Travel

From a farm-to-table gastronomy experience at Merlot, Lancemore Milawa, to an adults-only bohemian oasis in Byron Bay, nothing says true romance like a weekend away with your beloved. T Australia editors share their go-tos for an unforgettable couples retreat.

Eat Your Feelings at Lancemore Milawa

Situated in Victoria’s painterly mountain ranges, at the gateway to the King Valley, Lancemore Milawa is the ultimate high country escape – boasting 40 rooms and suites, a pool and sprawling gardens. This Valentine’s Day, Lancemore’s onsite dining outpost Merlot Restaurant is hosting a four-course degustation dinner. Hosted by Chris Cochrane and his dedicated team, this special evening promises an unforgettable culinary journey curated by the restaurant’s executive chef Sasi Suprimaniam. Indulge in dishes such as Tasmanian scallop ceviche, chicken ballotine and tiramisu from $120 per head, or go all out with paired local wines for $180. lancemore.com.au.

Embrace Total Disconnection at Sal Salis, Ningaloo

Nestled amongst the sand dunes 50m from the World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef, Sal Salis’ safari-style eco tents sit in harmony with the surrounding landscape. With no wifi or phone reception, let your full attention turn to the world’s largest fringing reef – home to more than 500 species of colourful fish, 250 varieties of coral formations and reef sharks. After a day spent exploring, dine on fresh, seasonal, locally sourced produce, served overlooking the expansive reef at the lantern-lit group Lodge. salsalis.com.au.

An Adults-Only Retreat in Byron Bay

With a focus on community, wellness, and sustainability, the luxurious Swell Hotel – 16-room adults-only boutique oasis – embodies the laidback spirit of Byron Bay. Offering communal spaces, retro surfboard borrowings, an infrared sauna, and an ice bath, Swell provides a sanctuary for like-minded travellers, while the thoughtfully designed rooms feature earthy hues and plush materials, ranging from garden view to poolside, hideaway rooms, and a two-bedroom suite. A commitment to locally sourced and sustainable practices extends to its food and beverage offerings, resulting in a couple-ready haven where luxury meets relaxation. swellhotel.com.

Fall Asleep to the Sound of Crashing Waves, Yamba

Soak in an Outdoor Tub in the Blue Mountains

The Machinery Shed is one of six luxurious properties that make up The Logan Brae Retreats, which are dotted around the Blue Mountains. Set on a sprawling estate adorned with 30 varieties of apple trees, this beautifully renovated shed offers a serene escape from the nearby town of Blackheath. Inside, the open-plan space is styled with charming antique furnishings and evokes the chic vibe of a New York loft. The shed is bathed in natural light during the day and sparkles with fairy lights at night. Guests can cosy up by the indoor and outdoor fireplaces or enjoy the expansive deck with its stunning sunset views over the treetops. The property’s standout feature, though, is the hidden outdoor tub, nestled among the gumtrees. loganbraeretreats.com.

Put on the Ritz in Melbourne

Are you ready to take your relationship to new heights? Check in to Australia’s tallest hotel – Melbourne’s luxurious Ritz-Carlton on the CBD’s Lonsdale Street. Featuring 257 rooms and suites across 80 storeys, the hotel boasts panoramic views over Port Phillip Bay and the Bolte Bridge and stylish, residential-inspired interiors featuring custom leather and velvet furniture, hand-made glass panels, bespoke light fixtures, marble bathrooms, rain showers and oversized bathtubs. A heated indoor infinity pool and pool deck overlooks the city, with guest amenities such as a spa, restaurant and intimate library bar for late night rendezvous. ritzcarlton.com.

A Romance-Ready Oasis on the Apple Isle

Tailor-made for romance and perched on the ocean’s edge in Swansea, Piermont Retreat’s residences overlook the cinematic Freycinet Peninsula on Tasmania’s North East Coast. Less than an hour’s drive from Wine Glass Bay, book your escape in one of the hotel’s luxury suites, or camp out for a week in a self-contained cottage. Piermont’s on-site restaurant, Homestead, celebrates seasonal regional produce, and if you’re lacking cheese and wine supplies, duck into the venue’s cellar door and charge it to the room. piermont.com.au

Dinner for Two in a Subterranean CBD Diner

Until last year, Australians seeking a Le Méridien experience had to venture overseas, following the closure of the Sydney site. The group’s grand return to Melbourne after more than two decades is a significant milestone. The new 235-room property is a marvel, featuring a stunning rooftop pool, a chic café, and a subterranean restaurant named Dolly. The dining venue exudes old-world charm with its large arched mirrors, brown leather banquettes, and marble tabletops. Under the guidance of executive chef Hervé Borghini, formerly of Montreal’s Omni Mont Royal, Dolly offers a delectable menu showcasing the best of regional seasonal produce. Why brave Melbourne’s icy CBD when you can savour local flavours in the comfort of a sophisticated retreat? marriott.com.

