The Aussie accom on the ‘world’s best’ shortlist
Two Australian properties have made travel network Virtuoso’s list of world-beating hotels, bars and spas for 2019.
The company has revealed the properties and hoteliers shortlisted from surveys conducted among hundreds of travel agencies and luxury travel advisors for the annual Best of the Best awards, to be announced on August 14 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Those opinions will ultimately decide the winners in each of the categories, ranging from the most innovative experience to best achievement in design.
Among them are Victoria’s trailblazing Jackalope Hotel on the Mornington Peninsula and perennial awards favourite Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in the NSw Blue Mountains.
Jackalope’s hatted Doot Doot Doot restaurant has been shortlisted for best dining experience.
Private dining patrons are attended by their personal waiter, chef and sommelier in the Jackyak dining room overlooking the vines of Willow Creek.
Executive chef Guy Stanaway prepares a menu showcasing a progression of tasting dishes that highlight the season’s best produce for groups of up to 20.
Grilled Marron, wakame butter, beach herbs, finger lime and beef short rib, horseradish, shiitake crème, crisp garlic are among the dishes on Doot Doot Doot’s sample tasting menu, with each course offering matched wine or non-alcohol drink pairings.
Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is a luxury conservation-based resort in the 7,000-acre nature reserve in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
The 1832-established homestead, which highlights the Aboriginal, settler and agricultural history of the Wolgan Valley, this year celebrates its tenth consecutive year of carbon neutral certification.
It was the first resort in the world to achieve internationally-accredited carbon neutral status when it opened in 2009, and remains the only resort in Australia with this standard of accreditation.
The property’s website states: “From the moment guests leave their cars at the gate, they are transported to a wilderness oasis run by passionate conservationists, who ensure that guests not only enjoy the resort but also gain a deeper understanding of the stunning bushland setting.
“Care for the environment guides every guest touchpoint, from the replacement of traditional paper newspapers in guest rooms and the library with iPads, to offering guests the option of travelling to the resort in hybrid and electric vehicles.”
Among its tenets are waste minimisation, energy reduction, water conservation, food sustainability, wildlife conservation and greener transport.
The shortlisted finalists worldwide are:
HOTEL OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
-Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
-Hotel Sacher Wien, Vienna
-The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel, Edinburgh
-The Lowell, New York
-Waldorf Astoria, Amsterdam
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DESIGN NOMINEES:
-Amanyangyun, Shanghai
-Belmond Cap Juluca, Anguilla
-Cheval Blanc, St. Tropez
-Raffles Europejski, Warsaw
-Rosewood, Hong Kong
BEST DINING EXPERIENCE NOMINEES:
-Doot Doot Doot, Jackalope Hotel, Australia
-Francis Mallman at Chateau La Coste, Villa La Coste, France
-Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, Corinthia Hotel, London
-Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin
-Restaurant Le Gabriel, La Reserve Paris Hotel and Spa, France
BEST BAR NOMINEES:
-Le Bar Long, Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Hotel, Paris
-Le Sirenuse Champagne Bar, Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, Florida
-The Chapel Bar, The Jaffa, Tel Aviv
-The Flying Stag, The Fife Arms, England
-Z Bar, Peninsula Hotel, Chicago
BEST FAMILY PROGRAM NOMINEES:
-Gleneagles, Scotland
-Grand Velas, Riviera Maya
-Half Moon, Jamaica
-One & Only Capetown, South Africa
-Rome Cavalieri, Rome
BEST SPA WELLNESS PROGRAM NOMINEES:
-Anantara Quy Nhon Villas, Vietnam
-Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Italy
-Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, Arizona
-SHA Wellness Clinic, Spain
-The Oberoi Sukhvilas Resort & Spa, India
BEST SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
-Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, Wolgan Valley, Australia
-Soneva Fushi, Maldives
-Vermejo, A Ted Turner Reserve, New Mexico
-Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives
-Londolozi Game Reserve, Sabi Sabi, South Africa
BEST NEWCOMER NOMINEES:
-Capella Ubud, Bali
-Heckfield Place, England
-Hotel Lutetia, Paris
-Montage Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
-Six Senses Duxton, Singapore
HOTELIER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
-Amanda Hyndman, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
-Anthony Costa, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai
-Ivan Artolli, Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco
-Marcus Bauder, Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo
-Nathalie Seiler-Hayez, Beau-Rivage Palace, Switzerland
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