Luxury. Six letters firing the imagination to fantasise about over the top-end wining, dining, sleeping, pampering, experiences. And catering to the elite is something that Kiwis, Aussies and Pacific nations do very well.
Just ask the folk in Europe, the US and elsewhere who compile lists of world’s best this and most exclusive that.
And our visitors, too. Mostly, they book bespoke itineraries arranged through specialist agencies – not your typical tour package. Budgets start around $60,000-$75,000 but some spend from $250,000 to $1 million for a fortnight.
For a family group staying at exclusive villas and lodges, where it can cost $20,000-$35,000 a night, the bill quickly adds up, and then there’s exclusive guiding and transport, often by helicopter.
We’ve found some of the most amazing luxury experiences in Aotearoa and the neighbourhood. We’re not saying these are the ultimate, but if you can’t find a good time here, you must be pretty hard to please.
AOTEAROA
If you only get to one luxury lodge…
You’ll first glimpse Minaret Station from a helicopter, because that’s the only way to get to the remote property near Wanaka. The handful of buildings, with just four guest chalets, are hidden among mountain peaks in a glacier valley and blend into the spectacular surroundings. Landing at one of the Southern Hemisphere’s finest retreats, you’ll appreciate gourmet meals starring extremely local produce, a cellar naturally featuring Central Otago pinots, and a rainwater-fed outdoor hot tub at your door. You’ll want to borrow one of their choppers to ski, bike unmarked trails or soar to a glacier lake for lunch.
OK, make it two:
Too many to choose from, but The Lindis in Ahuriri Valley, also outside Queenstown, is an idyllic five-suite hideaway. Luxe living and sleeping eco-pods are much favoured by the world’s young and well-heeled.
If you only get to one 5-star plus hotel…
The Carlin is the creation of Kevin Carlin, US hotelier turned Queenstown developer. With gobsmacking town, lake and mountain views from Queenstown Hill, it promises a ‘beyond-five-star’ stay in suites with up to 500sq m of indoor and outdoor living space. The hotel was named world’s best new boutique hotel at the recent Boutique Hotel Awards, a publication that has ranked international accommodations for 12 years. The Skydome, Australasia’s largest penthouse suite, has seven bedrooms spanning three floors. Features include private butlers, chefs and massages, a discreet entrance and access to a private jet and luxury vehicles. One may take the Bentley into town.
OK, make it two:
Auckland’s Hotel Fitzroy is a superb conversion of a 1910 Ponsonby villa into a chic 10-bedroom oasis. Admire the heritage, revel in contemporary style.
If you only get to one wellness retreat…
Acclaimed as one of the world’s best wellness centres, Aro Hā promises life-changing, body-morphing, spirit-lifting retreats in gorgeous Scandinavian-style surroundings on a Glenorchy hillside. Expect physical challenges, vegetarian cuisine and opportunities for mindfulness and introspection. Fans: Oprah, Reese Witherspoon and our travel editor, Stephanie Holmes: “a supportive, uplifting experience that has led me out of my comfort zone and helped me try new things”.
OK, make it two:
Split Apple Retreat, built into a cliff face overlooking Abel Tasman National Park, has tailored wellness programmes, exceptional Asian-influenced cuisine and accommodation.
If you only get to one fine-dining restaurant…
Hiakai means “hungry”. Make sure you are before arriving at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant, featured in Time magazine’s Greatest Places 2019. The fearlessly creative chef made her name and perfected her craft in New York; she draws on Māori and Samoan heritage to showcase native ingredients, many foraged from around the city. Degustations may feature tītī, mamaku, kelp butter and oysters with kokihi, or green-lipped mussel icecream. Gordon Ramsay rates it. I wouldn’t argue with him.
OK, make it two:
Depends where you’re hanging: Sid at the French Cafe, Ahi and Origine (Auckland), Palate (Hamilton), Peppers on the Point (Rotorua), Pacifica (Napier), Inati (Christchurch), Aosta (Arrowtown), Moiety (Dunedin).
If you only get to one skifield…
Glenorchy’s Matakauri Lodge has a ski concierge to measure you for boots, skis and poles, organise lift passes and take you to Coronet Peak or the Remarks. They’ll even buckle you in before lift-off. Push off, carve fresh tracks in the white stuff and get back to your digs for lunch. Twelve guest suites are nestled beside Lake Whakatipu and the mountains.
OK, make it two:
At Hapuku Lodge, a 5-star eco-retreat just north of Kaikōura, stay in ground-level suites or treehouses 10m up in the forest canopy. Superb cuisine, marine attractions and Mt Lyford’s winter playground.
