About this hotel
General information
Capella Lodge sits above the tiny beach of Lovers Bay at the southern end of Lord Howe Island, beneath the twin peaks of Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird. The island, out in the Tasman Sea, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982; around three-quarters of it is protected national and marine park, a lagoon fringed by the world’s southernmost coral reef surrounds it, and no more than 400 visitors may stay at any one time.
James and Hayley Baillie opened the lodge in 2003 as their first property, and it now belongs to the Beckons collection. The architecture takes its cue from the Australian beach house — a high cantilevered roof, floor-to-ceiling glass, recycled timber floors, raw teak and linen, and Australian-designed furniture. With only nine suites the mood is intimate, and stays include breakfast, dinner, sunset drinks with canapés, an evening open bar, airport transfers and mountain bikes.
Location
Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, about 600 km off Australia’s east coast and a two-hour daily flight from Sydney, with further flights from Port Macquarie, Newcastle and the Gold Coast. The lodge meets every scheduled flight at Lord Howe Island Airport with a complimentary shared transfer.
Spa
The petite Capella Spa occupies an airy loft above the lodge, among kentia palms and facing Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird. It has a single treatment room and is reserved for in-house guests. Treatments use the Australian alkeme range; signatures include The Dreaming, a three-hour face and body journey, Ocean Song with exfoliation and a mud wrap, Capella Renewal, and Sacred Stone Therapy using warm local basalt.
Sports & leisure
Adult mountain bikes are complimentary, e-bikes and an electric buggy can be hired, and there is no gym. The lodge arranges the island’s walks and outings:
- hikes — the guided summit climb of Mount Gower, the banyan and kentia forests of the Valley of the Shadows, Little Island, the Goat House cave on Mount Lidgbird, Kim’s Lookout and Malabar, North Bay
- birdwatching with naturalist Ian Hutton, and a nine-hole golf course
- snorkelling and fish feeding at Ned’s Beach, a glass-bottom boat over the reef, a North Bay cruise with snorkelling around a wreck
- boat trips to Ball’s Pyramid, the world’s tallest sea stack, and scuba diving at more than 25 sites around the Admiralty Islands
- fishing for tuna, marlin and kingfish, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding
For children
Children aged ten and over are welcome. The two-bedroom, two-level Catalina Suite suits a small family or friends travelling together.
Restaurants & bars
The restaurant, glazed from floor to ceiling, cooks with local and regional produce — line-caught fish, greens from the lodge’s kitchen garden and the island, foraged coastal herbs. Dinner is a three-course menu that changes daily; lunch runs to dishes such as fish and chips, and the kitchen packs walkers’ lunches and barbecue kits for the beach. At 6pm the complimentary bar opens in Capella Bar, pouring Australian wines, top-shelf spirits, local beers and Lord Howe Island gin, while sunset drinks and canapés are served on Gowers Terrace.
Swimming
Gowers Terrace has a wet-edge plunge pool looking over Lovers Bay, and the lodge stands above the bay’s small secluded beach. White-sand beaches and the reef lagoon ring the island: Ned’s Beach is known for snorkelling, and turtles are often seen off Old Settlement Beach.
Rooms
Nine suites in five styles, from single-level rooms to lofts and pavilions with heated plunge pools. Light-filled interiors with custom furniture, artworks and floor-to-ceiling glass look out to the ocean, the lagoon or the mountains.
Every suite has a king bed, a private deck with a daybed, a bathroom with a rain shower fed by soft island rainwater, Capella Spa toiletries made with island botanicals and marine extracts, Bemboka towels, a selection of in-suite bar drinks and snacks, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Capella Suite
A single-level suite with a king or twin beds, a lounge and a deck with a daybed, with glimpses of ocean and mountains through the kentia palms. For one or two guests.
Lagoon Loft
A mezzanine loft with the king bedroom upstairs and a lounge below that converts to a single bed; the deck has a hot tub facing the reef-fringed lagoon. Up to three guests.
Catalina Suite
A two-level suite with two bedrooms (an upstairs king with a Juliet balcony and a downstairs king or twin), two bathrooms, a fireplace and a deck across both levels with a hot tub. Up to four guests.
Makambo Loft
A nautically inspired loft with an upstairs king bedroom, an open fireplace and daybeds in the lounge below, a heated plunge pool, a cabana-style outdoor shower and views of Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird; a premium in-suite bar and two e-bikes are included. Up to four guests.
Lidgbird Pavilion
A two-level pavilion with an upstairs bedroom, a lounge with fireplace, wraparound verandahs, a heated plunge pool, an outdoor bathtub beneath a frangipani tree and a reserved electric buggy. Up to three guests.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.