Best Australian Boutique Accommodation

Tired of feeling like just a 'head on a bed'at your usual hotel chain? Want your lodgings to be as atmospheric as your destination? Then be unique and go boutique - Australian style!

Nowhere are you more likely to find a broader, or more exciting, range of boutique accommodations than in the cities and rural climes around Oz.

From urban eclectic to historic romantic, these are ten of Australia's best boutique accommodations:

THE ESTABLISHMENT, SYDNEY
This 35-room luxury escape in Sydney's downtown combines a six-storey tower with the conservation and adaptive reuse of an 1892 historic building. A stylish, contemporary and elegant property, it feels more like an ultra-hip, grand, exclusive residence than a hotel.

HATHERLEY HOUSE, LAUNCESTON
Built in 1823, Hatherley House has been transformed from a two-storey Victorian residence into a nine-suite luxury boutique hotel. Set in a parkland setting and listed on the National Register, the hotel has soaring ceilings, elaborately carved fireplaces and a substantial collection of exotic original works by Tasmanian and international artists.

LYALL HOTEL, MELBOURNE
This is Melbourne's newest all-suite, boutique property with textured finishes and opulent fabrics that capture a contemporary oriental mood. The hotel combines all the latest facilities and services of a five-star city hotel and the personalized attention of an exclusive resort. Each floor boasts a mini art gallery where guests can lounge by an open fire.

THORNGROVE MANOR HOTEL, ADELAIDE HILLS
Experience castle grandeur in this Small Luxury Hotels accredited property in the Adelaide Hills. The flamboyant exterior turrets and towers match the interior rooms furnished with elegance and unique design. Dining and luxury surpasses a five star rating.

THE BEACHOUSES, QUEENSLAND
Unwind in paradise and seclusion on two acres of absolute beach frontage on exclusive Bedarra Island or overlook the crystal warm waters of the Coral Sea, surrounded by tropical rainforest at Oak Beach. Contemporary Hotel's beach house collection offer private, luxurious, contemporary accommodation, ideal for the ultimate beach escape.

THE LOST CAMEL, CENTRAL AUSTRALIA
With an interesting mix of a contemporary Aboriginal and urban themes, The Lost Camel is a boutique accommodation alternative to the usual resort rooms found at Ayers Rock Resort in Australia's Red Centre. The 99 rooms are furnished in bright, contrasting colours mixing traditional old world with modern city style through the use of framed Aboriginal snapshots on the wall.

THE MEDUSA, SYDNEY
This property is located in a late 19th Century grand heritage mansion converted into a contempory boutique hotel. Its 18 gorgeous rooms, of which no two are the same, The Medusa is a chic boutique hotel in Sydney's trendy inner eastern suburbs.

THE PRINCE, MELBOURNE
A former 1860's watering hole, The Prince has been restored to 1930's charm, making the most of its magnificently preserved art deco exterior and original fixtures. With views of Port Phillip Bay and located in the heart of buzzing St Kilda, this is a truly innovative and creative property offering elegance with a contemporary spin. With 40 rooms the property is also home to Aurora day spa, Mink vodka bar and the modern French restaurant Circa.

MOORILLA ESTATE, HOBART
Perched on a cliff, overlooking Hobart, stay in one of four contemporary chalets amongst the vines of this famous Tasmanian winery. The accommodation is private, indulgent and generous in space, light and elegance. Each chalet is outfitted with artefacts from the onsite antiquities museum and boasts a private wine cellar.

PEPPERS HIDDEN VALE, LOCKYER VALLEY
Situated on a huge cattle station about a one hour drive from Brisbane. Peppers Hidden Vale is located in the Great Dividing Range, the biggest mountain range in Australia. Guests get to enjoy comforts of luxury accommodation, in a property that is both modern while maintaining elegance from the past.