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As the Olympics take over Paris, the hospitality scene is expanding in the city — and beyond — with a handful of new hotel openings worth bookmarking for a visit once the crowds have died down. Le Grand Hôtel Cayré opened in the Seventh Arrondissement earlier this month with 123 rooms, all with handcrafted wooden beds and mustard yellow velvet chairs, some with balconies and views of the Sacre Coeur or Eiffel Tower. In Carry-le-Rouet, a seaside village outside of Marseille, L’Hôtel Bleu’s design follows its name with 44 harbor-view rooms decorated in shades of blue. The property’s restaurant offers three seafood-heavy, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus, while a private cinema room can be reserved when the weather calls for some indoor time. Further east toward Cannes, in the commune of Mougins, Hôtel Le Mas Candille was recently redesigned by the architect and decorator Hugo Toro, whose hand-painted patterns appear on the curtains and carpets in the 46 rooms. Its Glow House spa has four treatment rooms, each with its own terrace, and a private swimming pool overlooking Provence. In Nice’s old town, Hôtel du Couvent opened last month within a 17th-century convent surrounded by more than six hectares of gardens. The former nuns’ herbal shop has been revived and now offers personalised remedies, some made from herbs grown on the property. There’s also a bathing area with pools of varying temperatures inspired by the nearby Roman baths.

More Expert Coverage From T Australia:

• Spot Pygmy Elephants From a Boat on the Kinabatangan River – Before They Disappear
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“Move back!” yells a ranger as a large male orangutan lumbers down the wooden walkway at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. “Move back!” other rangers yell, louder this time, as the tourists are proving slow at following directions. With no enclosures or fences in the park, rehabilitated orangutans are able to roam outside its boundaries. Wild apes such as Malim, the 24-year-old orangutan who is making his way past the now safely distanced tourists, are also free to wander in to snack on bananas left out on the feeding platform.

The Sepilok sanctuary spans 43 square kilometres in the north-east of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo (the island is shared by Indonesia and Malaysia, while a small remaining region comprises the sultanate of Brunei). Opened in 1964 to rehabilitate orphaned baby orangutans, the centre offers visitors the opportunity to see great apes up close, with the money raised funding their much-needed care. Borneo is known globally not only for its diverse wildlife, but also, sadly, for the immense deforestation that has critically endangered its endemic species, requiring a growing number of conservation projects.

The Borneo trip had been a surprise; I hadn’t planned to make another overseas journey anytime soon. While I’d travelled extensively in my youth, global travel today feels burdened by its exacerbating effect on climate change, environmental damage and cultural loss. When I received an invitation to a good friend’s wedding in Malaysian Borneo, however, it seemed an unmissable opportunity to see the country’s natural wonders. While researching what to do in Sabah, I discovered the state has a growing focus on conservation and ecotourism, which sparked the question: Can tourism effectively support conservation efforts — and alleviate some of my travel guilt?

It’s later in the day and we’re on a motorboat, gliding swiftly along the turbid water of the Kinabatangan River, on our way to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The Kinabatangan is one of Borneo’s hotspots of ecological diversity and a good place to see wild orangutans. It’s exhilarating to observe these animals in their natural habitat, but the reason they’re so visible is sobering: habitat loss around the river leaves these animals with nowhere else to go.

Gerosa moved into the 2,100-square-foot space, which has a basement studio of the same size, in 2020, in search of a place where he could both live and work. “But I didn’t want to make a typical architect’s loft,” he says. “That’s not my style.” Instead, he’s created a warm, irreverent home and atelier that speaks to a lifetime of collecting and curating forgotten objects. The layout of the single-story building — which is open save for the guest suite at the back and the primary bedroom at the front — allows Gerosa to keep his various passions at his fingertips. In the span of a few moments, he might arrange flowers in the kitchen, pull reference books off the shelves in the office, then disappear into the workshop, where he resuscitates vintage furniture.

