The 1 Best Australia Luxury Hotel

The Best of Australia: Bondi and the Barrier Reef

Sydney doesn't ease you in. One of the first things you'll see is a harbor so theatrical it almost feels fake, and within twenty minutes you could find yourself somewhere you've seen in pictures your whole life wondering why you waited so long. Bondi Beach is only 40 minutes from downtown Sydney and a world away from resort beach culture. The two-kilometer arc of sand has its own economy and a six-kilometer coastal walk to Coogee Beach that most visitors never know about.

That walk alone separates a good Sydney trip from a great one. It traces sandstone headlands past four more beaches before ending at an ocean pool carved directly into the rock by the sea. The best luxury resorts in Australia understand that Sydney is the entry point, but not the final destination.

Fly north to Queensland and you'll find what seems to be a different country altogether. The Great Barrier Reef goes on for 1,400 miles along the coast and holds over 2,900 reefs. Most travelers reach it by liveaboard charter out of Cairns or Port Douglas, spending two to three days anchored above the outer reef, snorkeling at the surface or diving the walls if certified.