Since welcoming its first guests 30 years ago, Raes on Wategos has firmly secured its name as one of the most high-calibre hotels in NSW – with Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet all calling the hotel (temporary) home. The beachside hotel's surreally beautiful tropical garden is thought to have been the brainchild of Salvador Dali, and the hotel has kept up that high calibre of design throughout its existence – sitting pretty behind the palms on the sparkling shores of Wategos Beach for three solid decades. After announcing its expansion into Byron earlier this year (the Bonobo by Raes luxury apartment complex is set to open in the centre of town in 2025), the high-end hotel brand has today opened a second, smaller site – a nod to the intimacy of the original Raes, before Bonobo opens and turns the small site into a mega-brand. Today, after three decades as Byron Bay's most aspirational stay, Raes has expanded – with a neighbouring property (formerly Victoria's At Wategos) opening its doors today as Raes on Wategos 2.0.
The new ten-suite property – titled Raes Guesthouses – has been brought to life by Tamsin Johnson (the interior designer responsible for Raes’ 2016 redesign), who was tasked with transforming the property into a Raes-standard stay. And the design is everything we'd expect from the lords of luxury – ornate, sumptuous and tastefully, masterfully maximalist.
Alongside the ten divinely-decorated suites, the new site is home to several additional indoor spaces and two impressive lap pools: a 16 x 3-metre pool with a waterfall on the western side, and a 12-metre solar-heated pool on the eastern side, flanked by a cabana and lounge area. Set within tropical landscaped gardens just 100 metres from the original Raes site, guests are steps away from Raes' dining room (one of our favourite regional venues for 2024) and spa, and an extra few steps from the surf.
The glittering new property is opening its doors today: Thursday, November 7.
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