13 Secret Beaches for a Clandestine Getaway

You won’t have to share the sand at these hidden paradises around the world.

By Sandra Ramani 09/04/2019

Beaches, like travellers, come in all styles. There are the sleek and sophisticated ones, the powdery-soft stretches that make all the “most beautiful” lists and star in countless Instagram posts. There are the party ones, home to lively day clubs and DJ-fueled parties, and the boho-chic ones that chill out with bonfires and sing-a-longs. Exotic ones in far-flung locations are vibrant with colour and culture, while rocky ones may seem prickly at first, but end up revealing their own treasures.

But our favourite beaches are the ones you have to work for—the little-known stretches of sand around the world that require a real effort to find. Here, we spotlight 13 such spots—beaches that are local secrets, hidden away, and totally private. They aren’t just exclusive or reserved for a lucky few, but real discoveries, like the beach in Australia that requires a two-day return hike, or another one in Bermuda that only exists for a few hours of the day at low tide. From Mykonos to Mozambique, these 13 beaches are so special, you might not want to share (and good thing, you won’t have to).

Mopion Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

While the “secret” of the Grenadines appears to have already gotten out, there are still some less-discovered—and off-the-beaten-path—places hidden along this Eastern Caribbean gem. Tiny Mopion Island, or as locals call it, “Sandy Island,” is the perfect spot for a true castaway experience, as there’s nothing there but a thatch-roofed palapa and two cushy loungers. The islet is ringed by coral (making it a great launch pad for snorkelling and diving), so you can only access it via a narrow channel—meaning you’ll have to ride in on a dingy from your private boat.

Where to Stay: Less than two kilometres from Mopion, the private island resort of Petit St. Vincent is the closest place to stay. The property offers complimentary half-days on the isolated beach, complete with a breakfast or lunch picnic and a walkie-talkie to radio the staff when you’re ready to be “rescued.”


Mopion Island comes with nothing but a whole lot of sand and a palapa for two.
Photo: Petit St. Vincent

North Point and South Point Beaches, Benguerra Island, Mozambique

Gorgeous white-sand beaches abound in Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, and many of them are only accessible via some private and exclusive way. Some of our favourite beaches in the region, though, are right on Benguerra—mainly because you’re pretty much guaranteed to never see another person while you’re there. Reachable via helicopter from mainland Mozambique, and set just south of the larger island of Bazaruto, Benguerra is only home to a few resorts—so when one hotel is planning on setting up a “castaway” picnic for their guests, it coordinates with the others to make sure no one else will be there. Among the scenic choices for your exclusive beach day are North Point—a sandy strip bordered by the ocean on one side and a calmer bay on the other—and South Point, a wide, dune-topped beach dotted with giant pieces of bleached driftwood that look like they were strategically placed there for a fashion shoot. Spend the day searching for shells and ghost crabs, spotting flamingos, and cooling off in the Indian Ocean.

Where to Stay: AndBeyond Benguerra Island takes guests to North and South Point for a cushy dune-top picnic complete with pillow-topped beach beds and gourmet eats. The resort can also whisk guests to hidden-away spots for exceptional diving adventures or traditional dhow boat.


AndBeyond Benguerra Island offers the ultimate castaway picnic.
Photo: AndBeyond Benguerra Island

Madame Zabre Beach, Desroches Island, Seychelles

Though there’s only one hotel on Desroches Island, it isn’t technically private—which is part of what makes staying there such a special experience. Located a 35-minute flight from the capital of Mahé in Seychelles’ less-visited Outer Amirantes group, the 933-acre island is home to two villages—one Indian, one Creole—with a total population of about 100. In-between, there’s also the Island Conservation Society, which focuses on land restoration, wildlife protection, and operating a sanctuary and breeding centre for the indigenous Aldabra giant tortoise. And ringing all this is a series of tucked-away beaches and sandy spots of varying sizes. One particular favourite is Madame Zabre Beach, a powder-soft cove shaded by palm trees. To reach it, you’ll need to bike across the island’s airstrip, through unmarked forested pathways, until you reach a small copse framing the postcard-perfect shores. Keep a lookout for giant turtles along the way.

Where to Stay: Guests of the island’s sole resort, Four Seasons Desroches Private Island, can hop on their personal bike to visit the villages and sanctuary, then continue peddling—picnic hamper in tow—to enjoy Madame Z’s beach for the day.


Madame Zabre Beach.
Photo: Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

Private Beqa Lagoon Islands, Fiji

The island of Vitu Levu in Fiji is already a serene escape on which you can explore natural wonders and experience unique cultural traditional and rituals. But if you want an even more remote hideaway, though, it’s also a good base from which to stake claim to your own strip of sand. Each day during receding tide, tiny sandbanks emerge from the ocean, revealing their pristine white sands for only four or five hours at a time. Get there quickly to enjoy these temporal havens, where you can dip in the blue-green waters and enjoy a Champagne-fueled picnic before it’s time for the sand to retreat back underwater.

Where to Stay: Nanuku, Auberge Resorts Collection can sail you to one of these “disappearing” spots and set up an unforgettable picnic. Or, if you’d like a bit more time on a private beach, rent out the resort’s two-acre private island in the Beqa Lagoon system of coral reefs. The refuge can be booked for day trips or a magical overnight experience and is only available for exclusive use.


Tiny Beqa Lagoon is for guests of Nanuku Resort only.
Photo: Nanuku, Auberge Resorts Collection

Mosquera Islet, the Galápagos Islands

On Mosquera, “do not bathe while a male is nearby” is a warning that refers to the more aggressive members of the island’s only residents: sea lions. Located between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour, the narrow islet rises up from the sea ringed by a reef of lava rocks and coral and is fronted by a white-sand beach that’s popular both with human visitors and one of the region’s largest sea lion colonies. Only accessible via a wet beach landing, Mosquera is also a top-notch snorkelling and diving site, offering easy access to a world of tropical fish, brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and more. Along with the limited physical accessibility, the island is restricted to those on naturalist-guided walks and other specially-authorized permit holders, so you’ll never find crowds lined up on the beach—save for the sunning sea lions, of course.

