Readers of Conde Nast Traveler have spoken; they’ve named Kittawa Lodge on King Island in Tasmania the best resort in the country. The recognition is part of the publication’s 36th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which saw over 520,000 readers submit their feedback.
Aaron Suine, co-owner of Kittawa Lodge along with Nick Stead, says the recognition is an extraordinary honour.
“At Kittawa Lodge, our unwavering commitment is to craft one-of-a-kind, unforgettable experiences for our guests, allowing them to completely disconnect and depart feeling revitalised,” he says.
Set on a 39-hectare property, the lodge is entirely off-grid. Its staff who live on-site take a personalised approach with guests, tailoring experiences to their interests. The lodge has customisable packages, letting guests choose if they want to spend their stay escaping the world or exploring the lodge’s surroundings on King Island.
The property has just two one-bedroom lodges, both crafted to amplify guests’ connection to the outdoors while safeguarding them from the elements.
“When we came across King Island while watching Landline one weekend, we knew we had found something special, and that we had finally discovered the place we had been dreaming about for over 10 years,” Suine and Stead write on the lodge’s website.
“Five years later, after careful planning, Kittawa Lodge was born. An image of luxurious seclusion, we wanted to create a retreat for discerning travellers seeking to disconnect, to rejuvenate, to romance or to relax.”
Resorts in Australasia and the South Pacific that also made the cut include two in New Zealand — The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and Wharekauhau Country Estate — and several in Fiji, including Shangri-La Yanuca Island, Turtle Island, and Six Senses.
On the best hotels in Australiasia list, readers gave The Fullerton Hotel in Sydney the highest score. Next up was Park Hyatt Auckland, followed by The Langham Sydney, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney and Park Hyatt Sydney. Hotels also named include COMO The Treasury Perth, The Ritz-Carlton Perth and The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Hobart.
In January, Conde Nast dropped its ‘Gold List’ with the accommodation chosen by the brand’s global editors based in seven cities around the world. The list named just one Australian property, also in Tasmania: adults-only Pumphouse Point, located in UNESCO World Heritage-listed wilderness a 2.5-hour drive from Hobart.
“This lost-in-time forest frames moody Lake St Clair and the incongruous ArtDeco lines of a former hydroelectric pump station marooned offshore,” wrote Helen Anderson, one of the editors of the Gold List.
Six of the rooms are in the property’s Shorehouse, while nearly all the others are in the three-story Pumphouse, which is connected to land by a 240m jetty. CN Traveller’s pick of the suites is The Retreat, which features Tasmanian-designed and handcrafted furniture and ceramics.
Weekend stays are a three-night minimum, while mid-week is only two nights. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the room rate, as well as e-bikes, row boats and some drinks.
Related: The Only Aussie Hotel to Make Conde Nast Traveller’s Best Hotels List Is…
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