From the red-dusted heart of the outback to mist-covered Tasmanian wilderness, sun-scorched coral coastlines and the rolling hills of the wine country, Australia does diversity like nowhere else.
In 2026, your backyard is calling. Here is where to travel.
Tasmania
Crowne Plaza Hobart
On Liverpool Street in Hobart’s West End, a short walk from Salamanca Place and the waterfront, Crowne Plaza is the most practical upscale base in the city – central enough to reach everything on foot, with valet parking included in some stays. Core Restaurant and Bar uses Tasmanian produce throughout; the rooftop bar on level 12 has city and harbour views that improve noticeably with a Tasmanian sparkling in hand. The Club Lounge upgrade adds breakfast, evening canapés and all-day drinks – worth considering for a longer stay. MONA is 12 minutes by car; Dark Mofo in winter, Taste of Tasmania in summer.
Discovery Resorts Cradle Mountain
Experience the untamed beauty of the dramatic alpine landscape that is the World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clair National Park at this resort, that sits amid bushland on its northern border, an hour’s drive from Devonport. This is where wilderness meets comfort; cosy one and two-bedroom cabins with fireplaces and forest views set the scene perfectly after a day of hiking, with curious wallabies and wombats coming right up to the balcony.
RACV Hobart Hotel
Centrally positioned to make the most of MONA, Salamanca Market and Hobart’s extraordinary restaurant scene, this CBD base with hotel or apartment-style accommodation is ideal for exploring one of the world’s great small cities. Head to the signature restaurant, Charcoal, for market-fresh seafood and seasonal dishes (like crab and saffron risotto), or the adjoining Cascade on Collins historic bar for a showcase of award-winning Tasmanian wine.
Iron Creek Bay Estate
In Sorell, one of Tasmania’s oldest towns, is this family-run working farm stay surrounded by fruit orchards, vineyards and farm animals – all just 15 minutes from Hobart. Explore 5km of tracks around the estate with Bruny Island and Mount Wellington visible on the horizon spotting native echidnas, wallabies and wildlife. Enjoy homestyle farmhouse dining at Orani, fruit picking and an alpaca, sheep and pony animal-feeding experience.
Victoria
Pan Pacific Melbourne
Two-time winner of Australia’s Leading Hotel at the World Travel Awards, Pan Pacific Melbourne sits in South Wharf between Southbank and Docklands, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing panoramic views of the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay. The Pacific Club Lounge – a step up available with select rooms – covers breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening canapes. Dock 37 handles casual dining; DFO South Wharf and the Melbourne Convention Centre are directly accessible. A ten-minute walk to the CBD keeps the city’s laneways, arts precinct and sporting venues within easy reach.
Hotel Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula
A family-run institution on the Mornington Peninsula for nearly 45 years, Hotel Sorrento has evolved from a traditional pub into a polished coastal retreat – 39 rooms in neutral tones with European oak floors, a clifftop pool terrace with lounge beds and a poolside bar, and seasonal Australian dining on site. A new rooftop wellness area is due for completion in late 2025. Sorrento Back Beach is a short walk; the Searoad Ferry puts Queenscliff and the Great Ocean Road within reach.
The Mitchelton Hotel, Nagambie
90 minutes from Melbourne on 280 acres of vineyards and native bushland in the Goulburn Valley, Mitchelton takes the countryside weekend next level. Stay in a cabin overlooking the vines or in the architectural hotel block beside the 20-metre infinity-edge pool, indulge at a spectacular cellar door with a 50-year-plus wine making history, browse The Mitchelton Gallery of Aboriginal Art, home to some of the largest works by Australia’s Indigenous artists, and forget city life entirely at the botanical-inspired day spa.
Ovolo South Yarra, Melbourne
Seventies glamour in 123 rooms at the intersection of Toorak Road and Chapel Street – velvet, chrome, bold artwork and four Rockstar Suites named after music’s most legendary couples. The design cues are unapologetically disco-era; the location is unapologetically South Yarra, with Chapel Street boutiques and Prahran Market on the doorstep and the CBD two stops by train. The speakeasy-style Apero Hour is included, as is daily breakfast. Dog-friendly if that’s a consideration. For a Melbourne stay that doesn’t look or feel like anywhere else in the city, this is the argument.
