Oceania Explore our selections.

Southern Ocean Lodge

Hotel

Oceania, Australia

From $2,200

Southern Ocean Lodge sits on the limestone cliffs above Hanson Bay, on the wild south-west coast of Kangaroo Island, a short flight from Adelaide. Destroyed by bushfire in 2020, it reopened in late 2023 under its original architect, Max Pritchard, with 23 suites strung along the coastline, a central Great Room and a new four-bedroom Ocean Pavilion. The lodge runs almost entirely off-grid, powered by solar and battery systems and supplied by rainwater and an aquifer, while works by island and South Australian artists fill the interiors. Stays are all-inclusive, with menus built around local growers and fishermen, an open bar, signature island experiences, a spa and transfers included.

Capella Sydney

Hotel

Oceania, Australia

From $750

Capella Sydney occupies the former Department of Education building, an Edwardian Baroque sandstone landmark designed by government architect George McRae in 1912, a short walk from Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House. After a seven-year restoration by Make Architects and BAR Studio, a modern glass extension now crowns the historic facade, and the 192 rooms and suites pair heritage details with contemporary comfort. Works by Australian artists, including Judy Watson, fill the public spaces, and a cultural program covers Aboriginal history, art and the harbor. On level six, the Auriga Spa and a 20-meter indoor pool occupy the old gallery, while Brasserie 1930 and the ground-floor Living Room set the pace downstairs.

Kokomo Private Island

Hotel

Oceania, Fiji

From $2,000

Kokomo Private Island sits within the Great Astrolabe Reef in Fiji's Kadavu region, a 45-minute seaplane or helicopter flight south of the mainland. Its beachfront villas and hilltop residences are spread along white sand beaches, each with a private pool on a wide deck, open-air bathrooms and gardens leading down to the sand. Most of what is served at the island's restaurants comes from its own 5.5-acre organic farm, which also has a beehive, a henhouse and a vanilla plantation. The reef around the island is one of the best places in the world for diving and snorkelling, and the resort supports manta ray conservation and coral restoration. Days can also include deep-sea fishing, a hike to a waterfall on a nearby island, or a treatment at the Yaukuve Spa Sanctuary.

The Brando

Hotel

Oceania, French Polynesia

From $3,700

The Brando is a resort on Tetiaroa, an atoll of a dozen small islands around a wide lagoon, about 50 kilometres north of Tahiti. The island was once a retreat for Tahitian royalty, and later the private sanctuary of Marlon Brando, who bought it in the 1960s after filming Mutiny on the Bounty nearby. Its 35 villas are spread along white sand beaches, each with its own plunge pool and simple Polynesian-inspired interiors, hidden from one another among the palms. The resort runs on renewable energy and cools its rooms with deep seawater instead of conventional air conditioning. Days can include snorkelling with manta rays, cycling across the island, guided visits with the research station that studies the atoll, or a daily spa treatment in the all-inclusive package. Guests arrive by private plane, a 20-minute flight from Papeete.

Silky Oaks Lodge

Hotel

Oceania, Australia

From $935

Silky Oaks Lodge sits directly above the Mossman River inside the Daintree Rainforest, with 40 treehouse-style retreats hidden beneath one of the oldest tropical forests on Earth. Private balconies and outdoor baths pull the rainforest into the rooms, while the Treehouse Restaurant hangs over the river and the Healing Waters Spa disappears into the canopy. Swimming and snorkeling in the Mossman River, kayaking, rainforest walks and morning yoga are all part of the stay, with the Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation close enough to turn the lodge into a rare base for experiencing two World Heritage landscapes in one trip.

Sun Ranch

Hotel

Oceania, Australia

From $560

Sun Ranch brings a slice of 1970s California to 55 acres of rolling farmland in the Byron Bay hinterland, pairing timber ranch houses, vintage furniture, earthy Spanish influences and seriously good communal spaces with the landscape of Coopers Shoot. Accommodation ranges from adults-only Pool Suites to two-bedroom barns, while the rest of the property is made for lingering: a 25-metre mineral pool overlooking the hills, the sunken Lair lounge, Cowboy Bar, open-air Field House, wood-fired sauna and ice baths. Horse rides, morning yoga, long lunches and margaritas add to the ranch fantasy, with Bangalow two minutes away and Byron Bay around 12 minutes by car.

Swell Hotel

Hotel

Oceania, Australia

From $295

Swell Hotel Byron turns a former roadside motel into a 16-room adults-only hideaway with a distinctly 1970s mood, combining earthy tones, curved forms, woven textures and tropical gardens. Rooms open towards greenery or the pool, while the shared spaces move between a mineral swimming pool, bar, infrared sauna, ice bath and wellness areas for yoga and treatments. Its location is unusually convenient for Byron Bay: the centre is only a couple of minutes away on foot and Belongil Beach is around four minutes away.

Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef

Hotel

Oceania, Australia

From $1,130

Sal Salis is the only accommodation inside Cape Range National Park and sits steps from Ningaloo Reef on Western Australia’s remote North West Cape. Its wilderness tents keep the experience intentionally close to nature, while days revolve around snorkelling, kayaking, reef excursions and seasonal encounters with whale sharks. With two World Heritage landscapes on either side, the location is the real luxury.

Minaret Station Alpine Lodge

Hotel

Oceania, New Zealand

From $2,340

There are no roads to Minaret Station. Reaching this tiny alpine lodge requires a helicopter flight into a remote glacial valley in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, where towering peaks surround just a handful of private chalets. Once there, hiking, fishing, mountain biking and helicopter adventures begin almost directly outside the door, making the isolation itself the central luxury.