TASTE+TRAVEL
J A C K A L O P E H O T E LW
inery hotels.
Historically
they’re the
reserve
of frisky
new(ish)
couples or professional alcoholics.
Yet an hour (and a bit) south of
Melbourne, on the Mornington
Peninsula, sits a vineyard property
that’s quickly rewriting things.
The 46-room Jackalope Hotel
is on the grounds of Willow
Creek Vineyard, and while
it only opened its burnt-black
cedar doors in April, already it’s
become a place synonymous with architectural
beauty and luxurious weekends away.
Framed by plush countryside, the winding
driveway opens out to a circular courtyard
showcasing an impressive seven-metre-tall
sculpture, from Melbourne artist Emily Floyd,
of a jackalope – an antlered jackrabbit creature
plucked from North American mythology.
The brainchild of 28-year-old Louis Li, the
hotel’s vision combines personal passions for art
and food with design and folklore. The perfectly
manicured grounds appear more printed than
grown while the black 30-metre infinity pool
adds to the sheer class of the place.
It’s not simply the hotel’s looks, and damn does
she look fine, that marks this place as a must – the
menus add to the impressive levels of luxe.
The flagship restaurant, Doot Doot Doot (really), helmed by chef Guy
Stanaway, offers a four-course à la carte menu or an eight-course dégustation
sitting – all built on various seasonal offerings (think oysters, venison, beef
cheeks and beyond). All this served under the most dramatic restaurant
chandelier in Australia, which hovers across the ceiling and is made up
of 10,000 lamps.
Rare Hare, the cellar door adjacent to the main hotel, offers a more relaxed
foodie outing alongside a fantastic selection of Willow Creek wines.
It’s enough to prompt a lie-down – rooms spacious and sleek, with balconies,
impressive views and a further play on darkened woods and sharp shapes.
Li hasn’t let anything on display – or being eaten – pass his gaze. From
the hand-crafted black and gold cutlery in the main restaurant to the
stone crockery and crystal glasses that look like they were hacked from the
surrounding hills – he’s across every element of Jackalope, a property deserving
of the numerous awards its already bagged.
So, if you want to impress your significant other, or fancy yourself a patron
of the Australian arts, Jackalope will see your belly, and brain, suitably sated.
FROM APPROX. $590 PER NIGHT; JACKALOPEHOTELS.COMFROM TOP
Emily Floyd’s impressive
Jackalope sculpture at the
entrance to the hotel; room
with a view of the vineyard;
striking furniture pieces,
like this couch and side table
by Zuster, feature heavily
throughout the hotel.FROM TOP
Pool deck at sunset overlooking
the Willow Creek Vineyard;
Li enlisted the likes of Ebra
to provide one-off pieces
of furniture, like this gold
Leatherworks chair; the
Jackalope interior entrance,
dark and contemporary, sets the
tone for the hotel aesthetic.A NIGHT AT...
WORDS: JACK PHILLIPS.102 GQ.COM.AU SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017