Itinerary:
Luxury in Brisbane

18 JANUARY 2023

From luxury hotels to designer shopping and exclusive restaurants, Brisbane has everything you need for a fabulously decadent break.

IN THIS ARTICLE
IN THIS ARTICLE

Day 1 - Brisbane City

Morning 

An urban laneway may seem an unlikely place to start your luxe adventure but trust us on this. Burnett Lane runs alongside the bustling Queen Street Mall and is home to local favourite, Felix for Goodness, a charming hidden café serving delicious meals from scratch with local ingredients. Pair your breakfast with a single-origin brew from one of Brisbane City’s exceptional specialty coffee retailers such as John Mills Himself on Charlotte St or Strauss on Elizabeth St and prepare for a day of indulgence. 

Lunch

Treat yourself to exquisite food and Brisbane’s finest view at one of the many upmarket riverfront restaurants along Eagle St. Alchemy is renowned for its French degustation menu or if you’d prefer to go a la carte, the Chef creates specials daily including fresh seafood dishes and decadent desserts. Emulating a glamorous 190s-style Prohibition bar, Blackbird is an award-winning fine-dining restaurant where you can sample fresh seasonal produce from the breezy alfresco deck or opulent, plush dining room.

Afternoon 

Spend an afternoon shopping in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall, The City’s epicentre of fashion and retail in Queensland. Throughout the mall, within its elegant shopping arcades and along the adjoining Edward St, you’ll find a treasure trove of international luxury fashion labels. Browse and buy Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Longchamp, Hermes, Paspaley, Burberry, Oroton, Tiffany & Co., Georg Jensen, Cartier, TAG Heuer and Chanel as well as local high-end designers Pia du Pradal, Keri Craig and Tengdahl. 

Rest your shopping bags in Marchetti in Tattersall’s Arcade, an elegant Italian café that serves the best cannoli this side of the Mediterranean Sea, or indulge in a signature high tea at Room with Roses, a picture-perfect tea house on the top floor of the luxurious Brisbane Arcade shopping precinct. 

Indulge in an afternoon of pampering at Stephanie’s Spa Retreat, housed within Sofitel Brisbane. Enjoy its signature Opal Rasul Temple treatment – an ancient wellness journey that melds the power of exfoliation with purifying mineral-rich mud masks and steam – or select a bespoke spa treatment and relax among scented candles, soothing music and the lingering scent of essential oils.  

Evening 

Donna Chang has tastefully converted a 1920s-era bank on George St into a glamorous and modern Chinese restaurant. Slide into a pink plush velvet booth under high ceilings and browse its extensive menu, inspired by Sichuan and Cantonese flavours and fresh local seafood. Your gourmet journey will take you from grilled octopus with native tamarind, sea herbs and chilli to dim sum to southern rock lobster or mud crab from the fish tank. An array of carefully designed banquets let you sample a little of everything.

Night 

You needn’t go far for a nightcap. Donna Chang’s late-night sibling, Boom Boom Room, is a bar housed beneath the restaurants in the former bank’s vaults. Moody lighting, dark walls and dramatic furniture lend an air of intrigue to this subterranean venue. Order a bespoke cocktail expertly crafted by some of Brisbane’s best bartenders, wines sourced by award-winning sommeliers or the finest beer, whiskey and sake imported from Japan. 

Overnight 

Continue embracing Brisbane’s rich history by checking into the five-star Treasury Brisbane Hotel. Once Queensland’s political and financial headquarters, this Heritage-listed building has been beautifully renovated and repurposed into luxe accommodation. Wood panelling, marble bathrooms and antique-style fittings play to its past while offering guests every modern convenience they could want.

James Street Fortitude Valley Restaurant Dining

Day 2 - Fortitude Valley

Morning 

Locals and visitors alike know James St is the place to visit for luxury dining, retail and leisure. Start your day exploring the tree-lined street and its enviable collection of designer fashion brands, eclectic boutiques and on-trend flagship stores. The street is also home to artisan markets and food providores, homeware stores, cafés bars and restaurants.  

Lunch  

Harvey’s Bistro is the place to see and be seen in James St. Relax indoors or dine outdoors in the light-filled, open-air courtyard surrounded by grass and trees. The ever-changing menu utilised fresh, local and seasonal ingredients and Harvey’s James St frontage makes it ideal for people-watching and celebrity-spotting.  

