Mr & Mrs Smith

Spicers Peak Lodge

Scenic Rim, Australia

Set on a 9,000-acre cattle station and private nature refuge, luxe mountain retreat Spicers Peak Lodge in the Scenic Rim is a Queensland marvel. If the dramatic peak-top location of Australia's highest non-alpine lodge doesn't wow you, the dreamy dining will. All-inclusive indulgence means gourmet food, drinks and treats are yours 24/7. Work off the calories with guided bush walks, spa pampering or vineyard-hopping in this up-and-coming wine region.

Need to know

• Rooms 12, all suites.
• Rates Double rooms from $1054.89 (AU$1,081), excluding tax at 10 per cent.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (AU$1,081), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details All-inclusive rates cover all meals, from à la carte and buffet breakfast to lunch, tea, canapés and a seven-course tasting dinner with matching wines, selected wines, beers and spirits, and minibar treats. Bed and breakfast rates are also available.
• Facilities Lounge, viewing deck, library with books and DVDs, billiards room, spa, tennis court, mountain bikes, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV with DVD player, iPod dock, minibar, Lather toiletries. All ground-floor Suites feature open fireplaces and wooden decks. Private Lodges also offer Nespresso coffee machines; the Two-bedroom Private Lodge sports a kitchenette and outdoor spa tub, too.
• Poolside Step through the glass doors of the lounge onto the terrace and you'll find a spacious deck-fringed infinity pool. Relax on a sunlounger, float in the refreshing water or just ogle friendly kangaroos or wallabies waltzing by.
• Check-out 11am; check-in, 2pm, both flexible subject to availability.
• Children Spicers Peak Lodge is an adults-only retreat, unless you take over the whole property exclusively.
• Eco-friendly Solar panels, rainwater tanks, recycling and eco-friendly toiletries are just some of the hotel's environmental initiatives. Cuisine is green, too, with lashings of local, seasonal, organic produce, including honey produced on-site and a kitchen garden. Boxes are salvaged for a local crayfish nursery and leftovers are fed to the chooks.
• Also The hotel is non-smoking. For active types, Spicers Peak Lodge offers private guided walks around the area's many tracks and trails, or team a visit with a few nights under glam canvas at tented sister property Spicers Canopy nearby.

Food and drink at Spicers Peak Lodge

• Hotel restaurant

  Satisfying all your culinary cravings from breakfast to dessert, chef Frank Meijer presides over the kitchen at award-winning Spicers Peak Lodge Restaurant, where fine dining reaches a crescendo with the famous seven-course degustations at dinner. The mountain views are a major wow factor, as are the ingredients, with produce hailing from local, organic suppliers, and grown in Scenic Rim's rich volcanic soil. The restaurant is open to non-guests at lunch, so make sure you book a spot in advance – or request a gourmet picnic hamper to go, replete with posh silver service, if you'd rather eat alfresco.

• Dress code Light linens in summer, upscale woolens in winter. Bring smart but comfy gear that can take you from rustic trekking to a top-notch tasting menu.
• Top table Any of the tables by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows ensure romance-boosting views, and at night the stars feel close enough to touch. At breakfast time, the terrace beckons for breezy lounging.
• Last orders Lunch is served from 12.30pm to 2pm. Pre-dinner cocktails and canapés kick off by the fireside from 6.30pm, with dinner from 7pm until late. Drinks are available all day and the bar sees action until midnight.
• Room service There's no room service, but with such a mighty list of all-inclusive tucker, from breakfast to gourmet coffee and tea, fresh pastries and biscuits, and picnic hampers to go, you won't starve. Just help yourself to snacks from the kitchen by the lounge.
• Hotel bar

  To the side of the seductive main lounge, you'll find the fully-stocked, complimentary bar, where a range of tempting beer, wine and spirits are up for grabs, and the evening cocktail and canapé gatherings are held before dinner. Don't miss the Spicer Splice, a refreshing mix of vodka, muddled lime, mint, passionfruit and pineapple juice. The Scenic Rim is a niche wine region, so expect to find some interesting local labels, too. To make the most of the cellar here, call on the services of the savvy sommelier, who can pluck out the perfect bottle for any occasion. If you're feeling inspired after a glass or three, there's a grand piano for tickling the ivories.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

Spicers Peak Lodge Wilkinsons Road, Maryvale, 4370