Southern Ocean Lodge

We have long been fans of South Australian architect Max Pritchard and were very intrigued to hear that he was designing a luxury lodge on the wild southern coast of Kangaroo Island. Hyped in the press with terms such as "Super Lodge", "World Class" and "luxury" being bandied about we decided to go and see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

Pritchard was a wise choice by the design team and has done them proud with a low lying building that blends into the surrounding scrub topped by a simply stunning, and aptly named "Great Room". Signature walls of beautiful rough hewn limestone contrast with lots of glass, limestone and marble tiles and redwood floors. There is an outdoor terrace, a warm lounge and bar around a free hanging "pod like" stove and a dining room that focusses on the real winning element - the superb and ever changing view of the wild Southern Ocean crashing against the cliffs below.

We never tired of this room and this view - with its soaring birds and ever changing light. Some days the clouds were grey and the sea like petrol, on other days you could have been on a Greek Island with the white sand and intense blue of the ocean matching the clear sky.

We arrived stressed and exhausted to have our bags whisked away from us while we sat down to a light lunch prepared by the Lodge's chef Matthew Upson. The food here is a definite highlight - although occasionally, as in the case of the cheeses and beers on offer - we felt that the concentration on purely South Australian produce was at the expense of real variety and flavour. Luckily however, South Australia and Kangaroo Island have some great food and wine to offer and Upson presented his food simply and beautifully, allowing the superb local seafood especially to shine. Lunches were light, almost always starting with a small salad before moving to a mid-size main and being followed by an optional small dessert such as an affogato or lemon tart. Bread was freshly baked and wine matches were suggested by the invariably friendly and helpful staff, but you were also free to help yourself to an incredibly well stocked cellar of South Australian wines (no hardship this!)

We went with a few of the local suggestions and discovered a lovely Kangaroo Island sauvignon blanc as a result.

Dinner was a little more substantial, beginning with optional canapés in the bar area and then being followed by an entree and a sizeable main. Highlights were a sensational, melt in the mouth, duck confit and some superbly fresh Kingfish.

The accomodation itself consists of 21 suites on the right of a long sloping corridor (perfect for rolling jaffas down!) Our suite was exceptionally comfortable with a lounge and a coffee table with an inbuilt methylated spirit fire, comfy seating and a well stocked bar as well as a state of the art entertainment console. We had a small deck facing straight out onto the wild ocean with a spa that we made full use of. The bathroom was huge and the bath also had a great view. Our bed was a little hard for our taste, but upon mentioning this we were given an extra underlay by the next night which helped a lot.

After a few sensational meals, including some delectable mini-lamingtons we were given as an arrival gift, and many hours spent gazing at the sea and the sky we began to feel much better. To help destress ourselves further we also visited the on site spa, set away from the main lodge on top of the hill with stupendous views into the next bay. Frankly my expectations of an on site spa in the middle of nowhere were fairly low, but we were both pleasantly surprised by an intense hands on massage followed by a relaxing facial and an invigorating exfoliating back scrub which left my back spotty for days but was no doubt very good for me! We returned from our morning spa appointment in a very blissed out state and ate yet another tasty lunch in the Great Room as a perfect finale to a fabulous morning.

Staying at the Lodge is pricey but everything is included in the tariff including any island experience tours you may wish to take part in. We enjoyed an evening of "kangaroos and canapés" at a nearby property, and went on a fun cliff walk after which we set off by ourselves to further explore the coastal path, seeing seals and ospreys on our way. We also took part in some beach fishing and borrowed boards for some sandhill "surfing" in Little Sahara (the furniture polish recommended instead of wax was very effective - we were covered in sand for days!)

On the whole though we found ourselves quite content to hang close to the beautiful lodge enjoying walks on the beach and nearby cliffs, afternoon naps, do it ourselves movie nights and beers on the terrace in the spa while watching the sun go down. For a true luxury experience with wonderful friendly service in beautiful surroundings I can't recommend Southern Ocean Lodge enough. A small fly in the ointment was the lack of WiFi internet access during our stay, which along with no mobile phone coverage made keeping in touch challenging - but as this forced us to relax even more than usual it was probably on the whole no bad thing.

Update 27th May 2011

An enticing off season deal gave us the chance to revisit Southern Ocean Lodge in early May.

This time we waited until we could book the Osprey Pavilion. Styled as "super premium" and with a price tag to match we were expecting something special and we weren't disappointed. Most of the rooms at the Lodge face directly out to sea, but the Osprey Pavilion offers a panoramic almost 360% view that includes the beach and the distant cliffs against which the waves are constantly smashing. We spent a long time sitting in the warmth and meditating on this sensational and constantly changing outlook.

The bathroom features a double shower and a massive stone bath with a view across the inland scrub. There is also a cleverly constructed terrace, built in the lee of the main room and therefore protected from the howling wind. We almost managed to sunbathe here at one point, which in May is extraordinary. We enjoyed sitting in the spa and bird watching as honey eaters flitted from bush to bush and rosellas came to drink from our gutters.

Since our last visit there have been a few changes. As well as an all-inclusive activity package the Lodge now offers a selection of "Bespoke Experiences" for an extra charge. These include guided walks which we preferred to do ourselves, but we did take advantage of the quad biking on offer to explore the old farmland surrounding the Lodge. The farm was converted to a wilderness sanctuary some years ago but the owners have given permission for the Lodge and their guests to use some of the direct access tracks for quad biking. The sweeping fields offer some fun riding with spectacular views and a chance to see literally dozens of kangaroos. Some of the other trails were rocky and more demanding but our instructor Jess was helpful and friendly and gave us an in helmet commentary on interesting sights such as meat eating ants and a goanna nest.

One of the other changes was less welcome. The superb chef who was resident when we were last here recently left the lodge. His replacement Jed Archdeacon has not yet reached the same levels. At two weeks into his reign in the kitchen there were obviously still going to be some teething problems but to my taste the presentation was less beautiful, some of the meals were uninspiring and salads were dressed with far too much vinegar. My husband suffered through a passion with icecream making which led to a lot of cold desserts (which when the wind is howling outside and it is a cold night aren't really what you fancy.) We also felt his desserts were overly creative at the expense of taste. A "thyme crumble" turned out to be a garnish on the side of the plate rather than an actual dessert. Perhaps the Lodge needs to invest in a pastry chef to allow their new chef to concentrate on his strengths and allow their guests to indulge their sweet tooths in comfort. Having said all that, we must say that some of Archdeacon's dishes, particularly his duck three ways, were top class and accomplished in every respect.

Service remained impeccable with lots of ready smiles and waiting staff greeting us by our first names at each meal. And the internet access issue had been resolved, but, in surroundings like these, who'd ever want to sit at a computer?