The 21 best luxury hotels in Australia right now

The three crystalline towers of the Langham Gold Coast are like jewels in the Surfers Paradise skyline, but it’s not just the exterior that brings diamonds to mind. This modern, five-star resort, complete with a health club and day spa, two swimming pools, six dining venues and panoramic ocean views, delivers an equally high-carat experience once you cross the threshold. When the Langham welcomed its first guests in June 2022, it marked the first luxury beachfront hotel debut on the Gold Coast in more than three decades. Almost two years later, it's still shining just as brightly as on day one.

Time Out tip: While away the afternoon in ever-so-fancy luxury with The Langham’s famed high tea, which is served in their Palm Court overlooking the lagoon pool.

Situated in the centre of Perth’s burgeoning CBD and occupying three of Western Australia’s heritage-listed buildings dating back to the 19th century, Como The Treasury is cosier than slipping into flannelette PJs yet as luxe as cashmere. With just 48 minimalistic rooms, it’s the place for those who are usually seen, to not be seen. Guests don’t even need to leave the hotel. You can organise in-house personal training or private yoga sessions; swim laps in the heated indoor pool; dine at one of the hotel’s exceptional restaurants overlooking the Swan River; or peruse the building’s handpicked retail collective.

Time Out tip: Beat the jetlag with a spa treatment at Como Shambhala Urban Escape, where there is a range of holistic Western and Eastern healing therapies on offer.

This cutting-edge, five-star hotel is what you might expect to find in New York's uber-hip Meatpacking District, not set among rolling hills and gently swaying vines of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. It's boutique, with only 45 rooms, featuring king-sized beds, rain showers, black stone baths and floor-to-ceiling windows so you can look out onto the gorgeous surrounding property. A 30-metre infinity pool awaits you outside, among a dozen art commissions and an award-winning restaurant. 

Time Out tip: Of course, the hotel has world-class dining facilities to match its stunning accommodation. Its fanciest restaurant is the hatted Doot Doot Doot, which does an eight-course degustation featuring local produce, or there’s also the on-property winery and cellar door.

This newcomer brings a new level of luxury to Byron Bay as the town’s first-ever five-star hotel.  Each of the 24 ultra-stylish rooms is dressed to impress with plush bedding, high-tech block-out blinds, bedside touchscreen lights and a private balcony. As the sunsets, head upstairs for some sips or dips at Byron Bay’s first and only rooftop bar and pool. Alternatively, head downstairs to Hotel Marvell’s sparkly and sustainable onsite restaurant, Bonito, where local seafood and seasonal produce steal the spotlight.

Time Out tip: You may as well splash out with room service, poolside drinks and a dinner date at Bonito. After all, you’re in Byron baby!

This ritzy, five-star stay is set on the banks of Perth’s calming Swan River, but trust us, you’ll never want to actually leave the hotel. The lobby is as impressive as any Australian art gallery, featuring 10,000 pieces of Kimberley sandstone and dried native plants displayed in large earthy pots. Natural light sprawls through the floor-to-ceiling windows, with each of the 205 guest rooms and suites offering stunning vistas of the city, river and surrounding parklands. 

Time Out tip: Watch the sun dip below the river from a sun lounger, perched by the fifth-floor infinity-edge pool.

For a taste of inner-city luxury, you can’t go past W Melbourne. The high-end hotel packs 294 guest rooms, 29 suites, a secret bar, a premium restaurant, a sun terrace, a next-level gym and a sexy top-floor pool into its Flinders Lane digs – and still manages to feel boutique rather than behemoth. Floor-to-ceiling windows feature in every room, as do colourful fixtures, Foxtel channels and king beds that lure you into a content slumber. But it’s the bathrooms that really impress: each room is fixed with a Japanese Toto toilet (yes, the ones with a bidet and heated seats!). 

Time Out tip: Head to the indoor pool before 7am for a solo swim, and you might even see hot air balloons pass by the windows.

