Charm and character define 10 tiny treasures.
Arajilla Retreat, Lord Howe Island, NSW
Twelve shack-style single and two-storey cabins with louvred windows and tropical décor are set along curving boardwalks fringed with kentia palms and tropical vines, a short stroll or cycle from Old Settlement Beach. This all-inclusive lodge is a favourite of regular island visitors who love its laid-back style, Balinese-inspired spa and bountiful cuisine. It feels like taking a sabbatical from reality and a complete reconnection with nature, plus savings on week-long rates encourage leisurely stays.
Thoughtful extras include bikes and beach equipment, hiking gear and picnic baskets or barbecue packs to take on excursions. Arajilla Retreat is perfect for couples and, for an extra dash of space and style, there’s the two-bedroom Blue Peter Beach House on site with a fully provisioned kitchen, shaded deck, beachy decor and a sense of oasis.
Arajilla Resort on Lord Howe Island.
Dairy Flat Lodge & Farm, Daylesford, VIC
This outpost of Lake House boutique hotel and restaurant at Daylesford, north of Melbourne, is finally coming into its own after more than 12 months of border closures, lockdowns and uncertainty. Its proposed opening may have been delayed but the Wolf-Tasker family has used the hiatus to refine the offering, get stuck into the bountiful pesticide-free market gardens, and diversify the 15-hectare estate.
Sleeping quarters at Dairy Flat Lodge.
Up to 12 guests are accommodated in six beautifully decorated ensuite guestrooms on a single house party booking. There’s an olive grove, small vineyard, woodland setting, country walks, cooking classes, a spring-fed dam for a spot of trout fishing and neighbourhood food experiences. Add a cedar hot-tub, concierge service, country-style breakfast dished up each morning and use of electric bikes for unstructured excursions.
dairyflatfarmdaylesford.com.au
Dairy Flat Lodge.
Pretty Beach House, Central Coast, NSW
Set high on an escarpment overlooking the Wagstaffe Peninsula, this long-established property has played host to an international roll-call of the rich and recognised, sometimes as a family and entourage takeover. It’s deliberately tucked away, framed by angophora amid Bouddi National Park bushland and security is high.
There’s accommodation for just eight guests in four suites, covering one penthouse and three pavilions, and everything is included in the tariff, from stand-out meals to premium wines, mini-bars, cocktails and canapes. There’s a small wellness spa, infinity pool, and the hideaway property is ideally positioned for neighbourhood exploration, including five local beaches, watersports, Indigenous ranger-led bushwalks and the shops, cafes and galleries of Hardys Bay. Sister property Bells at Killcare is about five minutes away.
Pretty Beach House.
United Places, Melbourne, VIC
This three-storey, 12-suite surprise package in fashionable South Yarra punches well above its size. It’s opposite Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, so a great green parkland on the doorstep is a bonus, but even more so when immersive nature experiences for guests, including Japanese shinrin-yoku forest therapies, are led by the hotel’s expert practitioners amid the bunya pines, fern gullies and eucalypts.
United Places, South Yarra.
The spacious suites, with neighbourhood or city views, have compact kitchens and laundries, high-end design flourishes and amenities. Street-level Matilda 159 is the “in-house diner”, helmed by superstar chef Scott Pickett, which puts a whole new spin on the concept of room service. There’s a clear connection to neighbourhood and the concierge service puts guests in touch with attractions well off the usual tourist radar.
The Islington, Hobart, TAS
Choose from 11 spacious guestrooms in this tiny and tasteful South Hobart mansion, the most atmospheric of which are five classic chambers in the 1847-built Regency-style main house. The additional six span a contemporary pavilion wing, which also houses the conservatory-style restaurant overlooking an orderly garden.
It’s a hideaway option ideal for couples, with no guests under 16 years, and is full of the owners’ remarkable collection of art and family antiques, especially in the drawing room and library, immaculately curated and mixed with their treasures from journeys near and far. The Islington has views of Mount Wellington, sits snug in a dress-circle position close to the city proper, and to stay here feels like being an honoured family member rather than a guest just passing through.