If you only get to one cruise…
Billed as New Zealand’s finest luxury catamaran, Rua Moana is a 26m, four-cabin yacht with submersible swim platform and toys like underwater scooters, windsurfers, fishing and diving gear. It can accommodate 60 for Hauraki Gulf charters or eight guests for overnight and longer cruises to the Mercury group, Poor Knights or Bay of Islands. Enjoy fishing, water and beach sports, be dropped off at golf courses, wineries or restaurants, or soak in the jacuzzi while the crew dive for your kaimoana.
OK, make it two:
Sail for seven days into our majestic southern fiords on Fiordland Jewel, a 24m, three-deck catamaran that sleeps 20 with helipad, top-deck hot-tub and a vast saloon for dining, chatting – and views.
If you only get to one golf course…
Even if you’re Tiger Woods, don’t rock up to Tara Iti, south of Mangawhai, and expect to play a round. Ranked No.6 on Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, it’s our first US-style private golf club with handpicked membership. Carved from a pine plantation beside a great surf beach, it’s not manicured; it’s native grasses, dunes and hollows. Non-members can apply to play, and stay in one of the eight on-site cottages, on the understanding they’re only allowed to visit once.
OK, make it two:
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, on a 2400ha sheep and cattle farm on cliffs overlooking the Pacific in Hawke’s Bay, is an extraordinary destination. The world-ranked golf course has spectacular views. You may find it hard to keep your eye on the ball.
If you only get to one fishing spot…
Huntin’, shootin’, fishin’ (the deep-sea variety) are major contributors to New Zealand’s luxury domestic product; so is the refined art of angling. The rivers flowing into Lake Taupō present world-class fishing 365 days a year. Summer calls for a chopper flight to a secluded pond to cast a line. Tradition calls for a stay at Huka Lodge, much loved by the late Queen and her slightly later mother.
OK, make it two:
We don’t want to start another war in the south so you choose between Otago’s lakes and high country rivers or Canterbury, where the Rakaia is famed for salmon and trout and the Waimakariri for jetboating from one deluxe experience to the next. Other rivers are available.
If you only get to one wildlife encounter…
Few places can match the stunning setting of Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki, our premier nature lodge. Surrounded by ancient rainforest on the Moeraki River banks, just a short walk from the Tasman, it’s operated by conservationists Anne Saunders and Gerry McSweeney. Stylish accommodation, fine food and guided hikes to the beaches and bush, kayaking to see penguins, seals and other wildlife.
OK, make it two:
Just about every native bird darts among the ancient plants and trees of 55,000ha Whakarewarewa Forest. On its edge at Lake Tarawera is 5-star Solitaire Lodge, perfect for hiking and biking, the Buried Village and Whakarewarewa, and taonga like Lake Rotoiti.
If you only get to one island…
Bougie is the theme here, so Waiheke is the rather obvious choice. Where for our uber-cool visitors to stay? Mawhiti means “escape” and also a four-bedroom architectural masterpiece overlooking the Gulf on a (relatively) undeveloped corner of the island. Super-king beds, artworks and furnishings, courtyards and bush, ocean and Rangitoto views. A concierge will arrange car hire, personal chef, helicopters to the wineries…
OK, make it two:
Rakiura. Church Hill lodge and restaurant has three suites with full-glass frontages and private decks for the best views of Halfmoon Bay, native bush and wildlife. Relax and unwind at the premium option on what used to be called Stewart Island.
If you only get to one winery stay…
Many wineries let you stay the night but one of the most luxurious is Kinross, in the Gibbston Valley east of Queenstown. It may not be quite as plush as, say, Craggy Range, but it has 14 studios, excellent on-site restaurant – and rather decent wine. Kinross represents five Central Otago wineries and sommeliers decant their products in side-by-side tastings. Great base to explore the area, enjoy artisan food and wine, soak in the outdoor hot tub, walk through the vines and breathe mountain air.
OK, make it two:
In our Provence, bed down at country-chic Marlborough Lodge. Tour responsibly on a full-day vineyard bike tour and end the day at its renowned Harvest Restaurant.
AUSTRALIA
They call it the Lucky Country, mainly because they’re lucky to have such great neighbours, but also because of the eye-rolling range of landscapes and opportunities across the continent – sun-kissed islands, lush jungles, deserts of harsh beauty. And that’s just for starters.
Let’s head to Queensland where qualia, at the northern tip of the Whitsundays’ Hamilton Island, is usually at or near the top of the country’s best hotels and resorts. Condé Nast Traveler named it the World’s Best Resort in 2012 and it continues to set the standard for impressive rooms, service, dining and a lush spa. Ask happy campers like Gordon Ramsay, Oprah and Toni Collette. Beyond-the-norm activities include scenic helicopter flights, heli-golf, luxury boat drop-offs with gourmet picnics, or just soaking up the sunshine by the pool.
Somewhat larger than most luxury resorts, which tend towards the boutique, the nearby, multi-award winning InterContinental Hayman Island Resort property stretches to 168 rooms, suites and villas snaking (oops, sorry, Australia) among pools, seascapes and tropical gardens.