Expect nothing but five-star service at Crystalbrook Riley. This all too dreamy, waterfront hotel is the perfect place for some fun in the sun (but the luxe adult edition). Stake your claim by the 1,000 square metre swimming lagoon with a man-made beach, sip on Piña Coladas at the Calypso Club, leave your worries behind with a couples massage at Eléme Spa, and fall into a deep sleep in an uber-comfortable king bed.

Time Out tip: Plan a romantic getaway by booking Crystalbrook Riley’s Panoramic Sea View Room, which offers unspoiled views of the Coral Sea from floor-to-ceiling windows.

This five-star hotel is easily the shining star of Hobart’s handsomely historic waterfront district. MACq 01 is proud to be Australia’s first ‘storytelling’ hotel and immerses you in its narrative from the moment you arrive. All of MACq 01’s 114 rooms and suites are named after a prominent Tasmanian personality, who tells the stories of Hobart’s colourful and distant past. Book a premium waterfront suite to score one of the hotel’s famous third-floor private terraces, wood-panelled with sweeping wharf views and kitschy fake lawn. Leaving your room each day will be a chore.

Time Out tip: If your room doesn’t have a water view, head to the hotel’s Story Bar for a sundowner. It’s got one of the best vantage points in Hobart.

Australia’s first dedicated art hotel delivers much more than just a place to crash from its optimal location on Hobart’s historic waterfront. Staying at Henry Jones is like staying at an art gallery, with 400 pieces of contemporary Tasmanian art displayed throughout the hotel lobby and suites. You can wine and dine at one of the hotel’s two sophisticated restaurants, each spotlighting Tasmania’s finest local produce, or settle in for a drink at the hotel’s intimate cocktail bar.

Time Out tip: Henry Jones runs guided art and history tours most days at 4pm. Tours are complimentary for in-house guests and you’ll enjoy a glass of wine or beer, as you hear the narrative of the site and its art unfold.

The shiny, white-washed stone façade of Raes has been a fixture of Byron Bay’s sparkling, celeb-dotted Wategos Beach for 30 years. Over the decades, the luxury, seven-room hotel has played host to some of Australia’s most elite guests, including Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pink and Tom Cruise. While its waterfront location is the obvious drawcard – along with the secluded spa and freshly-caught seafood at Raes Dining Room – the hotel’s two penthouses are as good as luxury gets in NSW, with sunken baths, plump daybeds and multiple ocean-facing balconies.

Time Out tip: Be the very first in Australia to see the sunrise at Byron Bay’s famous Cape Byron Lighthouse. You're already halfway there, with the walking track from town conveniently passing by Raes. Once you reach the summit of Australia’s most easterly point, you can take in sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the wider Byron region. Pack your swimmers for a post-sunrise dip at Watego’s Beach and keep your eyes peeled in case you’re visiting during whale or dolphin season.

This swanky stay was one of only two Aussie venues to make the World’s 50 Best Hotel list in 2024, nabbing a well-deserved 25th place. There’s a lot to love about the Calile, with its distinct architecture that perfectly marries curved concrete with pops of tropical lushness. Soak up the sun poolside with a refreshing smoothie, enjoy spanakopita and seafood at the sophisticated Hellenika restaurant, try an energetic session in the fitness centre with an in-house trainer, and later slow down at The Calile’s glamorous wellness spa.

Time Out tip: Wake up early to nab yourself a beautiful cabana or daybed by the pool. It opens with the sun at 6am.

This luxury coastal hotel, around a three-hour drive south of Sydney, is perhaps the closest you’ll get to a Hawaiian-esque island getaway in NSW. You can take in near-panoramic views of the coastline from almost all of Bannisters' deluxe rooms and suites, before settling in for a sunset Spritz at the infinity pool bar. 

Time Out tip: For the ultimate R&R, book a ‘spa retreat room’ decked out with generous outdoor jacuzzis overlooking the sea.

Set in a small surf town just north of Byron Bay, this award-winning hotel raises the bar for luxury Australian beachside stays. In the boutique five-star rooms, you’ll find large tubs, antique pendants and vintage artworks alongside a free stocked mini bar that’s replenished (except for the $70 bottle of Champagne). Things only get better downstairs at Paper Daisy, a hatted bar and eatery helmed by Attica alumnus Jason Barratt. 

