Pretty Beach House is the epitome of relaxed Australian luxury and elegance for those looking for an exclusive getaway, just outside Sydney. A serene escape nestled within the heart of the NSW Bouddi National Park high above Pretty Beach, this stunning world-class hotel is an easy 90min drive or exhilarating 20min seaplane/helicopter flight from Sydney, the gateway city to Australia. With only four pavilions this is Australia’s most exclusive hotel complete with a fine gastronomic all-inclusive hospitality offering to strike the perfect balance of intimacy, personalized service, and fine dining.

Intimate and laidback, Pretty Beach House sleeps a maximum of eight guests in four luxurious pavilions. In-pavilion comforts include premium king beds dressed with fine Italian hand-loomed linens, premium bathrobes and towels, fireplace, underfloor-heating, heated plunge pool, double outdoor day bed, and a full mini bar stocked with premium wines & spirits. All dining, snacks and most beverages are included as part of the wonderful hospitality. Also included is an open bar stocked with premium wines, beers and spirits, a pavilion mini-bar, unlimited wi-fi throughout the property, an aboriginal welcome ceremony, and, complimentary mountain bike hire. Wine and dine on the property’s luxurious private boat or in the spectacular dining room with authentic, seasonal menus tailored to suit, thoughtfully prepared by your chef.

Guests will de-stress in the Bouddi Day Spa with treatments inspired by traditional Aboriginal healing techniques. After which you may enjoy champagne and oysters at the bar whilst absorbing the calming energy of the area, and taking in the captivating coastal views and that are quintessentially Australian.

ACCOMMODATION

Pretty Beach House redefines the typical guesthouse tradition and sets a new benchmark with its signature appointments and world-class approach to every aspect of the guest experience. Now with four private pavilions, three freestanding and one penthouse, Pretty Beach House can sleep 8 people at any one time. The pavilions have names that describe their best feature; Treetops, Bayview, Hideaway and The Retreat (two stories) and all have views of the angophoras, across a dramatic escarpment and down to the sparkling bay waters of Broken Bay. Each pavilion has a generous king bedroom, separate dressing room, deluxe bathroom, open-plan sitting area and a fully stocked bar.

The Main House built with hand-made mud bricks, and huge hand crafted timber posts from a de-commissioned bridge in Queensland, is a shared space for guests. The main house, features the spectacular dining room, impressive bar with remarkable views and an open plan Italianate Ambach kitchen, encouraging guest and chef interaction. The hexagonal bar area is designed for conviviality and sharing fine foods and afternoon cocktails as the sun sets.

Guests are encouraged to eat anywhere on the property, however the main house with its spectacular dining room, hand crafted fireplace and soaring ceilings is the centre of all culinary activity. This impressive split-level room constructed with massive slabs of local sandstone and enormous floor to ceiling timber poles, showcases a significant private art collection of some of Australia’s most celebrated and revered artists. The Main House also includes a lounge area and cocktail bar, an intimate dining space for two, a wine cellar, open fireplace, infinity pool, day spa and a generous pool lounging deck complete with a custom made Stefano Ferrara Italian pizza oven. Guests can spill to an outdoor lounge area and fire pit that looks directly onto large boulder rocks with ancient aboriginal rock carvings dated back almost 10,000 years.

FOOD & WINE

Simplicity, elegance, service and superb food is evident in every aspect of the culinary delights of Pretty Beach House. The daily menus at Pretty Beach House offer seasonal, Italian inspired cuisine that is often locally sourced, or straight from the kitchen garden. Menus are prepared based on the finest and freshest produce available creating delicious menu selections.

DINING

The design and tone of the spectacular dining room complement the magnificent natural setting with plush leather seating and hand-selected original, iconic Australian artworks by the likes of Arthur Boyd, Sydney Nolan, and John Olsen.

At breakfast, the table setting is casual & can be taken al fresco. Here it is wise to watch out for the cheeky kookaburras that take up residence in the giant eucalypt above.

For lunch, the chef may suggest an antipasto, which includes salami, pickled vegetables, eggplant caponata, and local crayfish with garlic mayonnaise. In summer there is chilled soup such as tomato with saffron, asparagus, or fresh peas. Picnic hampers may contain a delicious array of Italian style panini with house-made bread, cakes, and tarts. For winter, expect hearty seafood and barley stew, winter vegetable minestrone, and veal shank with farro, all served with bread baked daily in the house kitchen.

