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Within the haunting beauty of the isolated Australian outback, Bullo River Station is a luxury retreat deep in the heart of the Northern Territory. Arrive by private plane or make the three-hour drive from Kununurra, but whenever you turn up, you’ll be welcomed to the station with a cold drink and a hearty smile.

With only 12 guest rooms on site, visiting this vast, 400,000-acre working cattle ranch is always a bespoke experience. It’s easy to settle into life at Bullo River, where you can channel your inner cowboy by watching a cattle muster or immerse into nature on a guided cultural walk, led by an Indigenous guide through Djarrany-Djarrany Country.

Rooms are luxurious, but minimalist, bringing in natural fibers and fabrics to connect you to your rugged surroundings. The station, which gathers 80% of its electricity from solar power, is tastefully designed in muted hues and stone finishings, framed by a shaded pool for those sweltering days. All meals and drinks are included, with each culinary experience tailored to guest preferences.

A sustainable coexistence with the land is at the heart of Bullo’s mission, partnering with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy on habitat restoration and fire management across their seemingly endless landscape.

Sydney’s newest luxury hotel is steeped in old roots, taking up residence in the city’s former 1912 Department of Education building. Delighting with Edwardian Baroque-style architecture, the lobby truly takes your breath away—think chic marble tiling, rich velvet armchairs, and vaulted steel entryway doors, original to the property. The inviting art deco design means stepping foot into this hotel instantly transports you away from the bustle of the city and back in time.

Capella Sydney is all about aesthetics, but with plenty of thoughtful touches for guests. These include complimentary bicycle rental and in-room Dyson hair dryers and tablets, making ordering room service or adjusting your lighting a breeze. Start your day with coffee at Aperture, a completely whimsical atrium garden cafe inspired by nature. The hotel’s cafe always delights first-timers thanks to Meadow, a moving floral sculpture centerpiece that opens and blooms as guests dine underneath.

However, the icing on the cake of Sydney’s most beautiful hotel must be its spa, housed in the former art gallery space of the Department of Education. Auriga Spa, featuring an indoor heated pool, adorned in white marble, offers wellness treatments with a twist—they’re aligned to the lunar phases of the moon.

Lizard Island Resort, Australia’s northernmost resort on the Great Barrier Reef, is also its most exclusive. Accessible only by chartered seaplane, the island was given its name for its resident yellow-spotted monitors that greeted Captain Cook upon his arrival here in the 18th century. The lizards are still easy to spot, but welcoming duties have since been handed over to the resort’s eager-to-please staff, who’ll receive you on the runway with refreshing towels and flutes of champagne.

Expect all the usual hallmarks of a quintessential island paradise: top-tier service in the barefoot luxury tradition; food so fresh and flavorful you’ll forget you’re dining on a remote island; a five-star spa, gym, and even a tennis court. At the main building lodge and in the guest rooms, the décor leans minimalist, with bright, generous spaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, and open-faced public areas deliberately designed to give center stage to the breathtaking Barrier Reef.

A raft of activities from sunset boat tours to fishing, snorkeling, and diving experiences bring guests up close with the reef’s wildlife; plus, there’s a handful of trails that join up the island’s powder-white beaches (24 in total) and hidden lagoons. After a day spent shadowing sea turtles and finding Nemo among labyrinths of technicolor coral, it’ll be clear why Lizard Island is so much more than a typical island paradise.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is the spiritual center of Australia, sacred to the local Pitjantjatjara tribe, with Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) and other imposing rock formations jutting out of the red desert landscape. Visitors to this region are strictly controlled, and it is a true privilege to be staying at Longitude 131⁰, a luxury, tented resort, with its 15 tents set up such that each private terrace has a view of the red monolith and the landscape, a prime viewing spot for Uluru’s spectacular sunrise and sunset displays.

Theoretically, leaving the resort is unnecessary because there is a superb restaurant offering modern Australian cuisine, a pool and a spa, in-house artists, Aboriginal storytellers, and local plant life to be enjoyed against the spectacular backdrop of the red sand dunes. But leaving the tents’ perfect terraces can be rewarding, as Longitude 131⁰ is set up to offer not only an extraordinarily unique and luxurious stay but also bespoke experiences away from the crowds that allow visitors to learn about the local Indigenous heritage and the spectacular nature around the resort. Sunrise strolls, heli-trips, and guided walks around the base of Uluru are beckoning.