Jackalope
One of Australia’s most talked about hotels, Jackalope doesn’t blend into the landscape: it’s jet black and achingly arty, with subversive outdoor sculptures the first hint to the surreal experience on offer. Set on the Mornington Peninsula in Merricks North, where rolling vineyards meet farm-to-table dining, wine and art, Jackalope sets the standard in luxury. A 30-metre infinity pool looks out over seemingly endless rows of vines, an infrared sauna encourages meditative solace, and spacious signature suites feature a relaxing fireplace and deep-soaking Japanese stone bath.
New South Wales
Bannisters by the Sea, South Coast
Three hours’ drive south of Sydney on the NSW South Coast, Bannisters by the Sea sits above Mollymook Beach with an infinity pool that looks directly out to the Pacific and whale sightings from the terrace during migration season. Rick Stein at Bannisters is the reason many guests make the drive – locally sourced seafood, ocean views, and a menu that earns its reputation. Spa by the Sea handles the days between meals. Milton, a short drive inland, has good antique shops and a farmers’ market worth the detour.
The Hydro Majestic, Blue Mountains
Built in 1904 as Australia’s first health retreat, the Hydro Majestic sits above the Megalong Valley in Medlow Bath, inside the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains – 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney and a short drive from the Three Sisters and Scenic World. The Art Deco bones are intact: the Casino Lobby’s iconic domed roof, the Majestic Ballroom, the Wintergarden restaurant with escarpment views across the valley. Arthur Conan Doyle and Nellie Melba were regulars; the chef-hatted Wintergarden and included heritage tour of the grounds are the reasons to go now.
Ace Hotel Sydney
After making its name in New York, Palm Springs and Kyoto, Ace arrived in Surry Hills in 2022 and promptly became Sydney’s most talked-about hotel address. The walls are hung with emerging artists; the rooms are soundproofed, individually designed, and come with record players. Kiln Sydney holds a Chef’s Hat in the Australian Good Food Guide and a view across the city to match. The Lobby Bar won Hotel Bar of the Year at the 2024 Australian Bar Awards. Ten minutes’ walk to Hyde Park; ten minutes’ walk to Central Station; an exact fit for a certain kind of Sydney traveller who knows the difference between a hotel and a destination.
25hours Sydney The Olympia
One of 2025’s most talked-about openings and the first offering from the 25hours Hotel group in Australia, this Paddington hotel is a new Sydney go-to. In the heart of buzzy Paddington, housed in a heritage-listed art house cinema building dating back to 1915, it’s moments from Oxford Street’s galleries and fashion houses. The Palomar, a celebrated London restaurant, opened its first international outpost at this hotel, and it delights with exceptional Mediterranean-centric cuisine (think Coppertree Farm ribeye with burnt chilli salsa and grilled Abrolhos Island scallop with zhoug butter).
Château Élan at The Vintage, Hunter Valley
A Tuscan-inspired retreat on 100 acres of rolling Hunter Valley vineyard country, two and a half hours from Sydney. The Greg Norman-designed 18-hole golf course is ranked among the best in Australia; The Spa at Château Élan has 17 treatment rooms and an outdoor hydrolounge with valley views. Legends Restaurant oversees winery dining; the cellar door and Hunter Valley’s wider wine trail are on the doorstep.
The Darling, Sydney
The Darling is the luxury tier of The Star entertainment complex in Pyrmont – 171 rooms with floor-to-ceiling city or harbour views, deep soaking tubs, rainfall showers and integrated room controls. The Star’s dining precinct, bars and Sydney Lyric Theatre are all accessible without stepping outside, while the light rail puts the CBD ten minutes away.
Queensland
QT Gold Coast
A design-forward Surfers Paradise address with a personality the Gold Coast doesn’t always get credit for. Five restaurants and bars onsite – including omakase at Yamagen and tacos and tequila at Stingray – and twin rooms available for siblings make it a practical choice for families with older kids or teenagers, though there’s no kids’ club.
Alamanda Palm Cove
The only beachfront resort in Palm Cove, Alamanda Palm Cove offers apartment living encased in coconut palms, just steps from the white sands of the Coral Sea. This is the ideal base to discover the nearby Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest, especially for families and groups, as apartment options offer up to four bedrooms. Round off sun-drenched days beside the resort’s three pools at the award-winning onsite restaurant NuNu for cocktails and tropical dining.
Essence Peregian Beach
The only luxury resort in the unspoilt coastal village of Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast, this best-kept secret sits between the ocean and the ancient Noosa UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with Noosa a half-hour away. It’s well suited to groups and families, with accommodation options ranging from sunset-facing hotel suites to sizable five-bedroom homes. Book an in-room spa treatment, dip in two mineral-infused pools and sip poolside cocktails.
