Luxury escapes in Queensland for an indulgent getaway in the sun

In the heart of the Whitsundays, Hamilton Island is the epitome of tropical luxury and home to the Reef View Hotel. Book a one-bedroom terrace suite and check in to light-filled views over the turquoise Coral Sea through floor-to-ceiling windows in every room. You can cook up a barbecue feast on your private deck or feel the island breeze cool your shoulders as you sip on a glass of wine in your bubbling outdoor spa.

By day, you can cruise the pristine coastline of Whitehaven Beach and jump out to explore the white silica sands that squeak beneath your feet. Closer to home, make the most of the free aqua activities at Catseye Beach—calm waters let you snorkel out to the reef directly off the shore. After a day in the North Queensland heat, you can indulge in a Sun Worshipper hair, face and body treatment at Spa Wumurdaylin to replenish and re-hydrate.

Bommie Deck at the Yacht Club is the best spot for sundowners while you watch sailboats returning to the harbour. You might even catch sight of a turtle in the waters below. If you prefer a more tropical vibe, the Beach Club Restaurant lets you watch the shimmering waters of Catseye Beach turn gold while friendly staff bring you an Aperol Spritz. Stay on for dinner to savour sumptuous seafood dishes like scallop ceviche with lime and coconut or market fish with sauce vierge and asparagus.

Just moments from Brisbane’s CBD, Ovolo Inchcolm is a 50-room heritage-listed hotel offering a glamorous yet quirky throwback to a bygone era. Inspired by Gertrude Stein’s Paris salon—the place where celebrated writers and artists like Fitzgerald and Picasso would exchange ideas—the hotel oozes 1920s charm. Amid the handmade wallpaper, floral motifs and Art Deco geometric shapes, you’ll almost expect to see Hemingway walk through the door with a cigar in hand.

Get into the swing of things with a rosemary martini at the bar and sink into a velvet sofa while admiring the eclectic mix of trinkets in the Cabinet of Curiosity. Next door’s Salon de Co restaurant serves modern dishes sure to surprise and delight. Think goats’ curd churros with truffle, honey and almond, or Maremma free-range duck with peach, fennel jam, liquorice and buckwheat.

Up in the Socialite’s Suite, you can soak up the Queensland sunshine through soaring windows boasting views across the city. The four-poster bed adds a romantic touch, while premium Biology amenities and a freestanding bath will help get you into holiday mode.

Perched high above Mossman River in Far North Queensland, Silky Oaks Lodge gives you the choice of treehouses overlooking tropical gardens, forest vistas or the riverfront. Swinging gently from the double hammock on your private balcony, sip a soothing cup of tea while listening to the rainforest symphony.

Healing Waters Spa will help you sink further into relaxation with treatments inspired by the power of nature. The Sodashi Detoxifying Marine Body Wrap uses sea plants, algae, marine minerals and plant essences to detoxify, while the green tea salt therapy will leave your skin buffed and silky smooth. Alternatively, you can join a daily yoga class in the Daintree Pavilion overlooking the Mossman or explore the oldest living rainforest in the world via a self-guided walking trail.

Indigenous Kuku Yalanji guides can show you the cultural habitat of the surrounding coastline and mangroves, where you’ll collect traditional food and practice spear throwing. Visitors can also visit the Janbal Art Gallery, home to an impressive display of local art, and take a painting class.

At Treehouse Restaurant, you can dine looking straight out into the forest canopy and crystal-clear river waters. The open-sided venue prepares native ingredients like crocodile and kangaroo, as well as classic dishes such as coral trout with gnocchi and bouillabaisse. Finish your evening at the Treehouse Bar with a craft beer or a cocktail made from small-batch distilled liqueurs and spirits.

Arriving by small plane, you’ll be treated to an aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef before checking into the exclusive Lizard Island Resort. Off the coast of North Queensland, the resort is surrounded by a national park and has 24 private beaches—that’s one per guest suite. You can choose from beachfront suites with direct access to Anchor Bay or bring a group of friends and book The Villa. Perched high on top of a ridge, you’ll get spectacular views across Sunset Beach and the Coral Sea.

