From New Zealand to Mornington Peninsula, Tassie to the New South Wales North Coast, here’s where the team at LT are heading this long weekend
Lindenderry at Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula
Located in the very heart of Mornington Peninsula and only an hour from Melbourne, boutique hotel Lindenderry at Red Hill recently completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment by award-winning design firm Hecker Guthrie, offering East Coast luxury travellers an ideal long weekend getaway. The hotel restaurant, The Dining Room, does regional character right with the use of hand-selected, locally sourced ingredients worked into rustic assemblages, while the hotel’s 12 hectares of stunning gardens and vineyards are at your disposal. The aesthetically-tuned will also love Jackalope for a contemporary design-infused weekend retreat.
Rates from $320 per night
Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach
This surf motel turned Hamptons-style retreat Halcyon House on the New South Wales north coast has been deluged with awards since opening a few years ago, and it’s not hard to see why. Days can be spent lazily reclining beside the Med-style pool and evenings can be spent dining on crumbed prawns or fresh oysters at the restaurant, Paper Daisy. Add to the draw cards the fact that a luxurious spa recently opened, and guests are undoubtedly in for an indulgent weekend away. Read more about Halcyon House here.
Rates from $600 per night
Thousand Lakes Lodge, Tasmania
If absolute seclusion is your thing than Thousand Lakes Lodge is the place for you. Located in Tasmania’s Central Highlands, Thousand Lakes Lodge is miles from the nearest town and if you’re wondering just how remote this World Heritage-protected region really is, you need only know that the lodge used to be an Antarctic training facility before it was upgraded with king-size beds, leather sofas and a vast log-burning stove. Days are to be spent outdoors, hiking, fishing or touring the landscape on one of the lodge’s all-terrain e-bikes; after dinner, guests tend to mingle over a glass of Tasmanian wine, craft beer, or whisky from the liberally-stocked honesty bar. It’s a lodge with character and charm and perfect place to enjoy a remote weekend getaway.
Rates from $345.00 per night
Azur Lodge, Queenstown
Investing in an extra day or two and heading across the Tasman for an extra long weekend is always a good idea. The jewel in the crown of New Zealand’s south island, Queenstown is one of those places that never fails to impress, no matter how many times you fly in through those majestic mountains. Luxury boutique hotel Azur Lodge and its nine contemporary private villas command stunning, uninterrupted vistas of Lake Wakatipu, the majestic Remarkables range and Cecil and Walter Peaks. The freestanding stone and silver beechwood vials make the most of this alpine panorama with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that open onto a spacious deck – and a spa bath designed to make you feel like you’re bathing outdoors – enough said!
Rates from $1290 per night
Mitchelton, Goulburn Valley
Another Hecker Guthrie-designed marvel, Mitchelton Hotel in Nagambie in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley has undergone an overhaul, resulting in one of our favourite new regional boutique hotels. The upmarket hideaway’s appeal lies in its contemporary yet warm interior design, while the long-respected Mitchelton Winery will have you enjoying a delicious drop of Riesling or Shiraz, for which the region is known. The hotel also has an on-site chocolate factory called Ministry of Chocolate , so it goes without saying that this new boutique hotel is more than worthy of becoming your go-to winter bolthole.