Guests are picked up from the local airport by private launch, seaplane or helicopter (your call). There’s a choice of beach villas with private plunge pools, pool suites with swim-out access, ‘standard rooms’ with Coral Sea views or two exclusive hilltop residences and 24-hour butler service at the touch of a button.
Let’s lift the game up a notch or several. Bedarra Island is a favoured hideaway for the rich and famous - Russell Crowe and Fergie, the duchess not the rapper. The Great Barrier Reef island offers its maximum 20 guests seclusion in 11 villas set in 100ha of rainforest when they arrive by 30-minute speedboat from Mission Beach or the Gucci-style helicopter from Cairns. You can kayak, paddleboard, snorkel, walk in the forest, go deep-sea fishing or hang out by your own infinity-edge plunge pool.
Which is also the lifestyle for the 28 visitors in the 14 villas and suites on Orpheus Island, one of the reef’s most exclusive hideaways with acclaimed restaurant, spa and beachfront infinity pool mirroring the Coral Sea. You’re helicoptered to the island from Townsville and drift into island time with gourmet meals, fine wines, bush walks and watersports. Can’t name any celeb guests; Ewan McDonald doesn’t count.
“The most romantic place on Earth”, according to Kate Hudson, is Lizard Island, the only accommodation inside the reef national park. The island teems with wildlife but most visitors come for the opulent accommodation and superb cuisine. It has 40 rooms and villas – and 24 private beaches.
On the mainland, The Langham Hotel Surfers Paradise promises a “new wave of luxury” at the first unobstructed beachfront property built on the Gold Coast in more than 30 years. Cocktail in hand, loll at one of the two pools and look out to the ocean; step inside the Chuan Spa Chinese-medicine inspired wellness sanctuary, and end the day at its Michelin-starred restaurant, T’ang Court, Cantonese fine-dining renowned for its 14-day dry-aged duck and seafood dishes.
Enough of the sunshine estates. About as far from the coast as possible, Longitude 131 in World Heritage-listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is the closest accommodation to the Big Red Rock. It’s designed for complete immersion in the place and its spirituality – with a healthy dose of luxury.
The 15 air-conditioned glamping tents are pitched on top of red dunes with unrivalled views of Uluru through glass walls. Experiences are exceptional: dining lit by flames under the stars, sunrise camel tours, Uluru by motorbike, bush tucker tastings, indigenous artworks, gazing at the night sky from your deck, listening to the silence.
Just a little further north (in Aussie terms), Cicada Lodge is set inside Nitmiluk National Park at Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory. Expect the usual fine dining and first-class accommodation; however, its connection to the indigenous community sets it apart. Helicopter to see ancient rock art thought to be more than 30,000 years old or to desert waterholes; try your hand at weaving, weaponry or bushcraft.
Nestled alongside Tasmania’s Great Oyster Bay, Saffire Freycinet has been named Australia’s and the South Pacific’s best luxury hotel. Inspired by its Freycinet Peninsula setting, the design is contemporary yet cosy with breathtaking ocean views from the 20 suites and villas.
Inside, it’s five-course degustations, wi-fi and the day spa; outdoors, unique experiences like the Connection to Country walk, Tassie Devil encounter; a cruise to Wineglass, gourmet quadbike tour and shucking oysters fresh from the sea.
Those taking the marvellous four-day Bay of Fires Walk in the island’s northeast get to stay in its hilltop lodge above the spectacular coastline. The only building for 20km, it was built to ensure minimal environmental impact and to blend into the landscape.
New South Wales’ primeval Blue Mountains are one of the country’s highlights; so too the Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley resort, which makes every ‘best of’ list. It’s on a 2800ha nature reserve, with 40 villas, each with a private pool and fireplace perfect for late-night chats over a bottle of red. Immersive activities include horse rides and wildlife tours, private picnics and lazy long lunches designed around the chef’s market finds.
On NSW’s Central Coast, Pretty Beach House sits among native bush overlooking beaches. The house sleeps eight guests; three of the four pavilions have plunge pools and the penthouse suite has a spacious veranda with day-bed and fireplace. Fly to the Hunter Valley for wine tastings or just kick back and stare at the walls. Multi-million-dollar Australian art by the likes of Sidney Nolan.
Fifteen minutes’ drive from downtown Adelaide, Mount Lofty House and its sister Sequoia Lodge are two of South Australia’s best resorts, conveniently placed near the state’s four world-class wine regions. Mount Lofty House has character-filled rooms with four-poster beds, Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant and a day spa; Sequoia Lodge is an adults-only retreat with 14 suites and curated experiences.