Where to Stay: Set on the central Galápagos island of Santa Cruz, the luxe Pikaia Lodge—a stylish spot that also happens to be completely carbon neutral and built using recycled materials—has three house yachts that can ferry guests to Mosquera and other spectacular islands in the area.


Sun yourself on a stretch of sand next to Mosquera Islet’s lazy sea lions.
Photo: Pikaia Lodge

Accidental Beach, Edmonton, Canada

In 2017, something magical appeared in Edmonton, Canada. As construction was underway on two new bridges across the Edmonton River Bank, locals began to notice a beautiful stretch of sand suddenly appearing further back along the North Saskatchewan River. When it continued to grow into a decent-sized beach, a few intrepid folks ventured through the brush to check it out. Word slowly began to get out about this secret spot—an unexpected find in this Alberta town—and thus began an epic struggle between citizens and bureaucrats, pleasure-seekers and inconvenienced homeowners that continues to this day.

But what’s wonderful is that the beach endures. After disappearing that first winter, the “Sand District,” as locals dubbed it, popped up again in summer 2018, and is expected to appear this summer season, as well. There’s a significant movement to keep it as a permanent site; the rocks that were placed in the river during the bridge construction could be adjusted and left there safely, ensuring a full-time beach. While those plans continue to be debated, the beach will most likely still be around for another two years, until construction wraps up—so try and catch this Canadian “Atlantis” while you can.

Where to Stay: Set in a 1910 former financial trust building, downtown Edmonton’s Union Bank Inn is full of history, character, and standout dining spots; choose from rooms in historic or contemporary styles.


Accidental Beach lives up to its name in the middle of Edmonton River Bank.
Photo: Kory deGroot

Bremer Island, Northern Territory, Australia

Arnhem Land may just be one of Australia’s last great frontiers. Bordered by the Arafura Sea, the Gulf of Carpentaria, and Kakadu National Park, the vast, 97,000-square-kilometre natural wonderland is dotted with gorges and rivers, waterfalls and rocky outcrops, as well as a wealth of ancient indigenous cultural sites. The territory also remains under Aboriginal ownership and protection, which means that visitors are required to obtain a permit (via a hotel or tour operator) to enter.

All of this makes exploring the beaches of Bremer Island off the northeastern tip of Arnhem Land an extra-special experience. Hop a 15-minute seaplane flight or a private boat transfer from the mainland to reach the island, which is ringed by pristine beaches that are usually empty, save for nesting sea turtles and rich birdlife.

Where to Stay: The only tourist spot on Bremer is the Banu Banu Beach Resort, a six-tent eco-resort built in concert with the Yolgnu people—so not only are the beaches exclusive, but they also offer plenty of opportunities to interact with locals, who are happy to show you how to spearfish or weave baskets the traditional way.


Australia’s Bremer Island isn’t just beautiful—it’s a cultural experience.
Photo: Tourism Northern Territory

Fragia Beach, Mykonos, Greece

Mykonos is hardly an undiscovered destination, but even the popular hot spot has a few secrets. Case in point: Fragia Beach, which until a few years ago was not open to the public. Set on the island’s more remote southeastern side, the wide, sandy beach is tucked among a series of other “locals’ secret” spots, including Pano Tigani, hidden gem Tsagari beach, and the wide cover of Lia Beach. Fragia, though, is even more of a find, as its most easily accessed by boat (the land approach requires a keen sense of direction and a patience for unmarked dirt roads.) Once there, you’ll find sparkling Aegean Sea waters and an expansive, protected crescent of sand.

Where to Stay: Make a day of it with a cover-to-catch experience courtesy of Grace Mykonos, Auberge Resorts Collection, which includes a private sail on a traditional caïque fishing boat, casting for fresh seafood, a visit to Fragia Beach for a dip, and an intimate barbecue back at the hotel.


Hard-to-find Fragia Beach is unknown among Mykonos’s tourists.
Photo: Grace Mykonos, Auberge Resorts Collection

Hog Bay Beach, Bermuda

Beautiful beaches abound in Bermuda, but Hog Bay stands out as much for its elusive nature as its aesthetic qualities. First, you’ve got to navigate getting there, hiking over steep, rocky, and hilly terrain along a woodland trail in the 32-acre Hog Bay Park nature reserve. Then, once you arrive, the beach may not even be around, as it only exists during low tide. Assuming all the stars align, you’ll find a gorgeous expanse of blush-hued sand leading to clear-and-cool water, and dotted with a few craggy boulders. In addition to providing a secluded spot for sun worshipping, picnics, and a mid-day snooze, the beach is great for snorkelling—so even if you miss low tide and arrive to find just the sea, you can jump right in to explore the underwater world.

Where to Stay: The 240 acres of the recently redone Rosewood Bermuda include a golf course, spa, several dining and drinking options, and a long, serene stretch of pink-sand beach.


Hog Bay Beach’s big secret is that, for most of the day, it doesn’t even exist.
Photo: Bermuda Tourism Authority

Klein Curaçao, Curaçao

A historic lighthouse, palm trees, and a couple of huts are all you’ll find on Klein Curaçao—along with a long, wide stretch of empty beach. Set 12.8kms off the southeast coast of the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, the 1.7-square-kilometre “Little Curaçao” has no inhabitants, and it’s only accessible by helicopter or a two-hour boat ride. Once there, you’re rewarded with one of the longest and most pristine beaches in the Caribbean, as well the chance to snorkel past vibrant coral and scuba dive to shipwrecks and underwater caves. While most visitors just hang out for the day, locals like to camp for the night along the beach, under a canopy of stars; most luxury hotels or tour operators on Curaçao can make that happen.

