As you turn onto the dirt drive, a "Sun Ranch" sign emerges in red and yellow on tall timber posts. At check in, a complimentary salt-rimmed Margarita is bestowed upon you, with an invitation to linger in The Lair, where a sunken velvet lounge circles a sculpted fireplace, or continue to your abode. The warmth from the smiling, cowboy-hat-wearing staff is White Lotus-esque, as they remind you of the cacao ceremony and poolside lounging session booked in for later.

Welcome to Sun Ranch, the “hotel of good times” on 55 hilly acres in Bangalow, the lush hinterland locale 15 minutes out of Byron Bay. With an eclectic clutch of rooms, a shimmering 25-metre basalt pool, horse riding, yoga, cacao ceremonies, and even hot muffins delivered to your doorstep each morning, it’s one of the coolest stays in the country.

The luxe lodging has a range of reference points – including 1970s California, a ranch in Montana, a motel in Ojai and a high-end brutalist hotel in Oaxaca – and arrives courtesy of long-time friends: hotelier Julia Ashwood (of The Vista), and former creative director and founder of One Teaspoon Jamie Blakey. “The vision literally came alive as soon as we stepped onto the property,” Ashwood tells Broadsheet. “We called on a bunch of mates to make it happen and got busy renovating and planting.”

At Sun Ranch, five spacious adults-only guest rooms adjoin the main lodge – the Rambler Long House – four of which back onto a private pool. The Pool Club slices into the hill above, while a lawn, a grassy badminton court and an elevated outdoor dining space roll into each other. It’s like a mirage.

Six two-bedroom barns crest the nearby hill (you can drive, be driven or fang up on an e-bike), and all beds are kings, dressed in Carlotta & Gee linen with a lived-in softness. One-off vintage pieces fill the spaces, each hand-chosen by Blakey and Ashwood from sourcing trips through California, Mexico and beyond.

There are trinkets to pore over and artist-made finishings: bespoke Pampa rugs; Lisa Lapointe’s ceramic pots in The Lair (and her earthy mugs in the rooms); custom lampshades by Sydney designer Lana Launay; a Jedda-Daisy Culley piece hanging in The Whiskey Lounge; and custom velvet upholstery, in golden hues, by The Dusty Road.

“A really good hotel is more than a hotel,” says Ashwood. “It’s a destination that allows you to leave your baggage at the door and fill your soul with the good stuff.” That good stuff includes the 7am “Good Morning, Hot Muffin!” service (a just-baked muffin wrapped in a bandanna and left in a cowboy hat at your doorstep), and a breakfast bounty of fresh fruit, bread, eggs, cheese, smoked fish and a pickle-heavy line-up of house-made condiments.

Then it’s sauntering to yoga, followed by The Pool Club, where straw-fringed umbrellas offer shade across brushed concrete steps. Or congregating in The Field House, the al fresco communal dining area with an open Argentinian firepit and a kitchen garden. On request, fire-licked feasts can be prepared and served for up to 50.

You can hightail it to the floating cedar-lined sauna, a woodfired beauty with room for 10 and a stellar view – or you can take a trot. Zephyr Horses are stabled on-site, and trail rides can be booked ahead of time – just like in-room massages, cacao ceremonies, sound healings and star-chart readings.

Whatever you do on the ranch, just be sure to whiz up the hill to Stoney Ridge Healing Circle, the best vantage point for golden hour. It really is the hotel of good times, and it doesn’t miss a beat.

Rooms start at $750 per night, with a two-night minimum. Full-ranch buy-outs are available for up to 34 guests. To experience the ranch without the stay, keep your eyes peeled for events and pop-up dinners. Visit the website for details.

@sunranch_byron

This story is part of The Travel Issue: Wish You Were Here.

June 2024: win a weekend trip for two at Sun Ranch including accommodation, yoga, ice bathing, horse riding, dinner at Ciao Mate and more. Competition closes July 18.