There’s something wonderfully romantic about hotels which manage to capture the sense of a bygone age while somehow feeling utterly modern at the same time. The Halcyon House Hotel in Cabarita Beach on Australia’s stunning east coast fits that brief just perfectly.
It was a faded surf hotel which had seen better days when it was bought in 2011 by Brisbane sisters Elisha and Siobhan Bickle. Already seasoned property and hospitality entrepreneurs, they originally bought the hotel with a view to renovating it as a holiday home for them and their families. But they soon realised how special the place was and saw its potential to be shared more widely as a luxury beachy boutique hotel.
Enter Sydney-based architect Virginia Kerridge who managed to reinterpret and update the hotel so cleverly that it looks as if it was always this polished and sleek since its inception in the 1960’s.
The mid-century feel is carried on into the interior but is mixed with a host of other influences to provide a richly layered space with interesting touches wherever you look. The sense of personality with which the light-filled interior has been imbued and its clever design choices are down to the exquisitely talented interior designer Anna Spiro. From the individually designed bedrooms to the idiosyncratic art on the walls and the antiques sourced from across the globe, every inch of the space has been considered and loved back to life. Pattern, colour and textures are mixed and merged with a consummate sense of taste and fun, and with a definite hint of 1960’s glamour.
This looks like the ultimate place to stay, not just for a romantically stylish holiday but somewhere to enjoy laid-back Australian charm and style. And as Elisha so aptly puts it, to experience its unique ‘memory-making potential’ . . . —Louise
All images via Halcyon House
