Reef House Resort and Spa is a 40-minute drive from Port Douglas, the launch point for boats en route to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It is nestled in the bucolic village of Palm Cove–an international spa mecca–around a shore-lapping inlet with some of the most tranquil waters you’ll ever dip a big toe in. A neo-Colonial 69-room hotel with a clean, open design that invites light and air into the rooms and common spaces, it’s popular with couples, especially honeymooners, who enjoy sugar-sand beaches and champagne breakfast, as a gentle breeze wafts through the open dining room facing the sea. An exquisitely polished little jewel of a spa features LiTya, an aboriginal skincare line. The nurturing Mala Mayi Body Treatment (90 mins, $245) includes a full-body exfoliation, warm body mud wrap, scalp massage and Vichy shower, followed by a powerfully relaxing Kodo massage. reefhouse.com.au