6 Best Hotels in Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Set high in the Otway Ranges overlooking the Great Ocean Road and the sea, this is a wonderful place to dine or bed down for the night. The elevated accommodations among the eucalyptus trees have uninterrupted ocean views from floor-to-ceiling windows and timber balconies. The studios can accommodate four people. The restaurant draws people from all over the region for modern Mediterranean cuisine, with a Greek touch.

Set in manicured gardens with lavender-lined walkways, these five attractive sandstone-and-cedar cottages look over the Newfield Valley. Inside, the spacious accommodations have comfortable couches, wooden furnishings, gas log fires, TVs, and CD players; most have air-conditioning and DVD players. (DVDs can be rented from reception.) Luxury suites with hot tubs and deluxe self-contained cabins are also available. Three- or four-night minimum stays are required in both cabins and cottages over Christmas and Easter, and during long weekends.

You can fall asleep listening to waves rolling ashore at this huge complex on 12 acres near the water's edge in Lorne. Choose from a standard room or the self-contained one- or two- bedroom apartments, which have their own kitchen and laundry. Most have nice touches like hot tubs, and all have garden or sea views and direct path access to the beach. There is a stylish restaurant and bar, as well as a good day spa. Despite its size, it's very popular, so book in advance.

One of Victoria's oldest inns, this beautifully restored 1841 Georgian-style building overlooks Port Fairy's working wharf from King George Square. The locally sourced seasonal dishes on the daily changing menu may include ingredients like fresh-off-the-trawler seafood, bacon and pork from nearby Greenvale Farm, buffalo cheese from Shaw River, and organic apple juice from a local heritage orchard. The restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday and serves dinner only. Accommodations are a mix of its popular ground-floor queen suites with snug sitting rooms and iPod docking stations and the cheaper storybook attic bedrooms. The roaring fireplaces are perfect for whiling away the hours with a good book. Breakfast is served in the light-filled conservatory with views of the charming cottage garden.

With an absolute waterfront location, overlooking a marina of yachts, this hotel gives French provincial style an Australian edge. There's a grand staircase straight out of Gone With the Wind and an inviting downstairs sitting room with open fire. Each room is individually decorated—some in stripes, others in florals. There are various communal lounges, which are decorated with regional artworks, and have open fireplaces and plush armchairs in which to curl up on wintry days. Gourmet breakfasts include caramelized banana hotcakes and tomato bruschetta with basil butter. If the weather allows, breakfast is served on the lovely veranda overlooking the river.

Ideally situated on the edge of Port Campbell National Park, within short walking distance of the town center and beach, these villas are stylishly furnished and fitted with polished wood floors, picture windows, and high ceilings. Each unit has three bedrooms, one of which is upstairs, as well as a scenic deck. One villa accommodates two to six people.