See more at http://gourmettraveller.com.au/the-2012-hot-100-in-pictures.htm

Now six years in the running, the Awards are designed to recognise outstanding destinations and operators, those dedicated to showcasing Australia’s best tourism assets.
Baillie Lodges is thrilled that Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island has been selected as a finalist award nominee for the third year running in the Awards’ Best Resort/Lodge Category.

Last year over 25,000 readers voted in the GT Travel Awards, please join in (again!) this year to see Southern Ocean Lodge hit its stride as one

“Pretty Beach House is an outstanding addition to the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection” said James Baillie, Chair of Luxury Lodges of Australia and owner of globally acclaimed Southern Ocean Lodge.

“The combination of stunning design and service, fantastic attention to detail and all the key luxury standards, combined with the experience of a distinctly Australian coastal bush region, make it a natural fit for this collection of experiential luxury properties.”

Brian Barry, co-General Manager of the lodge with wife Karina stated, “We are absolutely thrilled to be part of this new Australian group of luxury experiential lodges, and we are very much looking forward to working in partnership with such a benchmark group.”

Pretty Beach House is a quintessentially Australian, super sophisticated guesthouse, perched high on the escarpment at Pretty Beach, on the NSW Bouddi Peninsula. Just 100 kilometres north of Sydney this guesthouse offers a new style of luxury in designer pavilion style accommodation with all-inclusive rates and around the clock butler service.

Pretty Beach House offers just three private pavilions, superb casa linga style dining provided by one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs, Stefano Manfredi, and a wealth of guided or self-guided coastal bush walks, beach excursions and water activities.

With easy access from Sydney by car, seaplane, private boat, helicopter or ferry, Pretty Beach House is a coastal bush haven, right on Sydney’s doorstep.

Brian Barry noted, “The creation of Pretty Beach House has been a highlight in a life in hospitality for Karina and myself.  To have such an endeavor recognized, with an invitation to join Luxury Lodges of Australia is more than gratifying.”

“Offering our guests an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience is what it is all about for us, and we believe this new partnership will complement all parties involved.”

Luxury Lodges of Australia was formed as a result of the dramatic change in the Australian travel landscape over the past decade, which has seen the emergence of a new breed of exceptional lodges and camps in some of Australia’s most beautiful and outstanding regions.

Never before has Australia had a critical mass of experiential luxury properties to appeal to global travellers and adventure seekers.

With the addition of Pretty Beach House, seventeen of Australia’s leading independent luxury tourism properties comprise the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection. The lodges are independently owned and operated, but are united by their delivery of uniquely Australian experiences and a strong sense of place.

Each lodge has its signature experiences and activities to showcase the special aspects of its region. It is these experiences that define the new Australian luxury and showcase Australia’s extraordinary diversity.

James Baillie said: “Australia is now, more than ever, one of the most exciting and desirable travel destinations globally. Australia’s diversity is unique. No other country in the world has the breadth and depth of experience we have. Now, for the first time, in many of our remote regions, this is now offered at the luxe levels expected by experience-seeking luxury travellers.”

The collection has brought together many of Australia’s innovators and leaders in hospitality, tourism, food and wine, and regional development; and their passion for delivering authentically Australian luxury experiences over and above offering a great place to stay, is ingrained in their unique lodge offering.

THE SEALINK KANGAROO ISLAND SEAFOOD FEAST-IVAL

27th April – 2 May 2012

There’s lots to be excited about this autumn, with the fine producers and chefs on Kangaroo Island coming together with an itinerary of nine great dining events around the island, with a common theme: fabulous, singing-fresh seafood!

In a series of events at idyllic seaside settings around the island, feasters can choose between fine dining tasting menus, campfire cooking and seafood barbeques by the sea. Other dining events include master class demonstrations and exclusive dinners with celebrity chefs such as Pete Evans from My Kitchen Rules and Simon Bryant from The Cook and The Chef.

This is an island festival that connects visitors to the Kangaroo Island community through the celebration of fine seafood, local produce, location and conversation.

