A five-star home away from home on Australia’s most exclusive island

The accommodation

Island House, Lord Howe Island

Check-in

Like a private luxury home – with all the best bits about hotel.

Lord Howe Island, with its turquoise waters, volcanic outcrops, lush vegetation and boisterous abundance of bird and sea life, sets a high bar. So when Tim Maxwell and his father, Michael, set out to replace their block of 1970s flats near fish-frenzied Ned’s Beach, they took years debating how to best use the island’s unique beauty, time-worn solidity and ongoing sustainability as a template. The result is Island House – really two houses, North and South – a built-to-last getaway for friends or family groups who value connection to people and nature, good food, art, books and music.

The look

North House lounge and deck… the house is a showcase for artworks that change regularly.

Brooding island icon Mount Gower is not going anywhere; neither is architect-designed Island House, thanks to its hardwood and copper construction, oak-lined interiors, Italian marble, wide floorboards and four-metre ceilings. The agony and eventual ecstasy of a four-year build, which started in 2016 and tackled distance, storms, windswept barges, post-pandemic shortages and well-meaning suggestions to try-it-the-easier-way, reinforced the Maxwells’ determination to build this property once and once only. The result is a private retreat that appears to have grown out of the island alongside ancient banyans and kentia palms.

Both two-bedroom houses offer chef’s kitchens and bars, Cheminees Philippe fireplaces, ceiling fans and extensive decks. Light-filled interiors are dressed with mid-century Danish furniture, Japanese ceramics and an eclectic mix of books, music, and Indigenous and other paintings and sculptures. A deck/dining area straddling the two properties acts as a communal space if, or when, the pavilion-style houses want to get together.

The room

Bath time… Island House.

Our North House bedroom – more like a suite – has a king bed, leather armchair and dressing area. A double wardrobe houses slippers, robes, a beach bag, iron and ironing board, hairdryer and yoga mats plus plenty of hanging space. A striking wooden sculpture adorns a wall and a skylight offers stargazing opportunities. The en suite bathroom has twin vanities, separate toilet, and a rainshower facing a private garden. Grown Alchemist toiletries are complemented by cute Bamkiki toothbrushes and retro Marvis toothpaste. The standout? The covered private deck with copper bath: an all-skies, forest-edged bolthole best enjoyed with bubbles and a book.

Food + drink

Kitchen-dining area, North House.

Every mod-con is at our disposal in our kitchen, as are the contents of the fridge and pantry: sourdough, bacon, local eggs, ham, yoghurt, juice, Island kombucha, cereals, smoked salmon, cheeses, Pepe Saya butter, anchovies, chips, pasta, chocolate, biscuits, ice-cream… There’s an eight-seat dining table, a full bar with wines, beer and spirits and a coffee machine. But all this is a mere add-on to the real deal.

Private chef Kimie Uemoto prepares locally sourced seafood using Japanese culinary techniques.

Guests are quizzed on food preferences pre-arrival so onsite chef Kimie Uemoto can whip up a gourmet three-course dinner one night with fresh garden produce and perhaps local fish, then bring you a basket of pre-prepared goods and a recipe for a DIY meal the next. (Ours is a soba noodle salad with prawns that come deveined, ready to barbecue). Add sundowner cocktails mixed by barman Alex, picnic lunches, barbecue packs, and a trip to Lord Howe Island Brewery for wood-fired pizza and local ales, and it won’t be your baggage busting the scales on the flight home.

Out + about

Instant picnic… emerge from the water to find a feast by the shoreline.

We’re riding a rapid current, whizzing past bulging corals, balloons of spangly fish and friendly (so-we’re-told) galapagos sharks, before breathlessly reboarding a glass-bottomed boat that delivers us to our snug ride home. The day before, we emerge from a swim with bumper-to-bumper fish on Ned’s Beach to find blankets and cushions have appeared on the lawn opposite, next to a table laden with a charcuterie board, sandwiches, fruit, chilled drinks, sunscreen – even a deck of cards. An on-site manager makes adventuring as easy as lazing on a sunny deck, curating your stay before arrival and making bookings with outside operators (snorkelling, hiking, fishing, diving) if requested. The eight-hour Mount Gower trek, complete with rope-assisted climbs, summons dizzying views and bragging rights; tamer pursuits include a walk among ancient trees in the Valley of the Shadows; a visit to the laid-back brewery and lush nursery; or nabbing a surfboard, kayak or fishing gear from the house adventure room.

Chef Kimie Uemoto picks produce from the nursery.

The verdict

It doesn’t take long after arrival for secluded Island House to become a home, albeit one with on-tap gourmet food and drinks and beautiful things to look at, read, do and listen to. The house/hotel concept means you, and those you’ve run away with, can totally relax – dabble in the kitchen, sprawl on a deck, laze in a tub, have food and drinks replenished and rooms serviced – with no need to share dining rooms or small talk with strangers. A deeply private getaway that’s a feast for the senses.

The essentials

Island House Signature Experience including a daily chef-prepared meal; local transfers, all food and alcohol; use of outdoor gear, and internet from a nightly rate of $8660 for up to eight guests. 92 Anderson Road, Lord Howe Island. See islandhouse.com.au

Our rating out of five

★★★★★

Highlight

From the instant beach picnic, to the unobtrusive twice-daily cleaning, to the sudden appearance of a cocktail on request, the on-site team has mastered the art of smooth – aka secret - service.

Lowlight

Our baggage – at least, we’re told it’s the baggage – is initially deemed too heavy for the flight home after we’re weighed together, causing a few anxious moments.

The writer stayed as a guest of Island House.