Jackalope

Character and identity

An hour southeast of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula, Jackalope sits among working vineyards as a 46-room hybrid of hotel, winery, restaurant and art space. A 23-foot black metal jackalope marks the arrival; inside, Carr Design Group has built a surrealist landscape inspired by the "alchemy" of winemaking, with neon-lit lab flasks in the lobby bar, agate-faced plaster busts, and a 10,000-bulb ceiling shimmering above the main dining room. Rooms feature charred timber walls and ebony resin tubs. A 100-foot black lap pool runs out toward the vines, and service, overseen by an Aman alumna, is quietly polished.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What sets this place apart is the commitment to a single coherent vision: a vineyard hotel as film set, executed with enough restraint in service and kitchen to avoid tipping into kitsch. Spend up for a Lair suite, with its 30-square-metre terrace over the vines, double-sided fireplace and private wine cellar; the standard rooms are handsome but the suites are where the fantasy fully lands.