THE FACTS ABOUT QUALIA

Australia

This £36-million utopia sits in sublime isolation on the northernmost tip of Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, overlooking the Coral Sea. As well as a secluded beach house, it has 27 Windward Pavilions (33 Leeward Pavilions will open later in the year), all with jawdropping views of the Whitsunday Passage, which is home to sea eagles, ospreys, dugongs and turtles, and a winter refuge for migrating humpback whales. At 120 metres square, the pavilions are four times the size of an average five-star hotel room, and each has a private pool, sun deck, living room, kitchen and an impressive stone bathroom with a giant, egg-shaped bath. The mini bars are stocked with smoked salmon, foie gras, Camembert, Mumm Champagne and Peroni beer. The hub of the resort is the cliff-top Long Pavilion restaurant, a striking granite structure with a wall of sliding glass panels and wooden floors, decorated in a natural palette of stone, sand and stormy seas. Breakfast and dinner are served here, while lunch is at Pebble Beach on the water's edge. The food is modern Australian cuisine at its best. Don't miss the green apple and lychee mojitos at the bar or hot-stone massages at the spa, in a grove of gnarled frangipani trees. WHEN TO GO April-December is the driest time; June-August is whale-watching season. ROOM TO BOOK All have similar aspects. Qualia, Hamilton Island, Queensland (00 612 9433 3349; www.qualiaresort.com.au). Windward Pavilions from A$1,400 (about £640) Find out more about Australia in our destination guides