Southern Ocean Lodge has some exciting food events as part of the Feastival:

Sunday 29th

Luxury Accommodation Package; SOUTHERN OCEAN LODGE FEASTIVAL

PACKAGE DATES: 29th April – 1st May 2012

An exclusive opportunity to enjoy a weekend of luxury at the Southern Ocean Lodge; guests enjoy an exclusive pass to dinner with Simon Bryant at the KI Seafood Feastival down at the historic Kangaroo Island Jetty.

Includes:

Two nights luxury accommodation
All lodge dining, open bar with premium wines and spirits
In-suite bar
Signature Lodge Experiences and island airport transfers
Special KI Seafood Feastival dinner with Simon Bryant from the TV series the Cook and the Chef

From $1,980 per person – two nights all inclusive (excluding air)
Children from 6 yrs – $350 per child per night
Capacity 8 suites only

For more, please call DIRECT 02 99184355

Then, on Monday 30th…

A SOUTHERN OCEAN DEGUSTATION
Lunch 12.30pm – 4.30pm

This is a  rare opportunity to dine at Southern Ocean Lodge. Experience a true gastronomic journey of Kangaroo Island; the ‘produce to plate’ approach is a real passion for Chef Tim Bourke and his team.

TICKET PRICE: $125 per head, sit down formal lunch and beverage package.
No children under 18 sorry.
ALL BOOKINGS – Please call DIRECT 02 9918 4355

Capacity 60 – hurry to reserve your place!

See you at the first-ever Kangaroo Island Seafood Feastival!

‘…But perhaps the most exciting Sydney development is the one planned by hoteliers James and Hayley Baillie, owners of Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, who have secured the lease on four adjoining heritage buildings in Sydney’s Rocks.

Baillies Sydney will be an intimate affair: 10 “oversized” rooms, a day spa and a private-house feel. A conscious decision was made “not to compete with Sydney restaurants”, says James Baillie, so in-house dining will be lounge-style, “perfect for a quiet night in for the travel-weary palate”. Emphasis is placed on services such as chauffeur-driven town cars and a concierge team with insider knowledge of the harbour city. Stay tuned for a 2013 opening.’

Wow! We’re all so excited! Read this Gourmet January Travel News and more online at http://gourmettraveller.com.au/travel_news1.htm

Check back in here for news updates on the upcoming, super luxe Baillies Sydney!

ANDREW HARPER REVEALS 2012 GRAND AWARD WINNERS

Southern Ocean Lodge named Hideaway of the year

NEW YORK, NY – (December 30, 2011) Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, the most respected publication in luxury travel, today revealed its 2012 Grand Award winners. We are pleased to announce that Southern Ocean Lodge was named Hideaway of the Year, at the top of a very prestigious list comprised of Mr. Harper’s favorite 19 properties he visited within the past calendar year.

World-roaming luxury travel reviewer Andrew Harper notes of his anonymous stay at Southern Ocean Lodge, that it was,  ’Unquestionably the highlight of our three-week trip to Australia.’

Read the Southern Ocean Lodge review in full online in Andrew Harper’s just released January 2012 Hideaway Report at http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/25423322#/25423322/6

Each of Mr. Harper’s Grand Award winners possesses exceptional character, a commitment to classic hospitality and a profound sense of place. Since 1979, Andrew Harper has provided members of the exclusive Andrew Harper club with honest insights and recommendations about the finest luxury travel experiences worldwide. Mr. Harper does not evaluate hotels by means of a checklist, but uses his three decades of experience to distinguish the truly enchanting from the merely excellent.

The Lodge shares its achievement with fine Australian company and fellow Luxury Lodges of Australia members Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa (including a special mention to Joost Heymeijer, GM) and fellow SA property, The Louise.

Congratulations, all!

The full list of 2012 Hideaway Report Grand Award winners:

View the full list of winners and their reviews, including Special Recognitions, Indelible Memories of 2011 and Disappointments of the Year, by downloading the complimentary January 2012 Grand Awards issue.

Read more press online at http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/12/andrew-harper-hideaway-report-2011-winners/592014/1; and download the Hideaway Report in PDF http://www.southernoceanlodge.com.au/press/HideawayReportJan20123385.pdf

About Andrew Harper Free of advertising since its inception in June 1979, Hideaway Report is a private monthly publication for sophisticated travelers. The selection of hotels, resorts and restaurants for inclusion in this publication is made on a completely independent basis, with Andrew Harper LLC paying full rate for all meals, lodging and related travel expenses. Andrew Harper and his editors travel incognito to write candid and unbiased travel reviews for a private membership service, which provides personalized travel-planning assistance, bespoke tours and valuable travel privileges to its members.