We’ll end this bespoke tour inside another reef, another national park, on the opposite coast. Sal Salis in WA’s Ningaloo Reef-Cape Range National Park, is the place to while away the hours in a hammock, stroll 50m down to the beach and meet marine life, then feast on gourmet food and wine. Featuring 16 off-grid glamping tents, the signature experience is offered from mid-March to July: swimming with gentle, giant whale sharks.
In the remote, jaw-dropping Kimberly, El Questro Homestead perches on the edge of the Chamberlain Gorge, catering to just 20 guests aged 16+, but only during the dry season. You get there from Kununurra (hand up if you’ve ever heard of…) by riding 58km of highway and another 50km on the 4WD-only Gibb River Road into 405,000ha of wilderness. Indoors, the expected niceties but this is all about the great outdoors: horse-trekking, birdwatching, thermal springs, fishing, cruising the gorge, visiting ancient caves and waterholes.
PACIFIC
The best thing about the world’s biggest ocean is – go figure – the world’s biggest ocean, its thousands of islands and atolls with miles of white-sand beaches, turquoise lagoons and kaleidoscopic coral forests. Premier retreats play to those barefoot fantasies and add the perks of spa pampering, fresh-food dining, and overwater villas.
“Privacy is not something that I’m merely entitled to, it’s an absolute prerequisite,” declared Marlon Brando, and The Godfather actor went to some lengths to achieve that at Tetiaroa, 50km northeast of Tahiti.
He spent 50 years creating a sustainable private island paradise, now known as The Brando, French Polynesia’s most extraordinary eco-friendly escape. On an atoll of a dozen small islands surrounding a lagoon, it features spacious one-bedroom villas on white beaches inhabited by exotic birds, manta rays and sea turtles. Each has a deck leading to a private plunge pool. Yes, there are restaurants and bars.
On the secluded northeastern side of Bora Bora’s lagoon, St Regis Resort boasts the largest private overwater villas in this part of the planet. If that’s not quite alone enough for you, reserve a secluded beach villa with a butler on call 24/7. Le Meridien and the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, on private Motu To’opua island, may tickle your fancy, too.
In Fiji, Dolphin Island is a stunning 5.6ha retreat offering a “castaway” experience to a maximum eight guests who enjoy exclusive use. You’ll boat (private, natch) 30 minutes to the tip of Viti Levu and stay in a high-end version of a bure. Fresh-caught fish is brought to the island daily, as well as market produce and unique local ingredients. Blue waters, gold sand, palm trees, fragrant flowers and the famous Fijian hospitality, no extra charge.
Laucala Island is a 5-star-plus getaway in 1295ha of coconut plantations, mountains, beaches and lagoons. Oh, and a runway for the private jets that shuttle guests 50 minutes from Nadi. Created by Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschilz and run under the wellness-focused COMO brand, it’s “the resort where there are no limits.” One shall not ask too many questions. George Clooney and Oprah – notice how often she blags a stay at these places? - pay from US$5600 a night for a one-bedroom villa. Assuming they pay, of course.
You could spend your stay in your villa or explore the island from your complimentary electric buggy. Your tau (butler) will drive you if it’s just too hot. Apart from the usual activities, there’s a jungle-shrouded 18-hole golf course.
Other options: Namale Fiji Islands, an award-winning operation overlooking the Koro Sea; Jean-Michel Cousteau’s boutique eco-resort at Savusavu Bay. Surrounded by a marine sanctuary, this socially and environmentally responsible resort is one of the region’s most renowned destinations.
In the Cook Islands, Rarotonga’s Motu Beachfront Art Villas boast stunning villas and an expensive art collection, while Aitutaki Lagoon Resort is the Cook Islands’ only retreat with overwater bungalows. Expect champagne-coloured beaches, glorious sunsets (“hard to beat anywhere else on Earth,” we’ve read), innovative cuisine, cultural nights and the usual toys. Specialities, too: dance lessons, lei making, crab racing, fish feeding and motu walking (you know what “motu” means, so this is wading through the shallows from islet to islet).
There’s a lot to love about Vanuatu – the unique culture, great food, excellent diving – and several renovated resorts that have sprung back to life following 2015′s Cyclone Pam. The Havannah Vanuatu, a half-hour drive from Port Vila, is strictly for grown-ups – gorgeous villas built for two, private dining, absolute beachfront. The two deluxe waterfront villas have overwater decks and a private 7m infinity pool.
Iririki Island Resort & Spa’s thatched fares and bungalows have also been refurbished on its Coral Sea island home, a three-minute ferry ride from Vila. The Aussie owners have added a swim-up blackjack table and a karaoke room. Kids are welcome here.
Ratua, a 30-minute ferry ride from Espiritu Santo airport, is owned by a secretive French billionaire who opened his island as a not-for-profit eco-resort in 2010. Guest villas are incredible 200-year-old teak structures shipped from Indonesia, with ornate Balinese furniture and fittings. No plastic, everything is made of wood and there are no cars. Food is organic and hyper-local.