Spoil yourself with these great Hotels

A romantic getaway is all about pampering yourself and Australia has some fabulous hotels and resorts where your holiday is all about indulgence. Here are some of our top picks for luxurious weekend breaks, or a week-long holiday.

To book call 131 538

Hayman Island

Hayman Great Barrier Reef
Tiny Hayman Island, in the Whitsunday group, is a gorgeous retreat and this luxurious resort is one of the best in Australia. If money is no object, go for a lagoon-side penthouse, but even the standard rooms here are swish, with access to acres of pools and manicured gardens. The island is close to the outer reef, so there’s good snorkelling and diving and a host of other aquatic activities – enough to allow at least a week.


Port Douglas

Sea Temple Resort & Spa
This may well be Port Douglas’ most luxurious five-star resort, set in lush tropical gardens near the southern end of Four Mile Beach and part of a superb 18-hole golf course. Choose from a studio with spa, two-bedroom apartment or opulent ‘swim out’ penthouse with direct access to the enormous lagoon swimming pool. When you’re not golfing or swimming, pamper yourself with hot stone treatment and facials in the first-class day spa. Book in for at least a long weekend.

Palm Cove

Peppers Beach Club & Spa
Palm Cove is the St Tropez of the beaches north of Cairns, with a superb strip of beach and an intimate waterfront strip of hotels and restaurants. Step through the opulent lobby at Peppers and into a wonder world of swimming pools, tennis courts and spa treatments. Even the standard rooms have private balcony spas and the penthouse suites have private rooftop pools!

Tasmania

Cradle Mountain Lodge
On the edge of Tasmania’s stunning wilderness Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, it’s impossible not to be charmed by this mountain resort of timber cabins. The most luxurious are the King Billy Suites, privately secluded in the forest and with hot tubs on their decks. You can also be thoroughly pampered in the Waldheim Alpine Spa, which offers all sorts of massages and beauty treatments in a relaxing setting – bliss after a day of hiking. You can stay overnight as part of a hike or settle in for the weekend.

Byron Bay

Byron at Byron Resort
This place is so five-star it's like stepping into a photo shoot for Vogue. It’s opulent but low-key, with symmetrically placed couches and sun lounges surrounding a flowing lap pool. All suites, with plasma TV and DVD, ample lounges and kitchen, are surrounded by lush rainforest and whip birds crack the silence with their melodic calls. Other on-site amenities include tennis courts, a sauna, and a sublime restaurant. Right outside your doorstep is one of Australia’s most addictive beach towns – allow a week here.

Sydney

Observatory Hotel
If it's not the marble bathroom with the oversized bath, the sensational day spa or the feather doona, it must be the lavish indoor pool with its magical, twinkling starry sky that makes the Observatory special. The luxurious Globe bar and the highly regarded Galileo restaurant mean you night not leave the hotel. But the location? Right near the Rocks in the heart of Sydney, perfect for a weekend city break.

Melbourne

Crown Towers
Overlooking the Yarra River and Southbank district, this is where the rich and famous come to stay when they’re in Melbourne. Rooms have better views, gadgetry, opulence and original artworks than most of us could ever imagine. The complex includes some of Melbourne finest restaurants such as Koko and the Rockpool, and the luxurious Crown Spa, enough to fill languorous weekend.

Gold Coast

Palazzo Versace
The Palazzo is quite simply pure extravagance from the sumptuous rooms to the equally indulgent restaurants and bars. Everything from the pool furniture to the buttons on the staff uniforms has Donatella Versace’s glamorous mark on it. The waterfront location on the Spit at Main Beach completes the charm.

To book call 131 538