Where to Stay: Check in to one of the 23 suites and villas at Baoase (many with private plunge pools), and enjoy easy access to the sea, not to mention a pretty spectacular beach right in front of the resort.


Little Curaçao has no inhabitants and is only accessible via boat or helicopter.
Photo: Wikipedia

Satellite Island, Tasmania, Australia

It takes a somewhat epic journey to reach this wild hideaway—which only recently became accessible to the public—but it’s worth it. After getting to mainland Australia, then to its southern island of Tasmania, hop in a car in capital city Hobart and drive along a windy road that takes you through coastal towns and tiny inlets. About 90 minutes later, you’ll take a ferry from the town of Kettering to Bruny Island, where you’ll continue to drive along the coastline (this time stopping to snack on fresh oysters, artisan cheese, and other Bruny specialties.) In the village of Alonnah, the Island Keeper will load you up onto another ferry for the five-minute trip across the appropriately storybook-sounding D’Entrecasteaux Channel—and, finally, to Satellite Island. (Of course, you can also arrive by helicopter, but the long way is definitely part of the decompressing experience.)

Once there, wander along cliff walks and down to the water’s edge, where you can enjoy lunch at the Boathouse, beach-comb for treasures, cast for shellfish and crayfish right off the jetty, or shuck oysters plucked fresh from the sea. The beaches include a mix of pebbly strips and sandy coves; you can kayak or jump into the pristine Tasman Sea waters from either, then come back at night for a bonfire and glass of Tasmanian wine.

Where to Stay: The only accommodation on-site, Satellite Island is an exclusive-use luxury lodge with room for up to eight guests in the Summer House, Boathouse, and one posh tent. The houses come stocked with kayaks, fishing equipment, snorkels, stand-up paddleboards, and more to enjoy on and off the beaches.


The long haul to Satellite Beach is well worth it.
Photo: Kate Alstergren

Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island, Australia

With more than 500 kilometres of coastline, this South Australia island (set
about a 20-minute flight from Adelaide) has no dearth of scenic beaches for swimming, sunning, and catching waves. Stokes Bay, though, is where you go for solitude—and a bit of adventure. You’ll need to walk through a labyrinth of caves and rock tunnels (on an uneven path nicknamed “The Secret Tunnel”) before reaching the gleaming white-sand beach on the quiet north coast. The picturesque spot is protected from the surf by giant rocks—resulting in what feels like a big, warm private swimming pool. And while you probably won’t see another soul while you’re there, you’ll find plenty of company in the native wildlife—including a number of the island’s namesake kangaroos.

Where to Stay: The perennial award-winning Southern Ocean Lodge is a contemporary, all-suite island resort complete with gourmet dining, lots of complimentary perks, and unbeatable coastal views.


You might find some kangaroo tracks in the sands of Stokes Bay.
Photo: Gab Rivera

Refuge Cove, Victoria, Australia

Victoria’s Wilson’s Promontory National Park is full of natural wonders and several stunning (and less-visited) beaches. Fairy Cove, for example, is only accessible by foot at low tide, when two nooks come together to form the pristine beach. It’s mainly only visited by locals, who come to sunbathe atop the granite boulders dotting the cove. For those who really want to earn their beachside fun, though, there’s Refuge Cove, which is only accessible to boaters with special permits (and even then, with tons of restrictions) and to hikers up for a 33km trek with two nights of camping. The hike will take you over steep slopes and river crossings, and up to panoramic lookout points. At the end, you’ll descend onto a white-sand beach bordered by wooded slopes and sparkling waters.

Where to Stay: After your hike and camp-out, reward yourself with a stay in one of Wilson’s luxury Coastal View Cabins, which come equipped with jetted soaking tubs, pillow menus, foldable glass doors to take in the views—and the possibility of visits from koalas, wallabies, or kangaroos.


Refuge Cove can be all yours—if you’re willing to work for it.
Photo: FreeAussieStock.com

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Home is Where the Art Is

Six standout Australian galleries to know now.

By Belinda Aucott-christie 26/03/2025

Australia’s gallery scene is booming. More galleries than ever before are going on the road to participate in art fairs in scene that is rapidly maturing. Meet the passionate local owners from around Australia who are energising the creative milieu with the abstract, the edgy, the Indigenous and the generally astounding.

Hugo Michell Gallery

The district may not roll off the artistic tongue like Paris’s Montmartre or London’s Shoreditch, and yet the prim hedges of Adelaide’s Beulah Park suburb provide cover to a stealth powerhouse of the Australian contemporary art movement, tucked away in a charming, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it converted Victorian workers’ cottage. Since 2008, the Hugo Michell Gallery has unflappably carried the torch for established and emerging acts with equal fidelity, across a broad sweep of mediums from photography to printmaking, textile to ceramic. “We try not to get caught up in the hype and handle each artist we represent with the nuance required for promoting their work,” says Michell, currently counting 28 artists on his books. One notable on this year’s busy docket is Melbourne-based Richard Lewer, a social realist—already snapped up by the National Galleries of Australia and Victoria, no less—who for a month from April 10th will probe the uneasy relationship between crime, sport and religion. While comfortable in the skin of his homely suburban bolthole, Michell is not averse to braving the rigours of the Australian art fair circuit (“They’re a bit of a circus, but who doesn’t love a circus?) and often undertakes house visits to acquaint himself with the whims of new customers. “One of the things that gives me the most joy is building a collection for a client,” he says. “We have worked with for 16 years, tailoring and sourcing works for them.” More proof that you don’t need a headline location to generate the biggest stories.
hugomichellgallery.com

