco-lodge set in secluded forest. Features aborginally-led nature walks.
T: +61 740 986 100. 15 bungalows. US$ 260-
www.daintree-ecolodge.com.au
Includes Sydney—the “Emerald City”—and the beautiful Blue Mountains.
Beautifully sited around one of the world’s most dazzling harbours, Sydney features beaches, sunny weather, and cosmopolitan cafés and restaurants.
Rustic industrial-chic boutique hotel. Originally built in 1888, it was relaunched as a hotel in 2013. It has high ceilings, exposed brick walls, original iron beams, recycled timber work stations, bespoke furniture and artwork by Australian artists. Located near the Sydney Fish Market, the Sydney Exhibition Centre and Darling Harbour.
T +61 2 8586 1888. 90 rooms.
www.1888hotel.com.au
Three Victorian-era row houses updated with a clean modern aesthete. Set in inner-city village Potts Point in the heart of Sidney’s trendy dining and clubbing district.
Golden beaches and remote coves and inlets. Located north of Sydney.
Former surf motel stylishly transformed into an excellent restaurant and boutique lodging experience. Located in the tiny surf town of Cabarita Beach, 30 miles south of the Gold Coast and 30 minutes north of Byron Bay.
T: +61 0 438 442 323. 21 rooms US$ 436-
www.halcyonhouse.com.au
Four chicly restored original Byron Bay cottages. Cafes and beach a short walk away.
T: +61 2 6685 5518. 5 cottages.
https://atlanticbyronbay.com.au
A bit of Tuscany and the Mediterranean up the coast in northern New South Wales, Casa Belle sits on 13 acres of lawn and garden overlooking mountain and Bellingen Valley views. This romantic hotel is located just outside the arty town of Bellingen, 15 minutes away from secluded coastline beaches, the Dorrigo rainforests and the Promised Land.
T: +61 2 6655 9311. 3 room b&b. US$ 125-
www.casabelle.com
Favorite mountain romantic getaway destination for Sydney’s urban dwellers, known for its wilderness parks, hiking trails and scenic views.The Blue Mountains are a World Heritage designated wilderness area.
This legendary Spanish Mission-style boutique hotel is set in bohemian Byron Bay, above one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches and amidst gardens that are said to have been designed by Salvador Dalí, a friend of the original owner.
T: +61 2 6685 5366. 7 rooms. USD $450
www.raes.com.au
New 86 room luxury country house hotel built next to the original 1889 historic house. Lilianfels sits in two acres of English-style gardens and is a five minute walk away from one of Australia’s natural scenic wonders, the Three Sisters.
T: +61 2 4780 1200.. 86 rooms. US$ 350-
www.lilianfels.com.au
Quiet golden beaches and picturesque bays, hiking trails and sandstone cliffs. Bouddi National Park is 1.5 hour drive north of Sydney.
A luxurious guesthouse with four guest pavilions, three with a private plunge pool plus a central infinity pool. Private butlers, gourmet food. Five minute walk to the beach.
T: +61 2 4360 1933. $2,000 a night, per pavilion. All meals inclusive. No children under 15 years unless you rent all the pavilions.
www.prettybeachhouse.com
World Heritage listed island with sandy beaches, vivid coral reefs and subtropical forests. It is two hour northeast flight from Sydney; only 400 visitors allowed per day.
Newly built chic and luxurious resort located near a romantic Australian beach.
T: +61 2 6563 2002. 12 rooms. US$ 900.
www.arajilla.com.au
With views over the Pacific Ocean, the contemporary Capella Lodge rests above Lord Howe Island’s tiny, secret beach at Lover’s Bay and at the foot of the imperious twin peaks, Mounts Gower and Lidgbird.
T:+ 61 2 9918 4355. 9 rooms. US$ 670-per person, all inclusive.
https://lordhowe.com/
Fascinating mix of heritage towns and villages, stunning country gardens and beautiful waterways. Located south and inland from Sydney; includes the capital, Canberra.
Fitzroy Inn is a recently restored 1835 heritage-listed building. The inn is located on the banks of the Nattai River and is known for its modern Australian cuisine.
T: +61 2 4872 3457. 10 rooms. US$ 145-
www.fitzroyinn.com.au
The 70 acre working farm is located in a scenic area 15 minutes from Canberra’s city centre. The Georgian-style homestead is surrounded by gracious gardens meandering down to Ginninderra Creek which borders it on three sides.
T: +61 2 6254 6464
www.ginninderry.com.au
Historic towns, vineyards, skiing and surfing. The culture capital of Australia – Melbourne – is located here.
Just south of Melbourne and located along Port Phillip Bay, the crescent-shaped Morningston Peninsula is filled with seaside towns, wineries, farmhouses and art galleries.
An elegant Victorian manor located one hour south of Melbourne, this romantic hotel sits in 50 acres of pasture, bushland and formal gardens overlooking its own private lake.
T: +61 3 5978 8455. 8 rooms & chalets. US$ 215-
www.woodmanestate.com.au
Birthplace of the first Australian wineries, the pretty countryside one hour north of Melbourne boasts blue mountain vistas, rolling hills and vineyard-filled valleys.