High on the bucket list of Aussie travelers, an adventure to the Great Barrier Reef is the perfect opportunity to seriously treat yourself. Enter Pelorus Private Island, the luxury escape that will bring all your tropical island fantasies to life.

The only private island residence in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, this naturally secluded resort is just a short heli flight from Townsville and is completely solar and battery-powered. Opened in 2024, the property is adorned in a contemporary, minimalist style. The cream and timber design of the five suites, infinity pool, and communal lounges blend beautifully with the white sand just steps from your door. Bright and airy, each suite contains everything you need to feel right at home, including GHD hair products, LaGaia toiletries, and yoga mats, with vaulted ceilings and Italian linen curtains that guide the way to your private hardwood oceanfront balcony.

All meals and drinks are included, and the island’s private chef showcases local produce and seafood, always personalized to your requests. Snorkel in crystal clear waters, take a boat tour to nearby Hinchinbrook Island National Park or look for sea turtles on a sunrise SUP session—a visit to Pelorus is all about relaxation and serenity.

Long heralded as one of Australia’s finest hotels, Qualia opened in 2007, but it’s only gotten better with age. This boutique resort’s irresistible infinity pool and understated architecture almost steal the show from its surrounding seascape, the Whitsunday Coast.

Located on the car-free Hamilton Island, and with a minimum guest age of 16, serenity in Qualia Resort is pretty much a guarantee—with the pleasant exception of the island’s boisterous cockatoo population. You’re just a short boat ride or scenic flight away from the Great Barrier Reef, but a trip to Qualia is the perfect excuse to unwind in the sun and do absolutely nothing. Relaxation is the name of the game here, whether that’s a holistic spa treatment or a six-course tasting menu rich in sustainable local ingredients and accompanied by your sommelier-selected wine pairings.

All suites offer a serene blend of bush and Coral Sea views, best appreciated from your eucalyptus sundeck. Open the balcony to your dreamy sea breeze, pop on your out-of-office, and ease into the crystal-clear turquoise beaches. It’s time to soak up the harmonious vibes of Queensland’s most beloved tropical sanctuary.

This remote all-suite clifftop bolthole, edging a national park, has risen from the ashes of the 2019 wildfires that swept nature-rich Kangaroo Island. As its lush surroundings regrew, the entirely rebuilt Southern Ocean Lodge reopened in December 2023.

The centerpiece is a curved lounge with a suspended fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows. Think a malt whisky might complement the dramatic ocean views? Pick your favorite from the long-serve bar. At dinner, you can select a bottle of red from the well-stocked wine room. Most drinks, all meals, and multiple guided excursions are included in the room rate.

While here, you might visit the sea lion colony at Seal Bay, explore the fantastically shaped Remarkable Rocks, and spot koalas on a nocturnal walking safari. Careful to preserve its special surroundings, the off-grid lodge uses rain, bore water, and solar power. Its creative cuisine prioritizes island-produced delicacies from oysters to pheasants.

All 23 suites face the ocean. They’re free from bling (think polished wood and muted colors) but high on comforts such as huge rainfall showers, deep freestanding baths, and curved sunken lounges. Post-rebuild newcomers include the plush four-bedroom Baillie Pavilion and a plunge pool terrace beside the spa, which faces miles of regenerating bushland.

While there’s no shortage of all-inclusive private island escapes promising exquisite barefoot luxury, Turtle Island’s superlative experience places it in a category all its own. A 35-minute flight from Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, this lush paradise in the South Pacific offers a small, intimate gathering for no more than 14 couples and a staff-to-guest ratio of four-to-one.

And while guests frequently mingle in communal settings–so much so that it often feels like you’ve wandered into a curated dinner party–there are enough individual excursions throughout the island to offer escapist intimacy. Entire private beaches are reserved for each couple, so you and your partner can pretend to be stranded castaways–though well-fed castaways gorging on gourmet meals and glugging Moët & Chandon (complimentarily stocked in your refrigerator). In fact, there are so many private beaches that you could experience one every day and never see the same one twice.

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Turtle Island is a staff so welcoming, so kind, and so lovely that you’ll feel as though you’ve all met each other before–that you’re all long-lost family, recently reunited. That’s perhaps why the first words you’ll hear upon arrival from your hosts will be, “Welcome home, family.” It’s almost guaranteed that upon leaving, your heart will ache at the thought of abandoning such beauty and such kindness.