Cassandra Bird Gallery

The art sphere often challenges the myth that married partners should not become gallerists—see Iwan and Manuela Wirth of Hauser & Wirth fame, among other examples. And so it is that Cassandra Bird and husband Fabian Jentsch are rapidly cementing a reputation as one the Australian art scene’s supercouples with their 2023-acquired Potts Point space, an expansive four-level heritage terrace fizzing with congeniality, making visitors feel like they have popped to a friend’s (expertly curated) home for elevenses. Which is no great shock: the property doubles as the duo’s own home. Bird brings a wealth of experience, and a hefty contacts book, thanks to long, respected stints in the Big Apple and Berlin, and nine years at Sydney’s RoslynOxley9 Gallery; Jentsch, meanwhile, is an experienced artist, exhibition maker and set designer. “We try to enthuse people, get them excited as we are about those we work with,” says Bird. Meander across the property’s wooden floorboards—perhaps diverting for a chat in the communal courtyard that doubles as a social hub and ideas-exchange forum—and you will enter the realm of Perth-born graphic painter Jedda Daisy-Culley, who has a hallway and wall dedicated to her work; venture upstairs and deep dive into locally based experimental photographer Laura Moore; head into the basement and peruse the collective works the Tennant Creek Brio, out of Warumungu Country in the Northern Territory. All 24 of the gallery’s artists unite under the theme of timelessness. “We are into investigating quality and showing transformational and breakout work from artists,” says Jentsch. “The work we choose must have something that is strong value for us.” Here’s to the sanctity of marriage.

cassandrabird.com

D’lan Contemporary

It speaks volumes for the international reach of Indigenous art that D’lan Contemporary opened an outpost in New York long before expanding the gallery beyond its Melbourne roots to set up shop in Sydney. Then again, founder and director D’lan Davidson is not afraid of expanding his frontiers as a means of hawking Australia’s most vital cultural outpourings; in 2016, he left the Sotheby’s Australia auction house, where he was ensconced as head of aboriginal art, to launch D’lan Contemporary as the go-to gallery for secondary market First Nations art; and he recently travelled to Maastricht in the Netherlands for the prestigious European Fine Arts Foundation Art Fair, promoting a series of Western Arnhem bark paintings and works by Paddy Bedford, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Rover Thomas and other. Closer to home, Davidson has surrounded himself with a team brimming with the requisite Indigenous art smarts, including chief curator and gallery director Luke Scholes. From May 8th-July 4th, the Significant exhibition, a mainstay of the Melbourne gallery for the past ten years, will show across all three of D’lan Contemporary’s locations. “Our exhibitions and all our advocacy work seek to further support and develop the burgeoning global interest in Australian First Nations art and artists,” says Scholes. As if further proof were needed of its commitment, the gallery donates 30 percent of its profit back to artists and their communities. Bravo.

dlancontemporary.com.au

N.Smith Gallery

Enter Nick Smith’s compact office and you notice how the walls are studded by the artworks of those he represents; this is a man, you feel, who has a more intimate connection to his stable than the average gallery chief—an instinct confirmed upon discovering that he has invested his entire life savings into the Surry Hills space. When we meet, Smith’s whiteboard is teeming with collaborative projects, hinting heavily at the kind of edgy, thought-provoking artists that his outfit—comprised of five full-time staff—is renowned for nurturing. “It’s constant, but amazing,” says Smith in his typically reserved manner, more studious scientist than reengage gallerist. “I wanted to contribute to culture in my own way.” The gallery’s current ascension allays any empathetic fears of impending financial doom. This past February, Smith—who cut his teeth at Philip Bacon Galleries in Brisbane and Sydney’s Sullivan+Strumpf—collaborated with the Australian High Commission in India to represent Darrell Sibosado at India Art Fair ’25, and throughout the year will be partnering with the Sydney chapter of Soho House to host a series of private viewings and artist studio visits. Even so, he now splits his time equally between private and public projects, often mentoring artists at all stages of their creative journeys. “It’s that forward momentum. It’s that feeling of progressions and going somewhere that I love,” says Smith. Indeed, the only way is up.

nsmithgallery.com

Palas

It is hard—nay, almost impossible—to imagine Palas founders Tania Doropoulos and Matt Glenn frantically trying to scoop up whoever is flavour of the month on Sydney’s perennially shifting art circuit. Here are young gallery partners prone to a slower, more considered approach, instead recruiting a tight roster of internationally famed artists, and choosing to nurture relationships that have been years, sometime decades, in the making. Case in point: video performance maestro Shaun Gladwell, who represented Australia at the 2007 Venice Biennale (a 20-year affiliate), and Melbourne-based artist and noise-musician Marco Fusinato (15 years), who also flew the artistic green and gold at the same festival in 2022. Add to that list Canadian multi-media artist Tamara Henderson and Irish sculptor Eva Rothschild, currently working out of London, and it is clear Palas have a formidable roll call to lean on. “We’re investing a huge amount of time into their processes as art makers,” says Doropoulos. “And I think by extension, we’ve got really good working relationships with other galleries throughout the world.” For its founders, the Palas gallery—which opened in Sydney’s resolutely hipster Waterloo suburb just over a year ago with a silkscreen painting medley by the aforementioned Fusinato—is somewhat of a flag-planting endeavour on home soil: both earned a certain amount of their stripes overseas—Doropoulos as former artistic director of Frieze London and Frieze Studios, and Glenn at Sadie Coles HQ, also in the British capital. Australian art disciples will no doubt be praying for a long domestic residency.

palas-inc.com

Coma

If Sotiris Sotiriou’s consciously balanced ensemble of black Saint Laurent suit, single gold chain and flash of bare chest are anything to go by, the Coma gallery founder wields a sharp eye—a handy attribute to have when your career depends on identifying aesthetic clout, what hits and what doesn’t. From humble beginnings in 2016 in a subterranean road space next to Elvis Pizza on Sydney’s New South Head Road, his enterprise gradually flowered, first to East Sydney, then Chippendale, before fully blooming at his current space in up-and-coming Marrickville, in what was once a coffee factory. The predominantly light-industrial area has witnessed around half a dozen new gallery debuts in recent years, and Coma’s door-fling, filled as it was with hip young Inner West couples sourcing bold, ambitious art for their homes and offices, suggests Sotiriou has timed his arrival to perfection. February’s opening exhibition was hosted by Australian (but Santa Fe based) figurative painter Justin Williams, whose approach riffs on the folkloric traditions of Russian and Polish art, rich with symbolism and psychological details; this work forms a striking counterpoint to the abstract expressionism of other Sotiriou recruits, such as Zara June Williams and her partner Jack Lanagan Dunbar. The Coma head honcho, who had a spell selling to wealthy clients at Nanda Hobbs, says that private clients now make up most of his customer base. This year, as he prepares to attend three international art fairs, he estimates his artistic head count to increase by 30 percent. He can, no doubt, also point you in the direction of a fine tailor.

