“It takes an island to raise a hotel” might be a degradation of the old village/child saying, but here on Australia’s Kangaroo Island, a 40-minute flight from Adelaide, it is exactly what has happened.
When hoteliers James and Hayley Baillie opened Southern Ocean Lodge, in 2008, this sparsely populated wilderness known for its marine life—Australia’s answer to the Galápagos—finally had an oceanfront hotel to entice some of the world’s most adventurous travelers.
After it burned to the ground in the wildfires of 2020, the community rallied to assist in its rebirth. Wine-maker Yale Norris and wildlife expert Craig Wickham helped clear the land, while lodge manager John Hird organized the troops and fed them soup cooked over a campfire.
The architect Max Pritchard, who grew up on Kangaroo Island and designed the original structure, returned to mastermind version 2.0. In December, it reopened on a wave of goodwill from around the globe. The footprint has been more or less retained but updated with a larger pool and a new spa and constructed using environmentally friendly materials, such as local limestone. (Many of the walls are glass, to optimize the views.) Two more rooms have been added to the caterpillar-like line that winds its way down the cliffs.
The most remarkable change is the orientation of the guest rooms; all now face southeast in order to maximize views of the Southern Ocean. (It’s especially meditative to watch the waves hit the cluster of rocks just offshore during a bath.) Each bedroom has a sunken living room that is anchored by a curved sofa and a fireplace. The technology has been updated so that lights and blinds are activated with the flick of a switch, and the fire-prevention infrastructure has been thoroughly upgraded. A new, four-bedroom owner’s residence now sits above the property, offering a refuge for families or larger groups.
Bathrobes from Bemboka, an Australian bedding and housewares company, and a bar stocked with gratis local wines are reason enough to stay in, but the hotel also offers open-cellar tastings, where guests can try some of the best bottles from South Australia. This is the perfect run-up to dinner at the restaurant, whose best dishes include Smoky Bay oysters, miso-glazed kingfish, and lemon-myrtle goat cheese.
It’s tempting to linger in the great room, looking out of the window at the glossy black cockatoos flitting about in the trees. But each visit includes five guided experiences in nature. Will it be a tour of Flinders Chase National Park, a cocktail hour in a kangaroo reserve, or perhaps a walk across Seal Bay, home to one of the largest populations of Australian sea lions? A visit to Southern Ocean Lodge reveals that even after a devastating fire, it’s possible for nature—and a very good hotel—to regenerate.
The writer was a guest of Southern Ocean Lodge. Its rates, which include all meals and drinks, five signature Kangaroo Island nature experiences, and airport transfers, begin at $2,230 per couple, per night
Mary Lussiana is a Lisbon-based travel writer and reviewer of hotels