Halcyon House: How two sisters turned a ’60s motel into one of Australia’s most luxurious locations
It was a gamble sisters Elisha and Shiobhan Bickle knew could go one of two ways — and everyone said they were mad to make.
It was a gamble Queensland sisters Elisha and Shiobhan Bickle knew could go one of two ways.
A “crazy” decision that turned into a massive profit or a $2 million motel that would tarnish their family’s reputation in the world of real estate and hospitality.
But the pair have gone against the odds, turning a “60s surfing motel” charging $60 a night into what’s been dubbed one of the most luxurious havens in Australia – a minimum of $600 for a night of luxury on the sandy shores of Cabarita Beach.
In 2011, the young mums came across the beaten and battered Hideaway Motel that brought in a clientele of mostly backpackers, surfers and roadtrippers looking for a cheap pit stop in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
The listing was rundown and in desperate need of a facelift – but the potential was second to none.
“We decided to buy it because we loved the area of Cabarita so much,” Elisha told news.com.au.
“We had been holidaying in the area for years, and we had a beach house just north in Kingscliff, so we knew the area well.
“When the motel came up for sale, we bought it for personal reasons. Basically, a place for all the family to stay.
“But ideas started growing, and we started to see how it could be a beautiful luxury beach resort instead.”
Elisha, a mum-of-four, said when she and Shiobhan signed on the dotted line and settled on the motel, the idea of transforming the 15 rooms into a luxury sanctuary that would rival some of the best resorts in the country continued to grow.
“We kept working on that idea and dream,” she explained. “It was a big risk, and we had a lot of people in the industry saying we were crazy to do it.
“The motel is in a regional area, and to an extent we agreed and understood their concerns about what we wanted to do. But the passion and belief won us over in the end. Heart won over the head you could say.”
Sitting on the shores of what has been named the best beach in Australia for 2019, the sisters joined forces with architect Virginia Kerridge and interior designer Anna Spiro on the mammoth five-year project of turning the Hideaway Motel into Halcyon House.
As their highest-profile project to date, the now 22-room boutique hotel maintains the bones of being a laid-back seaside escape with a “Hamptons-style” lap of luxury from the moment you roll into reception.
The five-year transformation was no easy feat, especially finding the right balance between old and new.
“Basically, we wanted to create a place where people feel like they’re reliving their old family holiday by the beach but getting looked after as well,” she explained of their vision.
“It was really good to be challenged by people who said we shouldn’t do it. It made us reassess and improve on our concept, pushing us to grow as our idea grew.
“I think what we got right was building something that filled a gap in the market. A hotel that’s relaxed luxury but not pretentious. We didn’t go for modern architecture. We wanted guests to feel like they are in a beach home.”
Opening in 2015, the resort’s facelift focused on a predominantly blue and white palette, with coastal wooden floorboards and tastefully chosen oil paintings throughout each room and communal space.
As each room has a different layout and decor, each stay is somewhat different to the last. Sitting between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, the resort had to stand out against the two popular holiday destinations, Elisha said.
“We thought a major airport like Coolangatta would be an opportunity for people flying in from places like Sydney and Melbourne, as we are just a 20-minute drive away,” she explained.
“We are competing with places like Byron Bay and Noosa, but I think we offer guests something different. People appreciate getting to an escape like this but being so close by.”
This year, Halcyon House was recognised in the top five hotels in Australia with the Conde Nast Traveller 2019 Readers’ Choice Award.
The award, the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry, is commonly referred to as “the best of the best of travel”.
Elisha said the sleepy location of Cabarita Beach, along with the property’s famed interiors of one-off lights and antiques and rich fabric upholstered walls, make Halcyon House an Instagrammer’s dream. But for the sisters, the real jewel in the crown has been the creation of the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, Paper Daisy.
“Paper Daisy was a key focus for us and a real challenge in the beginning,” Elisha explained. “We knew we needed excellent food quality to hit the mark and bring people to the hotel, and at the time when we got the motel there was nowhere decent in Cabarita Beach.
“We knew we had to provide that quality and that became a challenge to get a chef. But our chef Jason Barrett has been amazing and brought his own fresh ideas and something that we can really focus on for our guests.”
Attracting a range of demographics, the hotel has been a standout with international visitors, Elisha said.
“While the guests are really mixed, we have a lot of international visitors and that is growing,” she explained.
“But we also have a lot of babymoons and honeymoons.
“This is a true Australian beach experience … authentic without being pretentious.”
This writer stayed as a guest of Halcyon House