Morning and afternoon tea is available throughout the day offering seasonal fresh fruits and a selection of biscotti, home made cakes and tarts. Should guests prefer a selection of fresh breads, grissini, olives, house made pickles and a selection of cheeses are also available.

In the evening the tables are carefully laid with fine Italian Busatti linens. Cutlery is antique Sheffield direct from London. A native flannel flower or wild grass reed will take centre stage on your table.  Expect Reidel glassware and fine Bernardaud dinnerware.

The dinner menu is a more formal affair with choices of a la carte dining or a tailored degustation. Of course, menus may be personalized to suit specific dietary requirements.

Wines and beverages are expertly chosen and paired to suit the guest’s palette.

EXPERIENCES

Transferring from the city is an experience in itself. Pretty Beach House is situated 90 minutes north (by road) of Sydney on the spectacular NSW Bouddi Peninsula. Sydney Seaplanes offer an exhilarating 20-minute flight to and from Pretty Beach House, including a flyover of the most beautiful harbor in the world, including the famous Sydney Opera House, the iconic Harbour Bridge, and the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney. Door to Door this trip is only 30 minutes from the city. On arrival, the serene and quintessentially Australian bush setting at Pretty Beach House offers rest and relaxation, however, it can also become the center of a full expedition experience.

VIP Private Pearl Farm Tour Pretty Beach House overlooks Broken Bay where guests have access to a hands-on journey of discovery about the rare, locally grown Australian Akoya Pearl from a highly experienced pearling team from the Broken Bay Pearl Farm. The private tour explores the incredible marine wilderness of the local bay for approx. 1.5 hours, where iconic pelicans and abundant fish are a living display of the thriving marine ecosystem.

The pearl team reveal interesting and intricate details of Australian pearl farming in a fascinating hands-on experience which includes a visit to the farm’s private pearl seeding shed for a live pearl harvest demonstration and discussion about how these extraordinary natural gems are cultivated. Once back at Pretty Beach House, guests will enjoy champagne and oysters whilst the experts give an informative pearl appreciation talk with the days fresh harvest in hand. Guests are given the rare opportunity to get hands-on with a selection of home-grown pearls to see exactly how they are graded, and learn the 7 virtues that determine the true value of a pearl. The tour is concluded with an opportunity for guests to purchase exquisite pearl jewellery and/or loose pearls that have come direct from the farm.

Spa treatments The Bouddi Spa is a haven for guests to de-stress with spa treatments that have been thoughtfully designed to rebalance the synergy between mind, body & soul. By combining a range of sensory therapies selected for their efficiency in purifying, nourishing and harmonizing the body as a whole, guests of the spa are left feeling relaxed and pampered. Pure Australian botanical products from the LI’TYA range are featured in the spa, offering a true spirit of place and connection to the earth.

Aboriginal culture recognizes the significance of the elements in terms of their physical, emotional, spiritual and environmental aspects. The Bouddi Spa treatments aim to bring balance between these elements by combining a range of sensory therapies selected for their efficiency in purifying, nourishing and harmonizing the body as a whole. Treatments can be indoors or amongst the ancient angophoras.

Coastal Bushwalking

Excursions can be as simple as a professionally guided bushwalk with many well-marked coastal walking trails in the surrounding natural wonder of the Bouddi National Park.

Lobster Beach, Box Head and the surf break at Tallow Beach are all within easy walking distance, while Killcare surf beach, Maitland Bay and the seaside villages of Killcare, Wagstaffe and Hardy’s Bay are close by. 

A leisurely 20 minute stroll through untouched native flora to the tip of the Aboriginal Dreaming sacred site of Box Head is breathtaking, with stunning 180 degree views of the five surrounding waterways including Broken Bay to Palm Beach and the Barenjoey light house.

Aboriginal Connections

Pretty Beach House is located in the serene and quintessentially Australian bushland setting of the Bouddi National Park. The word ‘Bouddi’ is the local Aboriginal name for the eastern headland of Maitland Bay and has become synonymous with the national park and the surrounding area. It has various meanings in local Aboriginal languages, and is thought to mean ‘heart’ or ‘water breaking over rocks’. The Bouddi Peninsula is a very special landscape – around 100 Aboriginal sites have been recorded in the park and nearby areas. There is even aboriginal artwork dating back almost 10,000 years right on the doorstep to Pretty Beach House.

