Best Australian romantic holiday destinations
Why Hayman Island is your best romantic holiday experience
The experience: Island escape
The location: Hayman Island, Qld
Why go: The northernmost of the Whitsunday Islands on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, Hayman is blissfully free of development, save for the One&Only Hayman Island resort on the south coast. The rooms, suites and villas are decorated in luxurious tropical style. The villas are particularly private – you can step out your sliding glass door onto a perfect stretch of sand replete with coconut palms and an inner reef that attracts turtles and stingrays. Slightly farther afield is Whitehaven, regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Hayman can organise a private 45-minute helicopter transfer to the powder-white strip – you’ll fly over Heart Reef to get there –with a champagne lunch by the water when you arrive. The only thing that might top that in the romance stakes is a side-by-side couples’ massage enjoyed on beds set up in the shallows of the lagoon.
Where to stay: One&Only Hayman Island is the only place to stay – check in to one of the 160 rooms, suites and villas, and you’ll never want to leave.
Getting there: There are flights to Hamilton Island from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns. From there, it’s an hour’s transfer to Hayman on a luxurious boat.
Indulge in the Gourmet Secrets of the Hunter Valley, NSW
The experience: Food & Wine Trail
The location: Hunter Valley, NSW
Why go? It’s just 150 kilometres north of Sydney and there is plenty of wine – what’s not to like about the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales? The Hunter is home to more than 150 premium wine producers, 60 restaurants and 180 places to stay. This is Australia’s oldest wine region and the best place to start when you’re looking to gain appreciation for internationally acclaimed semillon varietals, from family-owned wineries and innovative young winemakers alike. Part of the appeal of this region is that its tipples are matched in measure by farm-fresh local produce. There are amazing cheesemongers, olive oil producers, bakers, chocolatiers and meat curers, which create the perfect picnic basket.
Where to stay: Check into the Hunter Vallery Resort – set on its own vineyard – and prepare for a weekend of love and lots of good food.
Getting there: Driving from Sydney, it can take a couple of hours to reach the Hunter Valley, depending on the day and time. NRMA’s Hunter Valley Getaway includes accommodation at the Hunter Valley Resort as well as tours across the wine region.
Relax in the Indulgent Spas of Daylesford, VIC
The experience: Mineral baths
The location: Daylesford, Vic
Why go? There’s nothing quite like a long soak in mineral springs to bring a couple together and that’s exactly what’s on offer in Victoria’s spa country. An 80-minute drive from Melbourne, this pretty part of the world is a beguiling union of spectacular forests and historic villages, wellness retreats and wineries. The region’s vibrant artist community equates to surprisingly good galleries and boutiques, as well as delis where you can stock up on the region’s best local produce – think limited-release cheeses, honey and fresh bread – and wine.
The only way to finish a day here, however, is at a spa. People have been taking the waters at historic Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa since 1895, its expansive facilities encompassing a traditional bathhouse and spa. We recommend trialing both facilities: at the former you can enjoy a traditional Turkish hammam before soaking in thermal waters overlooking a creek, perhaps; while in the latter you can book in for private bathing rituals, steam spas and body wraps incorporating local flora.
Where to stay: The Lake House Daylesford not only offers individually designed rooms overlooking an expanse of water, it also has one of Australia’s best restaurants.
Getting there: There are multiple daily flights to Melbourne from most Australian capital cities. When you arrive, hire a car at the airport with SIXT and enjoy a leisurely 80-minute drive from Melbourne to the spa country in the state’s northwest.
Enjoy the Romantic Seclusion of the Freycinet Peninsula, TAS
The experience: Reconnect with Nature
The location: Freycinet Peninsula
Why go: If your idea of romance equates to seclusion, then Tasmania’s idyllic Freycinet Peninsula will appeal. Jutting into the sea on the island’s east coast, the peninsula is part of Tasmania’s first national park. It’s a place of wild colours and contrasts – the pink knuckles of the Hazard Ranges surrounded by blindingly white beaches and crystal-clear turquoise bays.
There are plenty of diversions, as well. Many come here for the ornithological opportunities, hoping to spot white-bellied sea eagles, perhaps. Others make the most of the park’s enviable wilderness, hiking through a forest of black peppermint trees and banksia to Wineglass Bay where a crescent of white sand and sapphire sea awaits. Stroll the beach – you’ll likely have it to yourself – swim, soak up the sun on the sand. Tasmanian oysters deserve their reputation as among the best in the world and you can sample them, freshly shucked, of course, at Freycinet Marine Farm. Even better, take away a dozen and pair them with a riesling or pinot noir from one of the region’s cool climate wineries.
Where to stay: If the views of the Hazards mountains from Freycinet Lodge resort don’t floor you, then the commitment to sustainability and native produce will. Excursions include fossicking for oysters – you eat your catch, a glass of bubbles in hand – surrounded by sea. Plus it is owned by you, our Members, so you'll receive a 25% discount on accommodation year round.
Getting there: Flights to Hobart depart from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. If you’re staying at Saffire, a chauffeured limousine can collect you at the airport to ferry you the two and a half hours to the resort.
