Please give me any suggestions for these. My husband and I are rugged but we like to be pampered at the end of the day. We enjoy fine food and wine. We also like to be close to areas with wildlife viewing in natural settings.

Thanks!

Can you please narrow this down to at least some of the places you want to go to.
Otherwise I presume you want the GBR - then the answer is Lizard Island or Bedarra in the top 10 in world
Gold Coast - Versace Hotel a 6*
Sydney... Park Hyatt
But then there is the wonderful Cattle Station in the Kimberleys which is fantastic but................ ??

Hi, Shari!

If money is absolutely no object, then in Sydney I would go for the Park Hyatt.... make sure you ask for a view of Fort Denison.... or the Quay Grand (it's right near the Opera House) or maybe the Quay West (apartments, with a high view). Other possibilities might be the Marriott at Circular Quay or the Shangri-La, but only if they can guarantee you a great view (some of their rooms are not so hot).

Having just returned from the Kimberley and Broome - I would have to say El Questro Homestead and Cable Beach Club!

Hello

There is a wonderful company in the Sth Island which will show you NZ as it seldom gets seen.
Sensationz will personalize a tour for you, taking you into areas to view wildlife & scenery that other companies just don't offer
Accomodation is luxury, exclusive and stunning! You will get thoroughly pampered.
This tour company comes highly recommended by the NZ Tourism board and customers alike. It is a very personalized service with delightful guides. (I don't think you * have* to use a guide)
www.sensationz.co.nz

thanks so much!

shari. my husband and i just returned from 3 wonderful weeks in nz. we ended our trip in a little luxury after roughing it for most of our journey. we stayed at the duxton hotel in wellington on the club level. we were treated to a lovely continental breakfast buffet each morning and received lovely treats each evening. we felt pampered. in nelson, we also spent one night at the honest lawyer pub & accomodations. it was a very nice room on the monaco penninsula. have a wonderful time.

I think the park hyatt is a bit over rated and not worth the significant extra cost. It has a very very tiny pool and since the introduction of the bridge climb it is probably the least private pool in Sydney.

I'd plumo for either the Shangri La, Four Seasons, or Observatory Hotel.

We stayed at the Westin in Sydney and enjoyed it very much. Beautiful room with a view and good location. They were very helpful with restaurants and the sights. It used to be the old post office. We also went to Sheraton on the Park and thought it was very nice. There are many good restaurants.

Hi Shari,

If you are by any chance around the Byron Bay area then you would have to look long and hard to go past Rae's On Watego for luxury accommodation. The link for Rae's is below, check it out and you will see what I mean:

http://www.raes.com.au/intro.htm

Cheers

Paul_S

For New Zealand, I would have a look at http://www.lodgesofnz.co.nz/

For accomm in Sydney, you might want to consider the Intercontinental near the Harbour. Club rooms are very nice and the new Club Lounge offers a most spectacular panoramic view of the entire harbour area including the bridge, Opera House and Botanical gardens. Possibly one of the best views available. Also Club Lounge ammenities were wonderful and for us the service, food etc. in the hotel was top notch.

I am looking into all of these. thanks!

Hi Shari,

I just remembered another luxury B&B in the Adelaide Hills called Thorngrove Manor. Check the link below to see what they offer. Not your usual B&B by any means.

http://babs.com.au/thorngrove/index.htm

Cheers

Paul_S

In Australia, Hayman Island gets my vote, as does the Four Seasons in Sydney, although the Park Hyatt is very nice as well. I have always wanted to go to Huka Lodge on the North Island in New Zealand.

A good source for non-chain luxury hotels are Leading Hotels of the World (lhw.com) and Small Luxury Hotels of the World (slh.com) You can search by country and city. I have never been disappointed with any hotel in either group.

Also, some places like Mount Cook are definitely worth a visit although the hotel at the mountain base is not a luxury hotel but if perfectly fine. I wouldn?t miss that view for anything though, and the small plane trip landing on the glacier is great as well.

Our family of four (kida ages 21 & 18) traveled for 3 weeks last winter n austrailia & NZ. We did a bit of luxury along the way. In sydney, we loved the four seasons. Great location (better views that the Park Hyatt). Ask for a room with a view of the bridge. For total pampering and unbelievable service not to mention the fantastic snokeling go to Lizard Island. unbelievable is the only word for that magical island.