Divers can head out to world-famous dive sites like Cod Hole (only 45 minutes away) or you can take a personal dinghy and find your own spot to jump out and explore the reef with your snorkel. Stay dry with a tour around Anchor Bay on a stand-up paddleboard or glass-bottom kayak, keeping your eye out for brightly coloured clownfish and sea turtles.

Essentia Day Spa will shake out any remaining city life tensions with a head-to-toe white flannel flower sanctuary ritual, which combines a coconut and jasmine body polish, hydrating cocoon, mask and full-body souffle. You’ll drift back to your room with your skin glowing and your mind cleared, just in time to sink into your daybed and watch the sun set.

Book one of two private beach pavilions on Anchor Bay for a romantic, seven-course degustation experience for two. Or, grab a table on the deck at Salt Water Restaurant and gaze out across 180-degree beachfront views as you dine on fresh seafood and produce flown in daily from the mainland.

The first-ever fashion-inspired hotel, Palazzo Versace Gold Coast pays homage to one of the most famous fashion brands in the world. The opulence is over the top here: Think marble Roman columns, a pebble mosaic carriage entrance and a sparkling chandelier that once hung in the State Library of Milan. You’ll see the bold Versace colour palette of royal blues and magenta pinks throughout the communal areas, while guest suites are a more neutral beige with accents of gold.

On your personal balcony, stretch out on a sun lounger and soak up the Gold Coast sunshine. You can unwind in your own luxurious spa bath with custom Versace amenities when you need a shaded break, then slip into the provided black bathrobe and slippers. Splash out on a two-bedroom rooftop condo with Jacuzzi spa and private sun deck if your ideal evening includes whipping up an alfresco dinner on the barbecue.

Up the glamour even more with an afternoon in a poolside cabana, draped in floating sheer curtains, while your attendant brings you glasses of bubbly and freshly shucked oysters. Alternatively, book afternoon tea at Le Jardin overlooking the lagoon pool, where you can indulge in truffled egg mayonnaise and watercress finger sandwiches and Versace signature Valrhona chocolate orange and cardamom delice.

At the Spa at Palazzo Versace, dip into the indoor swimming pool modelled after an ancient Roman bathhouse before making your own circuit through the cold and hot spas and steam rooms. For some holistic relaxation, book a reflexology massage using exclusive warmed crystals and stress-relieving acupressure.

The first in the Spicers resort family and the only one purpose-built from the ground up, Spicers Peak Lodge is set on 8,000 acres in Queensland’s Scenic Rim. Elevated to 1,100 metres above sea level, the award-winning mountain lodge provides expansive views of the Great Dividing Range and endless opportunities to explore the World Heritage Listed national park. You can even head out on two or five-day guided Spicers Scenic Rim trail tours, staying overnight in a luxury safari-style eco-tent.

Back at the resort, your lodge spa suite has a Jacuzzi tub and Appelles bath amenities just right for soaking tired feet. Or, perhaps you’d prefer to slip into your plush bathrobe and sip a glass of wine in front of your roaring fireplace as the sky turns burnt orange over Cunninghams Gap.

At Spa Anise, the resort’s mountaintop oasis, you can plunge into the spa pool on the deck to relax after a treatment or cosy up in the indoor lounge next to the stone hearth. The Peak Signature Massage will treat you to a foot scrub and balm, a full-body massage and an orange scalp treatment to get you ready to pull on those hiking boots the next day.

Finish your day at Peak Restaurant, where you can dine on a seven-course tasting menu showcasing the best producers in the area and around the country. Think Yarra Valley salmon roe, Fraser Isle spanner crab, Petuna ocean trout and Maremma Farm Aylesbury duck—all served up to a soundtrack of soothing jazz music and the crackle of an open fire.