Mollymook

All we can see is sea. We woke to the sound of waves lapping gently at our earlobes, after arriving in pitch-black following a Friday night bolt from Sydney and a quick collapse into the king-size bed. Now the sun is up and so are spirits because we've pulled back the curtains and are looking out onto a 210-degree view of nothing but Pacific Ocean. Any closer and we'd be swimming.

Bannisters Lodge was originally built in the 1970s as a stock-standard L-shaped motel on the edge of a cliff. But the owners have developed it into a luxury boutique hotel with suites so bling - all spa baths and gigantic beds and plasma screens and badass stereos - they look like the set of a Snoop Dogg video. As such, it's fully equipped to cater to your every whim -  a perfect spot to recharge the batteries.

We'd actually booked Bannisters months before on the tip-off of some friends who'd raved about it. They have decadent taste. As does whoever designed the lodge's 31 rooms.

The decking around the pool area is a suntrap and windbreak, even at this time of year. It was an unseasonable treat to lie on a lounger and have a waiter bring us a cocktail from the bar. Then we borrowed a couple of bikes and freewheeled down to the beach for a fresh, blustery walk along the sand before repairing to the RSL for a restorative hot chocolate. After trudging back up the hill we were ready for dinner...

Where to eat

You don't need to leave the premises if you don't want to - and to be frank, when you see the Bannisters Restaurant & Lounge menu you probably won't want to.

It won South Coast Restaurant of 2007 and serves up fancy-pants mod-Oz food such as crispy skin snapper or a winter-warming slow-roasted duck. Make sure you leave room for crème brulee with rhubarb torte. Head chef Nathan Darling knows his onions, having worked at Otto on Woolloomooloo Wharf for four years. If you can get there mid-week during winter, he's doing three courses for a bargain $55. If you want something a little simpler, the poolside bar has agreat selection of gourmet pizzas and salads.

Rick Stein at Bannisters is opening 1 October 2009.

For lunch, head toCupitt's Winery in nearby Milton for Italian-inspired food that pairs beautifully with both their wide range of wine and the spectacular setting.

If time isn't a crucial factor and you fancy breaking up your journey home, head back north along the coast for half an hour until you get to Jervis Bay. Hyams Beach General Store is an unexpectedly impressive café/restaurant adjacent to the famous blindingly white beach.

What to do

Get married. Bannisters is very well set up for weddings and you couldn't hope for a more romantic setting for both the ceremony and the reception, with penthouse bridal suite on hand for some Mollymook nookie. They've also got a day spa on site to massage away the pent-up stresses of the city with a vast array of treatments starting from $55 for a foot rub up to $485 for a full-day package with the works, including lunch.

Getting there

Head out of town on the Princes Highway. Drive south for three hours at which point you'll hopefully be in Milton. Go left a bit to Mollymook until you hit the sea. You're there! Easy.

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