Islington Hotel in Hobart.
Le Mas Barossa, Rowland Flat, SA
With provincial France off our travel radars for now, a soupcon of French flair in one of Australia’s prettiest wine-growing regions sounds like a worthy substitute. This charmer, owned by a French-Australian family, takes its name from the term “mas” for the converted farmhouses that are popular options for holidaymakers in the south of France. This Australian equivalent is a 19th-century homestead surrounded by orchards and rose gardens and with a big, bright conservatory addition.
King room at Le Mas in the Barossa Valley.
Interiors in the four guest suites feature chic French furniture and trimmings shipped from chatelaine Marie-France’s home country and the attention to detail is impeccable. While in faux-France, why not visit the Barossa? Guests can grab an e-bike for leisurely explorations, including wine-tastings in Tanunda, just five minutes away.
Pool at Le Mas in the Barossa.
Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, Sydney, NSW
The west-facing views are long and sparkling from the harbour-facing accommodation category at this 31-room eastern suburbs property. What you have here is a popular art deco-influenced pub with rooms attached in a setting that is pure Sydney. On the doorstep is a ferry and water taxi wharf, the fabled Doyles seafood restaurant and the green oasis of Robertson Park, where afternoon tea at heritage Dunbar House is a must.
The hotel was most recently refurbished in 2019, with beachy décor in shades of sea, sky and sand by Sibella Court, and also newish to the mix is the Beach Club, a combined island-style bar and open-sided dining area that feels part Caribbean, a little bit Capri. It’s well worth the extra for a top-tier chamber, such as No 201 with its petite terrace and views to dive for.
Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel.
Spicers Balfour Retreat, Brisbane, QLD
There are just 17 guestrooms at this New Farm property, a petite inventory by capital city standards. The accommodation is spread across nine suites in a restored early 20th-century Queenslander house and a neighbouring 1930s building that houses eight suites. The Spicers Retreats group has a knack for thinking small in its city portfolio (Spicers Potts Point in Sydney has 16 guestrooms and suites) and there’s always an emphasis on top-end design, including Australian artworks in guestrooms and public spaces plus collaborations with local designers and artisans.
Spicers Balfour, Brisbane.
Head to the small rooftop bar for Story Bridge and Brisbane skyline views and sample Vietnamese-inspired cuisine at multi award-winning Balfour Kitchen and Bar within the main Queenslander residence. The Howard Smith Wharves precinct is virtually on the doorstep.
Pinctada McAlpine House Hotel, Broome, WA
There are eight suites in this charming heritage building, where décor touches, furniture and architecture hark to Broome’s pearling history and Asian connections, especially with Java and Japan. The name honours British politician Alistair McAlpine who developed Cable Beach Club resort in the 1980s and jolted Broome’s nascent tourism industry into action.
The original 1910-built residence was a pearling master’s cottage, later McAlpine’s residence, and despite myriad reincarnations, most of the classic timber and rippled tin vernacular has been retained, including latticework and wide covered verandas. You don’t often find a parrot-filled aviary and a Chinese tea pavilion in an Australian hotel but both are here, as well as artwork galore and a tangible atmosphere that echoes this northwest frontier town’s heritage and heyday.
Pinctada McAlpine House in Broome.
The Empyre, Castlemaine, Victoria
Rejuvenated by hoteliers Steven de Marchi and Justin Golightly a few years ago, this 19th-century heritage gem has since forged a reputation for its impeccable service, seasonal food and cocktails, including the dangerous-sounding Faked and Nameless. Accommodation is in six high-ceilinged suites, comprising four in the main building plus a pair in the garden annexe, all with stylish ensuites and furnished with apposite antiques, extravagantly carved bedheads and luxurious soft furnishings.
Lounge at The Empyre in Castlemaine.
Splash out on The Empyre or The Albion suites, with chandeliers and French doors opening to the upstairs balcony and views over the heritage goldfields township. It’s clearly been a labour of love for the hotelier-hosts and a rare example of a traditional Australian pub transformation that holds its own against myriad contemporary contenders. But do not delay; the hotel has been quietly on the market.
