Need to know
Rooms
25 suites.
Check–Out
10.30am; check-in is at 2pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.
More details
Rates include all meals, open bar with premium wines and spirits (and in-suite bar), signature experiences and return airport transfers. There’s a two-night minimum stay.
Also
There are paved paths around the lodge’s grounds, and one of the Flinders Suites has been adapted (with an aided bathroom and level floors) for guests with limited mobility. But please note that although cars taking guests to excursions have ample room inside, they aren’t equipped with ramps and require a small step up.
At the hotel
Walk-in wine cellar and free WiFi throughout. In suites: Bluetooth speaker, minibar, tea- and coffee-making kit, free bottled water and bespoke bath products. Some suites also have in-room bars with free drinks and snacks.
Our favourite rooms
There are four types to pick from here and unsurprisingly, top dog, the super-private Baillie Pavillion, is the pick of the bunch. Jaw-dropping views from a curvaceous infinity pool, panoramic glass walls and freestanding oval bath tubs are a tough act to beat; but if you’re travelling as a duo and want something that’s more romantic than roomy, you’ll be besotted with the Flinders Suite’s cosy fireside spots.
Poolside
There’s no shared pool, but all suites except the Flinders Suite have their own private ocean-gazing plunge pools; and a short walk away, Hanson Bay has consistent surf for a rough-and-tumble swim.
Spa
The Southern Spa follows a similarly minimalist style to the rest of the hotel’s interiors, with warm wood panelling, limestone accents and light-welcoming window walls. Inside, there’s a sauna and three treatment rooms, where masseurs use locally made and herb-infused oils for restorative scrubs and refreshing facials; and just outside, hot and cold plunge pools ogle the Southern Ocean.
Packing tips
All clothes casual and unfussed: management takes a first-name-basis approach here, so don’t expect to hear any distancing ‘sirs’ or ‘ma’ms’.
Also
The wrought iron Kangaroo that stands proud in reception is the only part of the original Southern Ocean Lodge that survived South Australia’s 2020 bushfires – they now call him ‘Sunshine’.
Children
Over-10s are welcome to join; the Remarkable Suite has two bedrooms and the Baillie Pavilion has four for those travelling with little Smiths.
Sustainability efforts
Eco-friendly practices guide everything Southern Ocean Lodge does. As you’d expect, single-use plastic has been replaced with natural materials and refillable bottles; rainwater is harvested and reused; energy consumption has been cut by 25 per cent courtesy of LED lighting, insulated windows and walls, solar panelling and efficient design. The restaurant also exclusively uses locally sourced produce that changes with the seasons, and comes from nearby farmers, communities and education initiatives such as the Community Education’s Parndana Campus programme, that teaches school children how to grow produce. The land surrounding the hotel also has a 20-metre wilderness buffer, where owners have planted over 45,000 native plants to bolster conservation efforts.