Time Out tip: Max out on your stay with daily à la carte breakfast, free access to the steam room, plus complimentary surfboards, bicycles, board games and outdoor lawn games.

You may know the name of this designer hotel chain from its outposts in Melbourne and Sydney, but Ovolo Nishi has swiftly become a firm favourite for both Canberrans and travellers alike. Taking over the bones of the former arty establishment Hotel Hotel in 2018, Ovolo Nishi is a true guest-first hotel. Lap it up in one of Ovolo’s 68 stylish rooms, individually furnished with timber, concrete, eucalypt and salvaged Tasmanian tree ferns. Then, max out on the perks, including complimentary continental breakfast, a 24-hour gym, a fully vegetarian restaurant, and maybe most importantly, a free in-room mini bar for those midnight treats. 

Time Out tip: Ovolo Nishi is home to Canberra’s only cutting-edge vegetarian dining experience, Monster Bar and Kitchen, where locally sourced, sustainable ingredients shine. You can order select snacks and share plates to your room, along with seasonal cocktails for that nightcap.

Since opening in 1990, the Park Hyatt has played host to a steady stream of celebrities, heads of state and international jetsetters with money to burn. The carpets are so plush you’ll want to roll around on them like a dog – and the rooms are quiet, to the point they feel hermetically sealed. The biggest selling point here (beyond the deluxe rooms and incredible view of the Sydney Opera House) is the heated rooftop pool. 

Time Out tip: Make sure you book in for a dining experience with one-hatted food and five-star views, at The Dining Room by James Viles.

Retro resort vibes and luxury attention to detail combine at one of the Gold Coast's finest five-star hotels. Where the QT Gold Coast stands apart from its sister sites is its Miami-inspired pool deck, where guests can lay out under the clear blue Queensland sky on a sun lounger, or seek shade in one of the classy cabanas while enjoying a refreshing drink from the Spring pool bar. The pool area is reserved for guests, but you can easily join the ranks by booking one of the hotel’s deluxe ocean or city view rooms or suites.

Time Out tip: Flirt with the luxe life at the qtQT cabins. These rooftop beach-hut-inspired dwellings pair all the creature comforts of a five-star stay with a laid-back, secluded atmosphere, including complimentary board games, a fire pit and alfresco dining.

Check-in, then fully check out at Hotel Alba. This sophisticated resort-style hotel overlooks Adelaide's rolling South Parklands, with 99 light and airy guest rooms. Breathe in the fresh garden air from your very own private balcony, or step into Alba’s sun-soaked paradise for a bottomless lunch at Ela restaurant.

Time Out tip: End your day with tapas and a tipple poolside at the Mediterranean-inspired Ela restaurant and bar.

Anchored to Hobart’s buzzing waterfront precinct, this charming historic hotel was well worth the six-year wait. The original sandstone facade houses 152 rooms in three buildings of starkly different eras. You can pick from park-facing Heritage rooms facing the leafy St David’s Park, Pavilion suites with views of the water and Mount Wellington/kunanyi, or Art Deco rooms with bold colour palettes and decor.

Time Out tip: Make friends with The Tasman's chief concierge, James Nobleza, who is Tasmania’s only concierge certified by Les Clefs d'Or. Ask him to help curate your day exploring Hobart’s most captivating attractions.

Opened in 2016, the QT Melbourne has made quite a splash in the city – its 188 rooms can be hard to come by, so if you’ve got your heart set on staying, book in advance. The handsome building has a grand entrance – all soaring ceilings, wood panels and marble. You’ll find a large selection of mostly digital art flickering throughout the hotel, and rooms have an orient-meets-Wall Street vibe, with timber floorboards, glamorous en suites and QT’s “please-don’t-make-me-get-up-I-don’t-want-to-get-up” gel-topped beds.

Time Out tip: See eye-to-eye with Melbourne’s stunning skyline on the newly refurbed rooftop bar at QT, featuring private booths, a private lounge and an outdoor bar.