Suddenly, the boat slows. I look over at the driver, wondering what’s going on.  “Elephants,” he exclaims, pointing excitedly to the left. Three wild pygmy elephants play in the water, eating elephant grass and locking tusks. “You are lucky to see them,” says our guide, Jimmy Abdul (Motalib). Abdul is a member of the Orang Sungai (Malay for “river people”), the Indigenous tribes who live in Sukau and the neighbouring fishing villages, and has been working in the conservation and tourism industry since 1988. “In fifty to sixty years, these elephants won’t exist — their genetic pool is too small,” Abdul says. Forest fragmentation due to logging, palm oil plantations, agriculture and other human activity impacts the corridors the elephants can move in, cutting them off from other herds throughout Borneo.

The boat docks at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, a beautiful timber structure built in 1995, the first of its kind on the shores of the Kinabatangan River. Elevated on one-and-a-half-metre stilts to avoid disturbing the forest floor and to minimise the impact of regular floods on the Kinabatangan floodplain, the lodge blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings. As we settle into our temporary jungle home, monkeys watch us from the trees just outside our villa, chirping to one another before swinging between branches in search of food. Abdul tells us that 80 per cent of Sukau Rainforest Lodge’s staff are employed from the local community. Albert Teo, the owner of the lodge and the founder of the Sukau Ecotourism Research and Development Centre (SERDC) and Borneo Eco Tours, is a pioneer in local ecotourism. He believes that providing more employment opportunities to local communities will help encourage people to protect the natural environment. It’s a view supported by many conservation organisations, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which states in its 2023 annual report that projects co-managed by local communities perform better than those led by government agencies alone.

The next morning, as the sun rises from behind a vine-laden canopy, we cruise farther along the Kinabatangan River in search of orangutans. Although several other boats are exploring the various tributaries, it remains peaceful. With only a small number of lodges on the river, the Kinabatangan isn’t suffering from overtourism, which means locals have a greater opportunity to get involved in the industry. The Bilai Kito Homestay association, formed in 2000, helps local villages offer homestays to tourists. It’s supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, which maintains infrastructure such as public toilets and jetties. The Sabah Tourism Masterplan, written in 1996, emphasises the necessity of the local community benefiting from tourism to ensure the effectiveness of the conservation-tourism connection.

The boat passes a large palm oil plantation, and the diverse, animal-filled jungle is suddenly replaced by a monocrop of oil palm trees. My heart jumps at the sight of these controversial trees, the prioritising of which has contributed to the addition of numerous species to the critically endangered list. “They fruit twice a month and are productive for over twenty years,” Abdul says, “so you know there’s a lot of money in these trees.”

Palm oil plants produce four to 10 times more oil than other vegetable oil crops per unit of cultivated land, and palm oil remains the world’s most widely used vegetable oil. According to the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a research body dedicated to sociopolitical, security and economic development in Southeast Asia, 40 per cent of Malaysia’s palm oil industry is made up of smallholdings. In 2021, there were 53,000 such smallholdings in Sabah, where palm oil contributes between a third and half of household income. The industry has brought economic growth to previously impoverished towns, where other employment opportunities are scarce.

While immense ecological damage has already been done, the state government and palm oil industry are attempting to slow and hopefully reverse the damage. In 2004, in collaboration with the WWF and others including the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA), the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was formed, outlining environmental and social criteria that companies must comply with in order to produce RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). In 2022, RSPO members set aside and managed 362,657 hectares designated as necessary for conservation.

Some conservation groups are utilising tourism within palm oil plantations to advance their objectives. For example, 1stopBorneo Wildlife leads tourists through a conservation zone within the Sabah Softwoods plantation. Here, visitors look for elephants and help plant fig trees, which serve as a food source for the elephants and help deter them from consuming young palm oil plants. The overarching goal is to promote the elephants in this area as valuable assets, thereby safeguarding their habitat.