comagallery.com

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Car of the Year

Always an unmissable highlight of the automotive calendar, Robb Report ANZ’s annual motoring awards set a new benchmark among glorious Gold Coast tarmac.

By Horacio Silva 24/03/2025

Over two unforgettable days, our motoring sages and VIP guests embarked on an exhilarating journey from Surfers Paradise to Brisbane and back again—traversing an irresistible selection of terrain in our exotic rides, from deserted rainforest-lined b-roads to testing mountain switchbacks with dizzying—sometimes heart-in-mouth—views over the southern Queensland peninsula. And as befitting an event starring the crème de la crème of auto marques, we did so while savouring the best in luxury and gastronomy—capped off with an extraordinary superyacht experience at Sanctuary Cove.

 

The ten contenders for the Car of the Year were not the only dream machines on show. The first day’s adventure kicked off at the Langham Hotel and included a midday pit stop at the glorious Beechmont Estate, where our fleet of drivers were greeted by a stunning array of vintage cars exhibited in a concours d’elegance-style display.

 

Concours d’elegance-style vintage car show at the Beechmont Estate.

The sumptuous feast for the eyes on offer at Beechmont, a quaint country village located between the Lamington Plateau and Tamborine Mountain, was followed by a meal for the ages prepared by executive chefs Chris and Alex Norman at the property’s hatted restaurant, The Paddock.

 

Fine dining at The Paddock.

Then, itching to remount our steeds, it was time to hit the road again, with our drivers—all sporting Onitsuka Tiger’s new driving shoes—hightailing it to Brisbane and The Calile Hotel, a property which has been scooping accolades like Jay Leno collects supercars.

 

Rolls-Royce Spectre

After some much needed relaxation by the pool, that evening the drivers and press were joined by local luminaries in the hotel’s private dining room. Over an extravagant banquet they got to compare notes on marvels of engineering and design that they’d had the chance to pilot all day. They were also treated to a showcase of spectacular Jacob & Co. timepieces and Hardy Brothers jewellery and an elegant sufficiency of 40-year Glenfiddich whiskey served in gold cups worth $60,000 a pop. It made for animated discussions and more than a little impromptu shopping.

Rivera Yachts 6800 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition

And did we mention the luxury yacht experience? After a full itinerary of adventures on the road, the day ended with an invigorating late-afternoon of luxuriating aboard two new Riviera Yacht releases—the 6800 Sport Yacht and the 585 SUV—where our intrepid drivers and assorted press got to literally and figuratively take their hands off the wheel and make a case for their car of the year. As the forthcoming pages attest, they were more than spoiled for choice. But who would take centre stage on the winners’ podium?

OVERALL WINNER

Rolls-Royce Spectre

 

BEST SPORTS CAR

Aston Martin Vantage

 

BEST LUXURY HYBRID

Bentley Flying Spur

 

BEST PERFORMANCE SUPERCAR

McLaren 750S

 

BEST ROADSTER

Mercedes-AMG SL634MATIC+

 

BEST CAR DESIGN

Maserati GranTurismo

 

BEST ELECTRIC PERFORMANCE CAR

Porsche Taycan Turbo S

 

BEST SUV

Ferrari Purosangue

Cruise along to robbreport.com.au/events for more supercars and luxury motoring.

 

Judges sample luxury Jacob & Co. timepieces.

 

 

Aston Martin Vantage

 

 

Graceful egress in Onitsuka Tiger’s driving shoes.

 

The Porsche Taycan retains a timeless demeanour in any company.

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Cool as Ice

Mercedes-Benz’s CEO Ola Källenius is expert at racing a nearly four-tonne truck across a frozen lake. Can he steer the marque’s EV-focused future as adeptly?

By Ben Oliver 26/03/2025

Ola Källenius is standing in a cold, bare workshop just south of the Arctic Circle in his native Sweden. A heavily disguised prototype of the new electric G-Class SUV—not yet launched when we meet—has just returned from high-speed, low-grip testing on tracks cut into the frozen lakes nearby and is being hoisted into the air on a hydraulic lift for inspection. As it drips meltwater onto the concrete floor, Källenius, CEO of the Mercedes-Benz Group, eats his lunch (today, a premade sandwich and a carton of juice) and speaks in fluent German to the mostly Austrian engineers who spend months in this bleak locale ensuring that the company’s new models can cope with the types of conditions in which vanishingly few customers will ever actually drive. They discuss the truck’s handling on ice and the progress of its test program. Källenius compliments them on the car’s dynamics—how stable it remained even at speed, how safe he felt driving it—and asks them how long they’re here.

“There are some harsh realities to this job, and to the car industry,” he tells me later. “But this is what I love doing: spending time with our designers, or driving with you on an ice-lake in Sweden, or talking to these engineers. I wanted to congratulate them on what they’ve achieved. We get to enjoy a nice couple of days here, but they’re here for a long time.”

At 193 cm, Källenius might tower over most of them physically, but there’s nothing in his demeanor that hints at the disparity in their corporate statuses. Nor is this the kind of place you’d expect to find the head of one of the world’s great luxury brands: a man paid roughly $22 million last year to lead the 166,000 employees of a company valued at around $75 billion, whose founder, Carl Benz, invented the motor car and whose genuinely iconic logo has graced the nose of everything from popemobiles and Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 racer to the most expensive automobile ever sold at auction. In a recent report, investment analysts Bernstein described Mercedes-Benz under Källenius’s reign as a “four-wheeled cash-generation machine”.

