There are three elements to a good Australian luxury vacation: comfortable lodgings, the best of the nation’s unique food and enjoyable activities for everyone involved. All three are quite astoundingly on display at the first-class, award-winning Cape Lodge at Margaret River.

The awards won by this fine establishment certainly are impressive. It was voted in the top 100 hotels in the world for 2010 and was named the best boutique hotel in Australia as well as one of the world’s top 20 vineyard hotels. All of these recognitions are well-deserved for a number of excellent reasons Cape Lodge is only too happy to demonstrate.

Set amid amazing and stunning local scenery, the lodge has easy access to coasts along the Indian Ocean including some of the world’s best beaches and swimming waters. Some of the great Margaret River wine country estates border the lodge as well, and often play host to tours and wine tastings for the numerous guests at this excellent retreat.

The lodgings are suitably decadent. First-class furnishings, spacious arrangements, private patios with grand views — there is nothing out of the reach of Cape Lodge visitors. Also on hand is a first-class restaurant with an outstanding selection of local foods, including vegetarian and organic options, and the wines Margaret River is justly famed worldwide for. Further, a group of up to five couples can also secure the Cape Lodge Residence, a house set aside for just such large gatherings that want close access to one another, but privacy from others.

Activities abound, be it for those eager to set out into the countryside or those guests looking to stay close to their lodgings. A nearby horse ranch offers riding lessons and tours, while two nearby golf courses are available for those who book ahead. But perhaps the best attraction is the lodge’s very own cooking school. If guests find the food to their liking, they can attend classes and learn the arts of Australian cuisine for a chance to take home some of this wonderful vacation with them.

The benefit of an Australian vacation package is that it often allows for several attractions to be combined into one, all-you-can-see extravaganza. For example, some such packages tend to include tours and sightseeing, while also occurring during one of Australia’s wonderful festivals. Some of these, such as Australia Day in Sydney Harbour, tend to be well-known and exciting. But events like the Margaret River Wine Festival are almost a regional secret, and can be a surprising delight for those in the know.

Margaret River is the sort of location that easily combines with a tour package. It can be reached via a four-hour car journey from Perth, which allows for the opportunity to have a luxury driving tour of the countryside between the cities, or by a helicopter journey that lasts a little over an hour — and which affords a splendid view of the varied and breathtaking terrain below.

Once there, guests can partake in the Vintage Vibe Street Fiesta, a party where the locals and growers cut loose to inaugurate the fun. There’s the downhill wine barrel race, to be observed from the safe corners of cafés and bistros. There are growers and sellers offering samples of their wares. They’re always eager to chat and boast about the advantages of the region’s unique growing culture for their winemaking.

In the evening, the city classes out as only a winegrowing town can. There are auctions for fine art and rare vintages, an elegant ball and reception to dress up and mingle at and cabaret shows to take in while sampling still more of the local grown offerings. Then there’s the day out at the Vintage Festival, a bazaar-style gathering of sellers and buyers, where guests can roam, taste, mingle and chat as they please.

With something available for everyone, and where even the journey to the city is a rewarding experience, Margaret River’s festival is an event to consider when planning that next luxury trip down under.

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