Southern Ocean Lodge — Hotel in Kangaroo Island

The Southern Ocean Lodge could be one of those emblematic hotels where all great travelers dream of staying at least once in their lives: isolated, on the edge of a cliff swept by the winds and waves coming in from Antarctica, its lengthy architecture gives it an undeniable charm, reinforced by a magnificent reconstruction after the dramatic fire that completely destroyed it. Comfort is absolute, and the decor sumptuous. The young naturalist guides are very committed to their work and show us around the island with passion.

But there you have it ...a magnificent lodge in an exceptional setting (with an equally 'exceptional' nightly rate) deserves the same level of service, which unfortunately we didn't find. If felt as that extra touch (of soul ?) was missing, the one that leaves an indelible memory of a hotel.

It all started at the gym ... where, on my way to a morning session, I discovered some particularly untidy and messy sports equipment (mats full of dust, floor covered in sand, lots of sweat stains from previous users on the treadmill if you must know ...). These things happen, I was not going to make a big fuss about it - even if it is quite annoying for a hotel of this caliber, usually there are wipes for everyone to clean up after themselves. So I hasten to gently point this out to the front desk, suggesting that they clean and put in a box of wipes. And just for the fun, I took a photo of the device. In the evening, when I get back to the room from dinner, I'm curious to see if it's all been taken care of. Well, guess what: the same stains in the same place! After taking a second picture, I sent a message to management via the website to report the incident. The next morning, just before check-out, I tell myself that this time they've cleaned up... Wrong ! (And still no box of wipes). I took a last photo because I thought my wife would not believe it. And several days after writing, I did not receive any reply from management!

And when it comes to stains, we were not at the end of our surprises. We discussed with other hotel guests about the restaurant waiters' outfits, some of which were covered in stains or simply had holes in them... That's what you get, for a room costing over 3,000 euros a night !

Add to this the uneven food served throughout the stay (the Sunday 'brunch' was a bit of a farce) and all of these are no longer 'details'.

Is management really interested in customer satisfaction or in something else: their wallets, maybe?

We stayed there for 3 nights : no one ever asked us if we were enjoying our stay ! There was no document left in our room to review our stay.

So we're going public, maybe we'll get some attention from them.

With the hotel 92% full, what's the point of worrying about such 'details'?

And I can already describe the response that will inevitably follow my review : 'we are sincerely sorry... this situation does not reflect the standards we have set ourselves... We will carry out an investigation and speak with the team... We note, however, that you found the S.O.L. magnificent and that our naturalist guides delighted you ... Give us another opportunity to prove...blah, blah, blah. '. Too late! In a hotel such as this one, you only get ONE chance to make a good first impression. (And even more so if you've been kindly alerted to a problem ... Because there will always be problems: it's how you deal with them which makes a...

Newly rebuilt and reopened in 2023 after the devastating fires in Kangaroo Island, the owners kept the same look and feel while also modernizing some elements of the property. We really liked the airy feel that the overall lodge provided, aided by large windows everywhere and the muted, off-white-themed tones. It really had a comforting vibe about it while still looking modern.||We stayed in the Osprey Suite, a one of a kind 156m² Suite at the far end of the corridor that connects the main rooms. This is the top category room save for the three pavilions (which weren't available at the time of our booking, unfortunately), and had separate dining area, a sunken living area and a bedroom. There was a two decks - one for seating and one that contained a plunge pool. For our 4-night stay, it was plenty spacious and a comfortable place to pass the time.||The drawback is the fact that room #1 is a few hundred feet away from the common areas, and it's a steep uphill climb to get there. You'll be cursing yourself every time you need to get back to the room to retrieve something you forgot! Another drawback is the bed comforter - it's really heavy... my wife sleeps facing up, and had some breathing issues due to the heaviness of the comforter. They should think about something lighter yet just as warm, like a down comforter. Also, the lodge does not provide toothbrushes in the room - no idea why they do that, given the rates they charge. On the plus side, they do provide very nice room slippers - we take our shoes off as soon as we get in the room, so this was a welcome amenity that seems to be something that all Asian properties seem to offer but few in the Western world do.||Food was decent but not great. Anyone staying for more than 2 nights might start getting bored with the repetition, especially for breakfast. At dinner, it's a 3-course affair, which might be fine for Africa but not here. They do, however have a "classic" menu for those not liking the selections from the daily offerings, but this doesn't change much and is similarly limited in choice.||Service was solid. Not Aman-style, but they adequately handled most requests. The wait staff energetically and patiently explained all aspects of each dish serving - I am known to ask a ton of questions - and if they didn't know it, they quickly went to the kitchen to find out. After all, when they serve me something that looks like a lobster but is called "Marron" in the menu, I want to know whether it's the Australian term for Lobster or if it's a different species... or perhaps the name they give to the ones caught near Kangaroo Island.||The local staff were cheerful, chatty and eager to please, while some of the temp staff were similarly enthusiastic but occasionally were limited in their capabilities. Regardless, we did not encounter any serious service hiccups, so overall the interactions with the hotel staff were a net positive.||Overall, if you would like to visit Kangaroo Island and want the best upmarket accommodation with a killer hard product and spectacular views, Southern Ocean Lodge stands alone. And in spite of their monopoly in this aspect, they do seem to try hard to ensure a...

They say you can never go back - and we were dubious, returning after a decade: could the rebuilt Lodge be as wonderful as we remembered?|We found that the Lodge itself has been reconstructed to match the original footprint - recognisably - but there also were also subtle improvements.|The young staff were wonderful and completely tireless in ensuring we had a fabulous time. We also felt their international team delivered the less formal style of service most Australians prefer perfectly. Some international visitors may expect more formality, but we felt every need was met without any fuss.|If anything I felt the wine selection was even better than on our previous visit; we enjoyed some of our favourite wines that were completely appropriate to our celebration dinners. I disagree with some other reviewers that European wines should be included in the offering; when I visit France or Italy or Argentina, I want to sample their wines and make new discoveries - so I felt it was entirely appropriate that local wines be showcased (with the exception of the champagne of course!) The KI wines are also really worth trying - surprisingly good.|The meals were also, in my opinion, at least as good as I recalled from our previous visit. The local Marron (something I was especially looking forward to) was simply fame grilled, which is my personal preference; delicious. The deconstructed cassoulet was 'last meal territory' for me. And having local Ligurian honey every morning at breakfast was worth abandoning all restraint for!|(A special thank you for getting my partner's infamously difficult coffee order just right consistently - something that has defeated barista's around the world!)|We were 3 sharing a Remarkable Suite (wonderful), but I would just like to address the plunge pool issue mentioned by some reviewers. As reviewed, the private plunge pool is 'warm' rather than hot. Like many, I like my hot tubs 'hot', however, I am also aware that while we slept, the local creatures were active - and I would not have wanted to awake to an animal that had fallen into hot water overnight... If you want heat, visit the sauna, which is part of the excellent gym - this was not a big issue for us.|Overall we felt the Baillie's have done a wonderful job of recreating their amazing Southern Ocean Lodge. It was everything we remembered: mesmerising views, a sense of absolute privacy paired with the opportunity to meet some interesting people, great excursions, wonderful food and wine, flawless, thoughtful service and a relaxed vibe. We were not disappointed - thank you...