Afternoon 

Libertine Parfumerie is an exquisite fragrance emporium featuring the world’s finest perfumes, home fragrances, bath and body products and skin care. Not only can you breathe in exotic and rare scents from across the world but Libertine also offers exclusive masterclasses where you can craft your signature scent.  

Evening 

Essa is more than a restaurant, it’s a dining destination that aspires to escape the expected. The menu heroes harvest-driven dishes where chefs collaborate with local farmers, hunters and providores to promote an environmentally conscious approach to the menu. The menu changes with the seasons with raw, pickled, smoked and wood-fired dishes featured throughout. Enter via an unassuming door on Robertson St and take a seat in its intimate, raw interior or head through the restaurant to its leafy, hidden courtyard. 

Night  

The little sister to well-known James St restaurant Gerard’s Bistro, Gerard’s Bar serves an extensive range of wines and a Middle Eastern-inspired menu of bar snacks. The drink selection is vibrant and fun, spotlighting young and interesting wines as well as favourite old-world varietals, and the intimate bar – tucked away behind the restaurant – is perfect for a cosy nightcap. 

Overnight 

Check in to your personal James St oasis, The Calile Hotel. The stylish five-star hotel ensures you experience all the ease and comfort of a resort stay with the convenience of an inner-city urban setting. The décor is an opulent palette of sun-bleached pinks, sandy-beiges and gold, complemented by its centrepiece swimming pool, cabanas and leafy alfresco dining areas. 

Scenic Rim_Road and Mountain_Aerial_Landscape_drive_road_car

Day 3 - Scenic Rim  

Hire a car and hit the road for a luxury getaway to the stunning Scenic Rim. Only 90 minutes by car, you’ll soon discover why Lonely Planet anointed it one of the top 10 regions to visit in the world. Take in a big-picture view as you travel in style across the countryside with Floating Images Hot Air Balloon Flights. Enjoy breathtaking views over the Scenic Rim and Ipswich regions, taking in the majesty of the Great Dividing Range, the verdant natural surroundings and quaint heritage towns and villages.  

Check in to your luxury boutique accommodation at Spicers Hidden Vale. Set on 12,000 acres of sprawling native bushland, Hidden Vale exudes both sophisticated style and country charm. The elegant guest rooms and restored colonial cottages warmly welcome you and encourage you to relax and unwind. 

If your taste for adventure is not yet sated, Pterodactyl Helicopters offers scenic flights and high-end customised tours of the region. Captain Mike can escort you on a custom winery tour by air, a pub crawl through the country or a scenic flight by sunset.  

Customise your stay at Hidden Vale by selecting from dozens of experiences ranging from whisky tasting to gold fossicking, 4WD stargazing safaris to helicopter fishing. 

Indulge in a paddock-to-plate experience at the on-site Homage Restaurant. With two firepits, a wood oven and a smokehouse, Homage spotlights the traditional cooking techniques of fire, smoke and earth. Ingredients come from Homage’s market garden or a close network of local suppliers and farmers. This is a restaurant where you can step outside of your comfort zone and experience something new and boundary-pushing. Perhaps emu tartare or roasted kangaroo tail or native twists on classic fare with the addition of riberry, lemon aspen, native pepper or wattle seed? 

Couple hiking at Tamborine Mountain

Day 4 - Tamborine Mountain 

Head for the hills for gorgeous rainforest scenery and the ultimate luxury getaway. Escarpment Retreat and Day Spa is a breathtaking mountain rainforest sanctuary, located on the edge of World Heritage rainforest on Tamborine Mountain. Book one of its signature treatments using award-winning beauty products or customise your spa ritual with a combination of indulgent foot scrubs, full-body massages, invigorating facials and tension-release treatments. 

Mount Tamborine is home to an array of wineries, craft breweries, independent distilleries, artisan cheesemakers and gourmet food producers. Book a private tour with The Vino Bus or Kiff & Culture to ferry you in air-conditioned comfort from one delicious destination to the next.    

Relax and rejuvenate overnight at Pethers Rainforest Retreat, a private and secluded retreat designed exclusively for adults and set amidst five hectares of pristine rainforest. Accommodation consists of 10 large, luxurious and exclusive tree houses, each with beautiful timber floors, a private spa, a gas fire, elegant furnishings, a king-size bed and floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to a private outdoor balcony. Make the most of the idyllic property and dine at Pethers Rainforest Restaurant. The intimate, 11-table award-winning restaurant centres around an elevated fireplace, overlooking the floodlit rainforest, and the menu changes seasonally to make the most of fresh, local produce.

Poolside at Calile hotel