The Reef House Adults Retreat, Palm Cove
The Reef House has built its reputation on one specific proposition: doing nothing, extremely well. Adults only, 67 rooms and suites beneath ancient Melaleuca trees on Palm Cove’s Williams Esplanade, with two pools, a pool butler, and 28 signature inclusions woven through every stay – dawn yoga on the beach, twilight punch and canapés under the canopy, afternoon poolside sorbet, cocktail masterclasses. The Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef are both within reach; most guests don’t feel the need to leave.
South Australia & Northern Territory
Novotel Barossa Valley Resort
The only resort in the Barossa Valley proper, Novotel sits above the Jacob’s Creek vines in Rowland Flat – 140 rooms, all with private balconies looking out over the vineyard and the Barossa Ranges. The Cellar Kitchen handles regional dining seven days a week; Endota Day Spa covers recovery; the Tanunda Pines Golf Course is adjacent and the Barossa cycling trail runs past the door. An hour from Adelaide Airport, it’s the sensible base for exploring the region’s cellar doors, with Château Tanunda and Jacob’s Creek both within minutes.
Monarto Safari Resort
Just an hour from Adelaide, Monarto Safari Resort makes you feel like you’re on an African Safari, without even leaving the country. From your hotel room or safari suite, watch over the 1,500-hectare reserve as the waterhole attracts giraffes, zebras and ostriches. One of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest open-range zoos, here you’ll wake to lion calls drifting through your luxury savannah lodge, then join a guided safari at sunrise before indulging at the day spa, swimming pools and Kutjera Restaurant (try the Rooibos-smoked duck breast with pickled plum).
Sequoia Lodge
Among Australia’s most sought-after luxury lodges, this boutique, adults-only stay sits in 30 leafy acres atop Adelaide’s Mount Lofty. It’s a dreamy retreat of spa suites, cellar-door indulgence and eucalyptus-scented air, with a three-hatted farm-to-table restaurant, Hardy’s Verandah, and three artesian, spring-fed hot pools for admiring the sunrise or sunset over the hills. Each suite has a stone-clad gas fireplace, so sip a cosy local Shiraz, then lose yourself in a deep-soak bath with treetop views.
Longitude 131
Few places on earth stop you in your tracks quite like Uluru, and Longitude 131° ensures you experience every awe-inspiring moment in style. Rarely does a resort place you this close to an iconic site while still delivering genuine luxury. Nestled among the rich red dunes of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 16 tented pavilions face the monolith directly, delivering front-row seats to sunrises and outback scenery like no other. From sleeping beneath the stars on your balcony to hearing Indigenous stories around the campfire and indulging in bush-inspired, contemporary Australian dining, this is a bucket-list worthy experience, right at home.
Western Australia
COMO The Treasury, Perth
Perth’s finest address occupies the restored 19th-century State Buildings in the heart of Cathedral Square – 48 rooms and suites designed by Kerry Hill, each with oversized windows and a complimentary minibar. Wildflower on the rooftop holds three chef’s hats and builds its menu around the six seasons of the Noongar calendar. Post, the ground-floor osteria, handles breakfast and handmade pasta with considerably less fanfare. COMO Shambhala offers treatments in the city’s most respected spa.
Tribe Perth Kings Park
If you’re looking for a good-value city hotel packed with personality, the design-led Tribe Perth with its gallery-like lobby and fuss-free, collaboration-focused common areas could be your ideal boutique stay. Its location, just west of the CBD on the fringe of Kings Park and Botanic Garden, places you within easy reach of the city centre, and its trendy mix of eateries and boutiques. A 24-hour Grab & Go bar is stocked with healthy options and local artisanal produce, while Tribe Table serves up barista coffee breakfasts by day and American diner-style burgers and loaded fries by night.
Pullman Bunker Bay, Margaret River
Setting the benchmark in Margaret River luxury, this beachfront escape sits alongside the crystal-clear waters of Bunker Bay, amid 35 acres of native greenery. One, two and three-bedroom private villas feature timber floorboards, limestone walls and deep-soaking tubs, with a heated infinity-edge pool, tennis court, seven-suite day spa and boardwalk beach access nearby. Explore world-class wineries, gourmet restaurants and surf breaks just minutes away.
Discover Australia
Feature image: Bannisters by the Sea.
