If you’ve ever imagined your own personal retreat in Australia's New South Wales bushland, chances are your idyllic fantasy looks a lot like Pretty Beach House. The residence is an exclusive guest lodge offering butler service, stunning national parkland and shoreline views, and the utmost in privacy for a handful of guests. And it has just reopened after an extensive two-year remodel.
I’ve been patiently waiting for its doors to swing open ever since executives from the Luxury Lodges of Australia showed me dreamy images at their 2014 International Media Marketplace and Luxperience bespoke travel presentations. While industry buzz was swarming around the reopening of One&Only’s Hayman Island in Queensland’s Whitsundays, I was more impressed and tempted by Pretty Beach House’s sophisticated promise of exclusivity and peaceful tranquility set on the ecologically-protected grounds of Bouddi National Park. No fighting over pool lounges and restaurant reservations here, it’s whatever you want, when you want it, because you have run of the place. Bliss.
Designed with local and international travelers in mind, Pretty Beach House is a luxurious retreat providing guest pavilions and common areas for just four pairs of guests at a time. That’s right, eight or fewer guests. And with practically no other neighbors in sight (other than Kookaburras and tawny-crowned Honeyeaters in the eucalyptus trees), that’s a slice of heaven. The local tree frogs will even sing you goodnight.
Located in the idyllic Bouddi Peninsula at the southernmost point of the NSW Central Coast, Pretty Beach House is accessible via a 90-minute drive north of Sydney, a 20-minute ferry trip from Sydney’s Palm Beach, or a 20-minute seaplane flight. Once you’ve arrived, everything on site is available for your use with staff to take care of your every whim. The newly-built main house features an interactive kitchen and bar section, guest lounge and private dining space.
A new luxury day spa, wrap-around infinity pool, and multi-level decks provide relaxation spaces, while Chef Stefano Manfredi provides the gastronomic food and wine from the state-of-the-art kitchen and wine cellar. Recycled timber pylons, hand-made mud bricks, artisan-cut sandstone, and brass and copper features throughout create an extraordinary and eco-inspired home-away-from-home ambiance.
The many activity options complete Pretty Beach House’s quintessentially Australian experience. An Aboriginal ceremony welcomes every new guest, and exciting bespoke activities on offer include guided cultural bush walks in the Bouddi National Park, a helicopter day trip into wine country, and luxury sports cruises to discover local hidden gems in the clear waterways of Broken Bay and Pittwater. Three virtually deserted beaches—Box Head, Tallow Beach, and Lobster Beach—are a walk away. The Quaint seaside villages of Killcare, Wagstafe and Hardys Bay are nearby, as are 100 Aboriginal sites in the peninsula parklands. All inclusive rates are around USD $800 a person, per night.
