Baillie Lodges buys Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Luxury lodge owner and operator Baillie Lodges has made its first offshore acquisition.

Baillie Lodges has bought Clayoquot Wilderness Resort on Vancouver Island.

Luxury lodge owner and operator Baillie Lodges has made its first offshore acquisition, adding Vancouver Island’s acclaimed luxury camp Clayoquot Wilderness Resort to its portfolio of four Australian properties.

The announcement comes as Baillie Lodges’ partnership with US-based KSL Capital Partners nears its third year, and the proposed renovation of its Silky Oaks Lodge in north Queensland nears completion.

Baillie Lodges’ Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island in South Australia was burnt to the ground earlier this year, but the company is hoping to commence reconstruction of the $40m property by mid-2021 with an opening late in 2022 or early 2023.

An outdoor spa at an Waterfront ensuite luxury tent at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort.

Baillie Lodges founder James Baillie said that while he had received support from the South Australian government, the biggest impediment was the “insurability” of the luxury property.

“It’s both the cost and the ability to get insurance in these bushfire-prone areas,” Mr Baillie said.

Offshore, Baillie Lodges is also awaiting New Zealand government approval to add the luxury Huka Lodge to its coterie of resort properties.

KSL Capital Partners acquired Huka Lodge in January but the purchase is still subject to consent from New Zealand’s Overseas Investment Office.

Meanwhile, on Vancouver Island, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, which is accessible only by seaplane, helicopter or boat, is about to undergo a renovation.

The retreat features 25 luxury tents each with views of the sound.

It offers access to horse riding, whale and bear-spotting, canyoning and scenic helicopter flights.

Hayley and James Baillie at their home at Avalon, Sydney. Picture: John Feder

The resort will be renamed Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge to align it with its Baillie Lodges sister properties in Australia, Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, Longitude 131° at Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest.

Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge will reopen for its 2021 season on May 13 and operate through until September 30.

Ahead of the season launch, the property will undergo an interior refurbishment.

On Friday, Mr Baillie said the addition of Clayoquot to the Baillie Lodges collection was a significant step in the company’s growth.

KSL Capital Partners entered into a joint venture partnership with James and Hayley Baillie in 2018, with the aim to further expand the Baillie Lodges’ unique collection of luxury lodges particularly overseas.