Pretty Beach House also offer cultural tours on the property and through the Bouddi National Park, for guests to experience and discover the historical and cultural significance of the Darkinjung people’s kinship with the ocean and the land of the Bouddi National Park.

Learn ancient dreamtime stories told by traditional landowners and Aboriginal elders at 6pm nightly, during the welcome smoking ceremony, incorporating dance & didgeridoo around a crackling fire.

Pretty Beach Cabo Sports Cruiser

A tailored expedition aboard the Pretty Beach Cabo Sports Cruiser can be pre arranged and booked upon reservation. The Pretty Beach Cabo cruiser can also collect guests from Sydney and bring them to Pretty Beach up the coastline (or vice versa).

For the adventurous, a challenging game fishing expedition aboard the 38-foot CABO Sports Cruiser is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

A leisurely sightseeing cruise around the scenic waterways to one of the many secluded bays or hidden beaches with a delicious Pretty Beach House picnic hamper can be arranged.

Wine Tasting

Private wine tastings with the Pretty Beach House Sommelier are available onsite, and so are day trips to the famous Hunter Valley Wine Region.

GETTING THERE

Pretty Beach House is a private guesthouse situated 100 kilometers north of Sydney on the NSW Bouddi Peninsula. The property is set high on the escarpment above Pretty Beach and nestled into the Bouddi National Park.

Approximately 1.5 hours north of Sydney and 1.5 hours south of Newcastle, the Bouddi Peninsula is the southern-most tip of the central coast region and is just across the water from Sydney’s Palm Beach. All Airport and Hotel transfers can be arranged on request.

BY CAR  – Take the F3 from Sydney Cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge and follow the signs to Chatswood until you get onto the Pacific Highway. At Wahroonga take the F3 Freeway towards Gosford & Newcastle. Take the exit signposted to Gosford / Woy Woy / Terrigal & Australian Reptile Park. At the fourth set of traffic lights (Kariong Hill) turn right into Woy Woy Road. It is well signposted. Follow Woy Woy Road for approx 12 km – you will cross over the railway line at the bottom of the hill. At end of this road (which is Rawson Road then becomes All field Road) turn right into Blackwall Road (at traffic lights).

This becomes Memorial Avenue – turn left at the roundabout. Memorial Avenue then becomes Maitland Bay Drive, goes over the Rip Bridge, and becomes Daley Avenue. Approx. 8 km along with turn right into Wards Hill Road (Liberty Petrol Station on right & signposted to Wagstaffe & Killcare). At the end of Wards Hill Road (stop sign) turn right into The Scenic Road (signposted to Hardys Bay and Wagstaffe). Follow The Scenic Drive as it winds its way down through the hairpin corners to Hardys Bay. The Scenic Drive changes into Nukara Avenue and then Killcare Road just before it reaches the Bay.

HELICOPTER For a truly indulgent luxury getaway Pretty Beach House can arrange a helicopter transfer. Price on application.

SEAPLANE Sydney Seaplanes fly into local Booker Bay, and boat and car transfers will be arranged which add another 15 minutes to the journey. Seaplane departures are from Rose Bay, with the seaplane journey lasting approximately 30 minutes, as you head north above the spectacular Northern Beaches of Sydney.

PALM BEACH FERRY A favorite route is via the Palm Beach – Wagstaffe ferry service. Leave the car in the car park at the Palm Beach wharf. Parking at Palm Beach can be difficult, so please allow enough time to park. Palm Beach Ferries request you are on the wharf 5 minutes prior to departure time. This high-speed journey travels between Palm Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Wagstaffe and Ettalong Beach on the lower Central Coast peninsula. Departing roughly every hour the journey is one of the most picturesque in the world. This journey spans across 4 waterways from Pittwater, Broken Bay, and the Entrance to the Hawkesbury River and Brisbane Waters. Passing between the heads of Barrenjoey Headland and Box Head past Lion Island ensures that no two journeys are ever the same. One day there might be some swell and the next day a millpond. Enjoy the opportunity to see the wildlife from birds to furry penguins, turtles to seals, and dolphins to whales.