“Ecotourism can be seen as a potential opportunity for plantations to tap into to diversify their income,” Donna Simon, orangutan conservation manager for the Sabah Landscapes Programme at WWF-Malaysia, says in an email. “Linking this opportunity with conservation may be a way to encourage plantations to include conservation into their business model. For example, Sawit Kinabalu Plantation — a plantation in Sabah — has shown some interest in integrating ecotourism development in Sungai Pin Plantation, Kinabatangan. Sungai Pin Plantation is where they have also set aside about 2,000 hectares of land to plant trees to support the orangutan habitat there. Hopefully, we see more plantations follow suit in the future.”

The boat keeps speeding along, the palm oil plantation disappears, and we’re back in the protected area of the forest. Mohd Shahrul Ikhwan, the boat driver, spots an orangutan, barely visible in a tree. How he saw it while piloting a fast-moving boat is beyond me. I can only make out a dark shape obscured by foliage, until a long arm with distinctive orange-brown hair comes out from behind some leaves, grabbing at the figs on the tree.

Orangutans are considered the gardeners of the forest, transporting seeds across the jungle in a symbiotic relationship with their home. Without them, several trees and other species would also die off, putting the entire ecosystem at risk. Although the number of orangutans is still declining worldwide, in Sabah the number has remained steady over the past 15 years, with an estimated 11,000 orangutans remaining in the wild. Since 2004, the Sabah Forestry Department has increased the amount of land gazetted and protected from 12 per cent to 26 per cent, highlighting the development of well-regulated ecotourism and facilities in forest reserves as one of their strategies to implement sustainable forest management.

“Are you OK to move on? I just heard some elephants have been spotted further up the river,” Abdul says. We nod in excitement and the boat rushes on again. We zoom past a large patch of elephant grass — an elephant conservation corridor, Abdul tells us. Several of these conservation spaces exist along the Kinabatangan River, aided by tourism operators, palm oil companies and various conservation organisations.

Intrepid Travel is one such operator that seeks to regenerate the environment it profits from. Its Intrepid Foundation has partnered with the RESPonsible Elephant Conservation Trust (RESPECT), which has created and manages large-scale habitats to protect elephants. Nasalis Larvatus Tours dedicates half its land to this effort, planting elephant grass in Kg Bilit, Kinabatangan, with support from The Intrepid Foundation.

“We seek out long-term partnerships that are managed by local people, and RESPECT is a stand-up example of this ethos at work,” says Biheng Zhang, the general manager of The Intrepid Foundation. “The Foundation values local knowledge, and we know this is best-practice international development.”

The boat keeps nosing up the river, pausing for a crocodile dozing on the bank, and another orangutan sighting. By the time we arrive at the napier grass the elephants have been spotted feasting on, large muddy footprints are the only indication that they were here. I don’t mind that we missed them — the river has already offered up more wildlife than I imagined possible. It’s time to head back for breakfast and a swim in the pool to cool off in this tropical humidity.

As the canopy sails past, I wonder what the world will look like for my stepson when he’s old enough to travel independently. After learning about the many ways the tourism industry can have a mutually rewarding relationship with the land, local communities and local industry, I’m left with a faint sense of hope. According to Statista, the global ecotourism industry is projected to grow by 13.9% between 2022 and 2028, injecting an extra $300 billion into the economy. Some of which I hope funds conservation of these precious places. Will those who are profiting most from the land help to conserve it?

Several years ago, the hotelier Nicolas Saltiel stood in front of an office building on the northern edge of the Japanese quarter in Paris. The early 20th-century Haussmann-style block sat on a corner, so he could tell from the sidewalk that the light would be good. It was in the Second Arrondissement and, from the top floors, he guessed, you might be able to see the dome of Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre. (You can.) “I knew if I could manage to buy it, this place would make a perfect, intimate hotel,” Saltiel says.

Saltiel’s company, Adresses Hotels, owns five other small hotels in Paris, each of them with a distinct look and atmosphere. For Hotel Hana and its 26 bedrooms, the architect and designer Laura Gonzalez chose to highlight the hotel’s proximity to Little Tokyo, which includes the Japanese shops and restaurants on Rue Sainte-Anne, a five-minute walk away. “The source of inspiration is Japonisme, an artistic movement that emerged during the Belle Époque period,” says Gonzalez. Japanese building techniques and materials, like panelled partitions, straw walls and lacquered furniture, appear alongside French adornments like velvet headboards and rugs made by Pierre Frey. At the bar, you can order an egg sando and wash it down with a glass of Burgundy. Rooms from about $600, hotelhana-paris.com.