The Calile Hotel

Brisbane, Australia

Marketing itself as Australia’s first urban resort, The Calile is an aesthete’s sub-tropical fantasy. Its pastel-coloured haze of pink, blue and green marble with cork flooring and geometric industrial facade wouldn’t look out of place in Palm Springs, yet its arrival in the heart of Brisbane has led the regeneration of once down-and-out Fortitude Valley. It’s hard to picture, but the blindingly bright-white art deco beacon sits atop a former concrete graveyard for abandoned cars and graffiti art. It’s unbelievably photogenic, yet doesn’t suffer from the same curse as many contemporary hotels of appearing to have been designed ‘for social media’. Though, we have to admit, the ice-cream-parlour vibes of pistachio-coloured parasols that flank the bubble-gum-blue pool do make for a killer snap. No shot, however, could capture the chatter of the rainbow-coloured lorikeets that swoop down between the cabanas to drink from the pool, nor the easy charm of the staff, who appear to have sashayed straight out of the pages of Vogue in their linen aprons and candyfloss chinos. Rooms are as functional as they are faultless: bathrooms are enormous and stocked with botanical Grown Alchemist beauty products, mini-bars come filled Australian vino, Dello Mano brownies and chocolate-coated blueberries, and windows have motorised sun-blocking blackout blinds. A steaming hot shower, hearty supper session and uninterrupted hours of dozing prove the key to beating jet lag. Alongside its design-driven details (showcasing brassy accents, speckled-marble tables and peach-sorbet colour pops), it really does deliver on the basics. One of the nicest things about The Calile is its typically Aussie egalitarianism, for which the community has clearly embraced it warmly. A modish fitness centre with oakwood lockers and calves’ leather boxing bags is filled with chirpy locals high-fiving each other as they work their way through a class, while Hellenika, the poolside restaurant, is buzzing all day with the city’s beautiful people – all sporting the signature Brizzy uniform of wide-brimmed floppy hats and designer oversized shades. Kingfish sashimi followed by quite simply the best Greek salad we’ve ever had outside the motherland is just the thing to round off a thoroughly chic experience with style.

Words by Imogen Lepere.

Doubles from £124. thecalilehotel.com