Cold-weather testing.
Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

But the celebrated car marques are not like luxury brands that make watches or couture or accessories or Champagne. Look beyond the alluring badge and bodywork for a moment: the objects Mercedes-Benz and its rivals produce are insanely complex, ever-changing and hugely capital-intensive—and must succeed in an utterly cutthroat market. Their impact on the environment and the economy has always made them perennial hot-button issues politically. But the electrification of the automobile has put these companies in the geopolitical crosshairs like never before, as governments swap tariffs and risk a global trade war to ensure that they keep their respective shares of the car industry, even as it undergoes an unprecedented transformation.

And of course, the cars need to be remade, too. Add the impact of electrification to Källenius’s own manifesto for Mercedes-Benz, and this storied marque is likely to change more in the next decade than it did in the previous 138 years. “It’s a once-in-a-century transformation,” he says. “We are reinventing our original invention.”

So who is the guy steering Mercedes through this tumult? What’s his plan? And what cars will he give us? Källenius has sat for plenty of interviews in his five years as CEO (his second five-year term is set to conclude in 2029), but this is the first time that he has offered anything more. Robb Report was invited to spend the weekend with him in Arjeplog, the tiny northern-Swedish town whose population swells fourfold each winter as the global car industry descends to test its secret new models on the area’s frozen lakes. Spy photographers abound, but to reduce the chance of its future lineup being scooped, Mercedes rents its own private expanse of sheet ice from a local landowner. I watch Källenius as he test-drives the electric G at his empire’s oddest and most northerly outpost, meets local staff and records social-media footage. He drives some other, more secret new electric AMGs that I am definitely not allowed to see, whose debuts are much further off and which, when not on the ice, remain hidden beneath their heavy covers outside the workshop.

Out on Mercedes-Benz’s private frozen expanse.
Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

Källenius has a reputation for being fearsomely intelligent, rational and efficient, but also not the type of hyper-alpha asshole who too often comes to lead a carmaker. Over the weekend, I see that sharpness not just in the logic of his answers, but in the nuance of the English prose, as perfect as his German, in which he delivers them.

I’m not sure I’d want those piercing blue eyes and that high-wattage intellect turned on me in a meeting if I didn’t have my numbers straight, but his non-asshole character dominates. It comes through in the easy egalitarianism he displays with the engineers in the workshop, or how he notices and thanks waitstaff, or the way he’s enjoying a casual dinner and a beer with a long table of employees of all stripes when I first arrive at the unglamorous Silverhatten hotel where he’s staying—a glorified bunkhouse for the United Nations of engineers and test-drivers who flock here. This is clearly a leader who sees the obligations of his office as clearly as its privileges: an attitude underpinned by a natural Nordic modesty and reserve.

SNOW DAY | After a session of cold-weather testing, the SUV gets an inspection.
Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

“I guess your personality is something that forms in younger years, and I’m not sure you can fundamentally change it,” he tells me over coffee one morning. “There is a Swedish core in the way I act, and maybe most Swedes are not kick-the-door-down types. I believe this should be true for anybody who is at Mercedes or has the privilege to lead Mercedes: We are custodians of that star for a brief moment. It’s my job to hand it over safe and in better condition. The person is not the brand.”

Perhaps not, but the brand will look very different by the time this person is done with it in 2029. And you can add loyalty to that list of his qualities: Källenius has never worked anywhere else, having joined Mercedes-Benz in 1993 straight out of the Stockholm School of Economics, where he founded an American football team called the Traders, for which he was captain of the offense. True to form, he studied tapes of the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots in order to write the team playbooks. At Mercedes, he was a finance guy at first; an early posting took him to Alabama, to help set up the Mercedes factory in Tuscaloosa, where he became—and remains—a Crimson Tide fan.

In 2003, at the age of just 34, he was put in charge of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren supercar project; two years later, he was given control of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Powertrains, the firm’s in-house Formula 1 engine-maker. After a year as vice president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz US International back in Tuscaloosa, he was recalled to Germany in 2010 to become vice president and managing director of AMG, Mercedes’s high-performance road-car division. Then came two board positions to prove his breadth of ability—sales and marketing, followed by research and development—before he ascended to the top job in 2019 at the age of 50.

The electric G-Class we’re about to drive together (now officially if awkwardly named the “G580 with EQ Technology”) is a neat encapsulation of many of the things Källenius has tried to do at Mercedes. First, it’s an EV, which fits his initial plan to make everything electric—“where market conditions allow”—by 2030. Second, it’s expensive, with a starting price in the US of $161,500 (around $257,000, though likely to cost more in Australia). Another critical if controversial part of his manifesto is to shift Mercedes upmarket; he spun off the truck business early and is currently in the process of dropping high-volume, low-margin models including the A- and B-Classes. And lastly, he wants new models to still feel like Mercedes vehicles, even if the design that underpins them is radically different from what came before. And the G-Wagen—with its gloriously anachronistic overengineering that you can feel and hear every time you clunk a door shut—epitomises the Mercedes ethos whether the vehicle is gas or electric.

Other new Mercedes EVs go much further in their innovation, gaining greater advantage from their electric drivetrains given that they were designed as EVs from the outset. They use Mercedes’s new MB.OS operating system with built-in AI and receive fresh design cues inside and out—not least the mad, vast, almost full-width hyperscreen user interface—rather than the same upright, rectilinear lines first sketched out to suit the needs of farmers and soldiers when the G-Class was introduced 45 years ago

But as shorthand for old Merc meeting new, the electric G is perfect, and it’s pleasing to be driven in it by the CEO on whose watch it was conceived and executed. “Yes, this is an electric G,” he says as he drifts it across the glassy frozen lake, “but it’s 100 percent G. The most important box for any G-Class to tick is the Schöckl mountain in Austria, to earn that Schöckl-proven plaque they all have. I did five trips up and down it in the electric G in the autumn, and not only can it do the Schöckl, I felt it could do the Schöckl best of all.”