For more information about Andrew Harper, visit http://www.AndrewHarper.com.  Inquiries? Contactpress@andrewharper.com.  Be sure to follow Mr. Harper on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/AndrewHarperTravel and Twitter at HarperTravel.

Ever sensitive to the precious landscapes in which the Baillie Lodges properties balance, Capella and Southern Ocean Lodge are each an architectural attraction in its own right and combine as a celebration of Australian design.

Owners James and Hayley Baillie work closely with outstanding architects to achieve a shared vision, complemented by their joint personal passion for contemporary design. Guests often comment on the attention to detail in the creation, as Australian foodie legend, Maggie Beer explains, ‘One of my favourite travel experiences is Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. Archictect Max Pritchard and his very discerning clients James and Hayley Baillie have given Australia a most beautiful resort.

A commitment to commissioning local designers and using locally-sourced, sustainable materials creates a unique feeling of ‘senseof place’.  Together the lodges carry a “Baillie” feel of organic luxury with a local destination focus. Each luxury lodge is designed to allow the outside in, affording guests a seamless experience of the destination.

At Capella Lodge on World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island, a clever, contemporary architectural design by Sydney architect Justin Long in collaboration with interior architects Pike Withers, creates an easy living, flow-through feel. Skillion roofs and floor-to-ceiling windows welcome the outside in. Generous decks invite lounging in the island’s afternoon sun with plantation shutters and copper finishes creating a sophisticated beach-house ambience. An open-plan lounge, bar and restaurant are set to a spectacular subtropical island backdrop; the lodge throws open its windows to catch the sea breeze and the scent of frangipani.

Spacious, light-filled interiors are Lord Howe beach-house chic; luxe organic finishes combine with modern mariner-style joinery, timber floors and kentia-themed Bruce Goold furnishings to create a relaxed, contemporary style and a feeling of ‘barefoot’ luxury. The Lodge is sustainable in design; timbers are recycled, floors furnished with natural floor coverings, lounging areas warmed with atmospheric EcoSmart fires.

Suites are furnished with such lounging treats as the addictive Danish ‘Primetime’ chair with a classic Artemide Tolomeo lamp stretching above, ideal for a ‘guilty as sin’ read in the afternoon breeze. In and outdoor lounging feature custom-designed soft furnishings and wood art by young Australian designers Jodie Bohlu and Julie Paterson add to the ‘laid back’ Lord Howe feel. Organic artworks by Cardamatis and Saad use natural botanicals to create rhythmic, textured designs.

Reflecting the sheer rise of the mountains beyond, basalt stone features in striking ensuite bathrooms; an oversized rain shower and custom-created Capella Spa toiletries revitalise. Expansive outdoor terraces and decks with Gervasoni ceramic cubes and sumptuous daybeds complete a picture of relaxed, barefoot luxury.

Heading south to Kangaroo Island, local South Australian Max Pritchard is the architectural mastermind behind the much-lauded design of Southern Ocean Lodge, which opened to world-wide acclaim in 2008. Set along a remote stretch of coastline overlooking the Southern Ocean and surrounded by national parks, the twenty-one suite ‘super-lodge’ is made remarkable by the total experience, and in great part by Max’s aim to minimise environmental impact and to maximise each guest’s experience of the destination.

Perceptions of the Lodge design from afar are personal and open to debate; does it ‘float’ above the coastal landscape? Does its form reflect the waves rolling towards the shore, or is it the ridges of the limestone cliffs?

Outside, boardwalks that hover above the earth link the Lodge to the remote Southern Spa, stargazing platform and the nearby ‘private’ bay for swimming or beachcombing. Iconic Australian artist Florence Broadhurst is honoured in the wallpapers and soft furnishings throughout the Lodge and Spa.Local materials encourage a real sense of place – recycled timbers, white limestone floors and the chalk-white local limestone wall sculpture which snakes through the Lodge, linking and highlighting its features in the most remarkable manner. A suspended fireplace spreads a warm glow throughout.

