Pepper's Bloomfield Lodge
What is it and where? Nature's oxygen bar: the perfect antidote to smoggy Hong Kong. Nestled in the pristine rainforest of far north Queensland, Pepper's Bloomfield Lodge caters to a maximum of 34 guests. This is where Unesco World Heritage sites the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef meet.
How do you reach it? The adventure begins at Cairns International Airport, where guests board a 12-seater turboprop plane for a 30-minute flight north along a spectacular coastline to a runway carved into the bush. From there, it's a short drive along a dusty outback track to the crocodile-crammed Bloomfield River, where guests are transferred to a launch for the 15-minute ride to a sheltered bay on the Coral Sea.
What's included? Three memorable meals a day, a river cruise, guided rainforest walks and fishing equipment for those wanting to drop a line from the pier as they enjoy a sundowner. Accommodation is in a range of luxury timber cabins, each with a verandah that commands spectacular sunset views across Weary Bay.
What's on the menu? Innovative creations using the best ingredients prepared to perfection. The food is five-star all the way and one of the lodge's major highlights. The menu changes daily, but invariably includes the freshest seafood and the finest cuts of meat, served barbecue style or in the alfresco dining area.
What else is there to do? There is a range of activities on offer, although they don't come cheap. From day trips to see Aboriginal paintings (A$225/$1,310) to a ride on the resort's private yacht out to the Great Barrier Reef (A$215 upwards), there is plenty to keep guests entertained. But with so much natural beauty around, this is the perfect place to go for a long bush walk, enjoy an old-fashioned picnic (provided by the kitchen) on a deserted beach, read a book or just listen to the birds sing.
Exactly how special is it? The cabins are delightful, the staff exceptionally friendly and helpful, the food excellent, the area remote and unspoiled, and - best of all - the air is pure.