SLIP ’N SLIDE | Mercedes-Benz and other carmakers bring their secret new models to frozen northern locales every winter. Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

His stints at AMG, in Formula 1, and with McLaren have turned this “spreadsheet guy” into a skilled driver, though most Swedes seem to have the ability to safely slide a car on ice coded into their DNA. Even with the G sideways at around 110 km/h, a plume of snow and ice billowing high behind it, Källenius has enough spare mental-processing capacity to adjust the screen settings while telling a funny story about the very first time an electric G even crossed his mind.

He was at the Detroit Auto Show in 2018, when the company was first showing the revised G-Class. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the unveiling and asked Källenius’s predecessor, Dieter Zetsche, if an electric version was in the cards. “Dr. Zetsche said, ‘Yes, of course,’ Källenius recalls. “I was head of R & D at the time, and one of my colleagues turned to me and said, ‘Do we even have an electric G in the plan?’ I said that I guessed we did now.”

Those less keen on electric cars than Arnie and Ola might be pleased by the fact that the ambition to be battery-only by 2030 has fizzled fast. Mercedes now predicts that EVs and plug-in hybrids will account for only half of its sales by the late 2020s, and the company is refreshing its range of gas engines to keep them relevant and selling deep into the 2030s. This is a systemic issue and no reflection on Mercedes products; Källenius has always averred “where market conditions allow”, and market conditions currently don’t. But the retreat is still slightly awkward.

N THE DRIVER’S SEAT | Källenius at the wheel
Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

“The early adopter phase is over,” he tells me. “Now we need to convince every customer. I think it would be a mistake to say, ‘Okay, electric is growing a bit slower, let’s sit back, wait, and not do anything.’ Because if you put product into the market that is so convincing that most customers go, ‘Yeah, maybe I didn’t have iPhone 1, but iPhone 4 looks pretty good,’ you can get very quick, even exponential growth. And if you were the one that said, ‘I’m not going to set sail here; let’s wait and see what the weather does,’ all the other boats would be out on the ocean, and you’d miss the race.”

But if buyers are going to be sold on EVs by the technology rather than by brand power, what does Mercedes’ 138 years of history count for? With customers attracted to new EV marques that are able to innovate unconstrained by precedent—and one of those brands having a market cap 7.5 times that of Mercedes, despite selling a few hundred thousand fewer cars per year—does heritage become a liability rather than an asset?

“We also do unconventional things,” Källenius insists. “With blow-your-mind–type features like the crazy hyperscreen in the EQS and the EQE, a lot of people are looking at Mercedes who perhaps didn’t look before. We are one of the biggest automotive sponsors in e-sports. Formula 1 is off the charts; 53 percent of F1 fans are between 15 and 35, and 37 percent are women. When we do crazy things like the G-Class collaborations with Moncler or the late Virgil Abloh, you go beyond the traditional auto crowd to one that buys from other luxury brands. My test is if one of my kids sends me a picture and goes, like, ‘Dad, what is this?’ I got their attention.”

I wonder how the former finance guy now handles running one of the world’s great luxury brands and to whom he looks for inspiration. He acknowledges that he meets with Bernard Arnault at LVMH and Jean- Frédéric Dufour at Rolex but is coy about the nature of their discussions.

“We also reach out to people in other luxury businesses to understand how they think,” Källenius notes. “I had the good fortune to meet Brunello Cucinelli, and he invited me down to Solomeo, the hamlet which he has helped to restore. It’s one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen. I learned a lot about fabrics, quality, stealth luxury, sometimes not emphasising the brand so much. A fine gentleman like that has a very clear understanding of what luxury means in his business. We brought some secret new-vehicle designs to show him and to get his input.”

The CEO talking with writer Ben Oliver.
Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

“Maybe you can’t compare a high-intensity, high-engineering, high-capital-investment good like a car to a piece of clothing,” he adds. “They are different businesses. But good chefs eat in each other’s restaurants even though they have a totally different style of cooking, just to see what the others are doing. But when you go back into your kitchen, you’re still the chef, and you put together the recipe.”

I sense a slight frustration from the hyperrational Swede—perhaps that he believes he has gotten the recipe right but has to wait a bit longer for diners’ tastes to catch up. In many cases, judged on any objective criteria, the new Mercedes EVs will be the best cars the company has ever made, including the electric G. The customers, though, are as busy trying to get their heads around this brave new world as the automotive CEOs are.

“This is definitely the most transformative decade since the inception of the company,” Källenius agrees. “But we’ve always done this. The Swabian engineers who founded Mercedes didn’t look at the horseshoe and think, ‘How do we make this lighter to make the horse run faster?’ They wanted to get the horse out of the equation and do something new. That attitude hasn’t changed. We’ve always looked through the windscreen, not in the mirror.”

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Men at Play

Two restless entrepreneurs build a Belizean island paradise especially for those “aha! moments”.

By Katie Kelly Bell 26/03/2025

Though he’s supposed to be in what he calls his “play years” now, Knoxville-based real-estate entrepreneur Steve Hall still finds himself working on vacation. After a trip to Belize, he got the itch to build something new and started meeting with developers. Hall hit it off with David Keener, CEO and owner of Vision Properties, and together they acquired an isolated tract on Placencia Caye, a private island just five minutes by boat from the mainland.

After two and a half years of work, they’ve recently started welcoming guests to Prana Maya, a secluded, wellness-focused retreat that enjoys expansive views of the Caribbean Sea, the island’s lagoon and the Maya Mountains. “We designed everything to inspire people,” Hall says of the property. “Every aspect of the resort is intentional. Every service we offer is designed to create that ‘aha! moment’ that will rock someone’s world.”

