48 Hours In Cottesloe: Sunsets, spicy margs and a brand-new hotel with its own yacht

Detailed summary

STM’s new travel series drives into Cottesloe, checking into the brand-new Cottesloe House to eat, swim and shop like a local (sorry bank account).

Welcome to Cottesloe, where the sea sparkles as brightly as the tennis bracelets holding martinis at Tigerfish, billionaires and blow-ins fill Il Lido’s courtyard in identical uniforms of thongs and holey T-shirts, every price includes an ocean tax, and progress moves at the pace of the SUVs crawling along Marine Parade on a sunny day.

In our first 48 Hours In travel feature, we’re looking past the world-famous beach, the grand homes and the line for Sunday sessions at The Cott to live like a local, trying the brand new and the stalwart and, with any luck, finding a few gems along the way.

We start at Cottesloe House, our base for the weekend and so new we’re among the first guests. Naturally, I’ve packed for a fortnight, my suitcase and tote bag appearing more like I’m moving in than a weekend guest.

On being handed a welcome drink in the relaxed lobby, which feels more a stylish bar than reception, my partner and I mark the first of roughly 100 times we look at each other and declare “this is living”.

The second comes minutes later, as one of the many vibrant staff members leads us past a pool area of plump sunbeds lined up under white and chocolate-striped umbrellas to our two-level residence suite.

Interior designer Jo Carmichael has nailed a tricky brief: the suite feels luxurious, but not so precious that we worry about the sand we’ll inevitably traipse through after a swim. Downstairs there’s an open living space, a balcony with barbecue and even a small laundry tucked into the powder room. Upstairs lies the bedroom with pitched ceiling and an enormous bed, and a bathroom with tub and sky-lit rainfall shower.

This is when Cottesloe comes to life, as the working week is ticked off, office workers are flocking in and holidaymakers are sauntering across the road from the beach to the bar.

Indigo Oscar is a natural first stop. Right on the ocean, with a light-filled dining room plus outdoor area, it shakes some of the best spicy margaritas in Perth, and with an oyster…

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Opening of the article, excerpted from The West Australian. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.