Built in l854, a magnificently restored Victorian classic. Set on 250 acres on the Yarra River, this romantic hotel getaway has views of the Great Dividing Range.
T: +61 392 373 333. US$ 395-
www.chateauyering.com.au
Green valleys, gold rush towns and mountains, the High Country includes Mt. Buffalo National Park with its stunning cliffs and gorges.
This Tuscan-style romantic hotel is set in 2 acres of gardens has views of Mt. Buffalo and offers simple yet stylish modern Italian lodging. {Note: Villa Gusto sold in March 2021 and may no longer be providing accommodation to the general public]
T: +61 3 5757-2000. 9 rooms. US$ 210-
One of Australia’s best kept secrets, Adelaide is an alluring city with tree-lined streets, sidewalk cafes, Victorian architecture and innovative cuisine. Located at the gateway to some of Australia’s best wineries.
19th century pub with an updated industrial-chic look. 7 rooms located above the popular bar.
T: +61 8410 0036. 7 rooms.
www.thefranklinhotel.com
A turrreted and gable baroque fantasy in the Adelaide hills, this romantic Austrailian hotel is 20 minutes from city centre.
Vineyards, old stone buildings and heritage towns; known for its Reisling wines.
A grand pastoral homestead set in 400 acres of bush and farmland 2.5 hours north of Adelaide at the edge of the Clare Valley. Built in 1900, this gabled, iron roofed manor house has been magnificiently restored.
T: +64 8 8665 4024. 4 room b&b. US$ 280-
http://northbundaleerhomestead.com.au
Filled with native animals, Kangaroo Island is the Australian Galapagos.
Cliffside luxury eco-lodge with ocean vistas.
T: +61 2 9918-4355. 21 rooms. US$ 1,100, all inclusive
www.southernoceanlodge.com.au
Home to aborigines, wild cattle, wallabies, dingoes and crocodiles. Monsoon floods give way to summer desert dryness. Located on a wind-swept peninsula is the capital city, Darwin.
Luxury tents situated in the crimson earth and desert scrub known as Australia’s Red Centre. Longitude 131° is the closest lodging to the sacred monoliths of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, once known as Ayers Rock and The Olgas. The entire lodge is built into the curve of a sand dune, invisible to the township where most tourists stay when visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
T:+61 08 8957 7131
www.longitude131.com.au
Quiet country roads, surf, wineries and caves.
Cape Lodge overlooks a lake and natural swimming pool. This romantic vineyard hotel includes an award-winning restaurant and a cooking school.
T: +61 8 9755 6311. 18 rooms. US$ 415-
www.capelodge.com.au
Bush, red rock, and vast cattle ranches. The Kimberley region in far North Western Australia is one of the world’s last unspoilt frontiers – an ancient land extending from Broome in the South West to Kununurra and Wyndham near the Northern Territory border.
Luxury accommodations on a huge cattle ranch.
T: +61 8 9169 1777. US$ 360-, per person, includes all meals.
www.elquestro.com.au
Located off the Indian Ocean’s turquoise seas at the top of Australia’s northwestern coastline, Broome’s fame centers around the South Sea pearls farmed here. Orient meets the outback here since the 1880’s with Asian pearl divers, Anglo cattle stations and Aboriginal (Yawuru people) cultures adding to the cultural melting-pot that makes Broome unique today. From Broome you can ride camels on the beach, tour a pearl farm or arrange an excursion into the outback.
Located on a long stretch of golden sand beach, this is the romantic hotel resort that jump started Broome’s reputation as a chic destination. Some of the studio rooms are modeled after pearl managers’ quarters with corrugated iron walls and private verandas. The Dutch colonial suites come with a butler, antiques and original works by Australian artists.
T: + 61 8 9192-0400. US$ 200-
www.cablebeachclub.com
Glacial lakes, alpine moorlands and rainforests; eco-tourism country.
The relatively wild region of Tasmania with old growth forests and pristine beaches. Here also is horse country, wineries and grand prix racing history.
Tree-lined drive leads into a former 1820’s era homestead. Modernized suites with colonial antiques and views of farmland. Located 17 miles outside of Launceston.
T: +61 3 6392-2211. 10 rooms. US$ 345-
www.quambyestate.com.au
Includes Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, a World Heritage Wilderness Area.
Includes two buildings, the Art Deco–inspired Shorehouse and the Pumphouse, formerly a hydroelectric plant, and located in the heart of the Lake St. Clair at the end of a long jetty. The aesthetic is understated industrial chic. Nearly every room has a picture window with views of glacial mountains or the indigo-blue lake itself.
T: +61 428 090 436. 18 rooms. US$ 200-
www.pumphousepoint.com.au
Georgian villages, wineries.
Originally an 1853 flour mill, now a National Trust listed property. Millhouse on the Bridge overlooks a graceful sandstone bridge in one of Australia’s most historic Georgian villages.
Note: check booking.com, airbnb etc. for booking information.