Sun Ranch

Welcome to Sun Ranch, the “hotel of good times” in lush hinterland skirting Byron Bay. With an eclectic clutch of rooms and a shimmering 25-metre basalt pool, it’s one of the coolest stays in the country. Choose from five spacious adults-only guest rooms adjoining the main lodge, or the six two-bedroom barns cresting a nearby hill, which you can fang up on e-bike.

The luxe lodging has a range of reference points – including 1970s California, a ranch in Montana, a motel in Ojai and a high-end brutalist hotel in Oaxaca – courtesy of long-time friends: hotelier Julia Ashwood (of The Vista) and former creative director and founder of One Teaspoon, Jamie Blakey. The spaces are filled with one-off vintage pieces from their travels through the Americas.

Saunter to yoga, followed by The Pool Club, where straw-fringed umbrellas offer shade across brushed concrete steps. Or congregate in The Field House, the al fresco communal dining area with an open Argentinian firepit and a kitchen garden. On request, fire-licked feasts can be prepared and served for up to 50.

Hightail it to the floating cedar-lined sauna with a stellar view – or you can take a trot. Zephyr Horses are stabled on-site, and trail rides can be booked ahead of time – just like in-room massages, cacao ceremonies, sound healings and star-chart readings.

There’s even a 7am “Good Morning, Hot Muffin!” service (a just-baked muffin wrapped in a bandanna and left in a cowboy hat at your doorstep), and a breakfast bounty of fresh fruit, bread, eggs, cheese, smoked fish and a pickle-heavy line-up of house condiments.