In the News . . .
February 9, 2011
Southern Ocean Lodge ...
an Andrew Harpers
Hideaway Highlight
Southern Ocean Lodge has just been reviewed most favorably by the infamous Andrew Harper in his quarterly Hideaway Report. For those of you who do not know, Andrew Harper is the pseudonym of a gentleman traveler who writes candid reviews of unique hideaways and hotels.
Mr. Harper always travels anonymously and pays his own way. Impatient with pretension and skeptical of passing trends, he has an abiding passion for classic hospitality and refined service amid peaceful surroundings.
He recently visited Southern Ocean Lodge, and his review is great reading. I have enclosed excerpts from his Hideaway Report, so you can read his wonderful comments about us … we had no clue of his visit, who he was, or when he visited, and are therefore very thrilled with the results. I have always imagined he is a little old man in a grey trench with a briefcase and a white glove, or perhaps she is a gorgeous blonde, with Louis Vuitton luggage, Mahnolo shoes and naked under that trench coat ... who knows ?
Reading that the visit to Southern Ocean Lodge was the highlight of Mr. Harper’s trip Australia and that it earned 98 points out of a total 100 is a great credit to James and Hayley Baillie, and validates their passion for excellence, innovation and great hotel management.
Comments from the report as follows: (reproduced with permission from Andrew Harpers Hideaway Report, announced in its March 2011 issue)
“It has been some time since we’ve been as impressed by a new hotel as we were by Southern Ocean Lodge which opened in March 2008. At the end of a long bumpy road, iron gates swung aside, and shortly thereafter, we caught our first glimpse of the property, perched high above Kangaroo Island’s spectacular southern coast...
…Check-in and orientation were exceptionally gracious and charming. Stylishly dressed in a linen tunic and white trousers, our receptionist Heather outlined the itinerary that had been planned for us and suggested a light lunch followed by a four-hour tour of the island...
…Initially we relaxed in the magnificent Great Room, a huge pavilion with floor-to-ceiling windows and a wall of golden limestone. The space is augmented by a suspended woodburning steel fireplace and tables piled with magazines and books...
…The 21 suites all come with hypnotic views of the Southern Ocean, which extends as far as Antarctica, and are situated on a sloping hallway that runs along a cliff top. Our room, #2, required a long walk, but the compensations were privacy and magnificent views over a sandy cove. All told, our suite was one of the most delightful places we’ve had the pleasure of occupying in a very long time...
…The resort’s cleverly designed dining room has tables set in intimate niches in the limestone wall, as well as others by windows overlooking the ocean. Given the constraints of a remote location, the food is excellent with daily market menu augmented by one of appealing comfort food. Among the dishes we especially enjoyed were grilled squid with a chili dipping sauce, smoked abalone with soba noodles and shaved picked ginger and grilled locally caught snapper in a lime and ginger sauce...
…Southern Ocean Lodge is owned by Hayley and James Baillie, both of whom are committed environmentalists. As a result, solar panels are scattered around the grounds, the lodge has only a small plunge pool, and water is drawn from an underground well and has to be desalinated. Nonetheless, facilities include a terrific spa with idyllic treatment rooms overlooking the Southern Ocean...
…Southern Ocean Lodge was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip to Australia.”
For more information, contact:
Sue Herrick
Distinctive Destinations Downunder
995 Holly Court
Monteagle, TN 37356
Tel: (931) 924-5253
Fax: (931) 924-1866
Cell: (831) 588-1386
About Andrew Harper
Free of advertising since its inception in June 1979, Hideaway Report is a private monthly publication for sophisticated travelers. The selection of hotels, resorts and restaurants for inclusion in this publication is made on a completely independent basis, with Andrew Harper, Inc. paying full rate for all meals, lodging and related travel expenses. Andrew Harper and his editors travel incognito to write opinionated and unbiased travel reviews for a private membership service, which provides personalized travel-planning assistance, bespoke tours and valuable travel privileges to its members.
For more information about Andrew Harper, visit www.AndrewHarper.com.
Be sure to follow Mr. Harper on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AndrewHarperTravel and on Twitter at HarperTravel.
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