The feeling upon entering is one of awe, for the landscape and the Lodge alike. Max has created a uniquely dramatic Lodge entrance appreciated best in hindsight; the drive to the Lodge through the fauna-rich bushland deliberately disguises the view of the Southern Ocean for which the Lodge is named. The first vision of the ocean and coastline stretching ad infinitum is on entrance to the main Lodge via grand rusted steel doors; the guest is then invited to take in the Lodge’s Great Room, its lounge and restaurant with this awe-inspiring, ever-changing backdrop.

Artworks on display are exclusively collected from Kangaroo Island artists, and include the leaf mandalas by Janine Mackintosh, and ‘Sunshine’ the watchful kangaroo, created with found objects by local sculptor Indiana James. Glassworks and ceramics are sourced from the inspiring Jam Factory on the mainland’s Adelaide, a mecca for SA designers to create and show their work.  Signature tableware from Malcolm Greenwood and Bison reflect the raw Australian landscape. James and Hayley Baillie have commissioned such design luminaries as local Khai Liew for his artisan timber furnishings, likewise dynamic Melbourne duo Pierre and Charlotte Julian.

A focus on each guest’s experience of place has ensured every suite has spectacular views of the Southern Ocean and coast, an inspiration from daybreak till the dusk softens. Suites feature local artworks, EcoSmart fires and custom soft furnishings. Ensuite bathrooms are filled with Southern Spa amenities using locally-sourced botanicals and warmed with limestone tiles and floor-to-ceiling windows to allow a view from any angle. A step outside to a protected private terrace with daybed allows a deep breath of pure fresh air, delivered direct from the Antarctic.

Links to Capella include the popular ‘Prime Time’ chair, Cloth’s Julie Patterson and her custom-designed ‘kanga’ fabric which features in soft furnishings, floor coverings and artwork, and Jodie Fried’s Bohlu rugs and cushions which reflect the landscape beyond. Cool blue Gervasoni ceramic cubes line up on the terrace, reflecting the colours of the Southern Ocean.

The experience of design at Baillie Lodges is one of sublime luxury and connection with an extraordinary destination.

Reservations: T (61) 2 9918 4355 | E reserve@baillielodges.com.au

Media Enquiries: E media@baillielodges.com.au | W baillielodges.com.au/media.asp

Images: A selection of Capella Lodge and Southern Ocean Lodge images is free for download

Editors Notes: Baillie Lodges is a collection of intimate luxury lodges in unique wilderness destinations. Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island launched the portfolio and continues to capture guests in its magic. Southern Ocean Lodge is Australia’s first true luxury lodge offering a premium nature-based escape. Both Baillie Lodges properties are honoured as founding members of Luxury Lodges of Australia.

New from esteemed travel writer Sue Gough Henly is the travel app ‘Australia: where to go’, which features a great selection of travel ideas and accommodation – including Baillie Lodges’ Southern Ocean Lodge and other Luxury Lodges of Australia proprties. Check it out and pass on the tip to your friends!

In AUSTRALIA: Where to Go, Sue Gough Henly has condensed
Australia’s overwhelming opportunities into 175 top sites, more than 2500
photos and videos, plus loads of must-do activities and hidden gems.  The
visually rich app gives you the insider low-down on how to explore Australia
like a local, whether you’re visiting for a few weeks or you’ve lived here a few
years. Full of curated content, it has as much detail as a guidebook but is in
a more compact, interactive, user-friendly format…and is a lot cheaper, too

Want to go snorkelling off tropical islands, track down Sydney’s best restaurants, muster cattle in the Outback, see whales and wallabies, koalas and crocs, explore Melbourne’s edgy laneways, stay in luxury in the wilderness, enjoy uncrowded beaches, discover centuries-old Aboriginal rock art, or watch some of Australia’s finest actors on stage…it’s all here.

At just $4.95, Australia – where to go is available for ourchase and download on itunes today http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/australia-where-to-go/id455812163?mt=8

Be inspired and read all about it at http://southernoceanlodge.com.au/press/BellePaulMyersOct-Nov20118792.pdf