The property includes seven three- and four-bedroom villas featuring locally carved wooden doors. The breezy, secluded structures are sited to prioritise views of the water, and each has its own plunge pool. Rooms at the Inn—a collection of 10 airy, light-filled suites—face the ocean. Each guest has an assigned butler, and every bed at the resort is fitted with a custom grounding mat, designed to replicate a connection with nature; some studies suggest they promote mental and physical well-being. 

Belize’s tropical landscape is the catalyst for getting outdoors. Its unique saltwater flats give sport-fishing aficionados a bucket-list opportunity: catching what the International Game Fishing Association calls the Grand Slam—permit, tarpon and bonefish—all in one day. So Hall and Keener recruited High Adventure Company, a global outfitter with 30 years of guiding expertise, to take guests on exclusive angling excursions. The resort will also offer cave-tubing, jungle-trekking, zip-lining and diving trips.

The resort is a high-end haven for committed fishermen; its bars and restaurants use produce from a private 10-acre farm.
Courtesy of Prana Maya

If you’re in search of less rugged activities, head to the spa and wellness centre. The design team placed it on prime real estate: the Inn’s top floor, which has 360-degree water views and 5 m ceilings. Here, you’ll find a yoga studio, five private treatment rooms and a sound-therapy space. You can also enjoy Prana Maya’s private beach, the only sandy stretch on the island that isn’t shared with another property.

At The Grill, the open-air restaurant, executive chef Liesel Kirste cooks with indigenous ingredients—many sourced from the resort’s four-hectare farm. The menu includes elevated fare such as locally caught lobster, grilled and served over fresh pasta. Even components of more casual dishes are made from scratch: at the Island Club—with its outdoor kitchen, lawn games and forthcoming palapa-shaded pickleball court—the ketchup and mayonnaise are made in-house. That gives the culinary team the flexibility to design a bespoke menu, upon request, to suit your nutritional needs.

The property occupies the northern tip of Placencia Caye, five minutes via boat from the mainland. Courtesy of Prana Maya

Ultimately, Prana Maya is the expression of a million small details (down to the reef-safe spa products, curated by a Belizean supplier) and the location’s natural majesty. “When you get out to the island site, see the spectacular views of the Caribbean, turn another direction and see the beauty of the Maya Mountains, it is such an awesome and almost overwhelming feeling,” Hall says. One he is determined to share with everyone who visits.

Top image: Benedict Kim/Courtesy of Prana Maya

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How to Use Your Dress Watch to Nail Casual Style This Autumn

The dress watch is back and more laid-back than ever. Here’s how to rock your Cartier and Piaget pieces with casual looks

By Paige Reddinger 24/03/2025

After the seemingly never-ending hype around steel sports watches, dress watches have been making a comeback. But it’s not just the average 42 mm dress watch that’s sparking interest (although, those too, are in the running), but also funky vintage diamond-accented timepieces or small-sized, almost feminine pieces are trending. Recently, actor Paul Mescal was spotted on the red carpet of the Annual Academy Museum Gala wearing a Cartier Tank Mini with his tux, while sports legend Dwyane Wade wore a 28 mm diamond Tiffany & Co. Eternity watch with his black tie ensemble to the same event. While these guys were wearing dress watches in their intended setting, here we show you how to make a dress watch work for casual weekend wear too.

Try dabbling in unexpected pairings like an army green Ghiaia safari jacket with a vintage Chopard Happy Diamonds timepiece or Breguet Classique Ref. 7147 (the ultimate dressy timekeeper) with a Louis Vuitton sweatsuit and a Brioni overcoat. Anything goes these days and the more unexpected the timepiece, the stronger the statement. It’s good news all around—for your wardrobe and your investments in the vault.

Above: Blancpain 39.7 mm Villeret Ultraplate in 18-karat red gold, $69,675; Tod’s faux-shearling and denim jacket, $5,6859; Tom Ford cashmere and silk turtleneck, $2,535.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATALLINA. WATCH EDITOR, PAIGE REDDINGER. FASHION DIRECTOR, ALEX BADIA. STYLE EDITOR, NAOMI ROUGEAU.

Jaeger-LeCoultre 40 mm Reverso One Duetto Jewellery in 18-karat pink gold and diamonds, $79,560. Right: Chopard 32 mm vintage Happy Diamonds in 18-karat white gold and diamonds, $19,930, analogshift.com; Ghiaia cotton safari jacket, $1,426; Eton cotton T-shirt, 358; Hermès denim trousers, $1,674.

Audemars Piguet 34 mm vintage automatic ultrathin watch in 18-karat white gold and diamonds, $9,300, classicwatchny.com. Right: Cartier 41.4 mm Tortue in platinum, $35,600, limited to 200; Gabriela Hearst hand-knit cashmere sweater, $2,500; Officine Générale cotton-poplin shirt, $315.

Breguet 40 mm Classique Ref. 7147 in 18-karat white gold, $37,468; Brioni wool and cashmere overcoat, $12,233, and silk knit crewneck sweater, $2,224; Louis Vuitton wool track pants, $2,120, and wool hooded jacket, $5,002. Right: Patek Philippe 39 mm Calatrava Ref. 6119R-001 in 18-karat rose gold, $52,791.

Piaget 45 mm Andy Warhol in 18-karat rose gold, $69,198. Right: Rolex 29 mm vintage King Midas Ref. 4342 in 18-karat yellow gold, $28,301, classicwatchny.com; Brunello Cucinelli denim shirt, $1,586; Tom Ford cotton chinos, $1,259; Berluti leather belt, $1,132.

Model: Arthur Sales
Grooming: Amanda Wilson
Senior market editor and casting: Luis Campuzano
Photo director: Irene Opezzo
Photo assistant: Alejandro Suarez
Prop stylist: Elizabeth Derwin

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