Lodge

Inspired by the carefree spirit of the Australian beach house, Capella welcomes views over the Pacific Ocean and the world’s southernmost coral reef. Capella rests above Lord Howe Island’s tiny, secret beach at Lovers Bay and at the foot of its towering twin peaks, Mounts Gower and Lidgbird. Guests are captivated by mesmerising views of the mountains and turquoise sea stretching to the horizon from the lodge’s indoor and outdoor lounging areas, its restaurant and suites. View and download our lodge facts and rates.

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Our Luxury

A stay with Baillie Lodges is to experience the luxury of travel. Each Baillie property is located in an extraordinary natural location, and offer guests a personal connection to its culture and history, its art and natural heritage and to local food and wine sourced from regional producers. Together, the lodges are timeless in design, with myriad thoughtful details combining to create a genuinely warm welcome and a generosity of spirit. Capella Lodge was the first property in the Baillie Lodges collection and remains a favourite place for the Baillie family and many guests who return perennially.

Community

Rising from the Tasman Sea just 700km northeast of Sydney, this tiny, breathtakingly beautiful island is just 11km long and 2.8km at widest. Lord Howe Island and its surrounding islets are the eroded remnants of a large shield volcano that erupted from the ocean floor some 7 million years ago. More than 70% of the island is a permanent protected park reserve, and the surrounding ocean is also protected as a Marine Park.

Only 400 visitors are allowed on Lord Howe at any one time, with a resident population of 382 people recorded in the 2016 census. Just about everything is within walking or cycling distance, so it’s uncommon to see cars. Lord Howe is only 11km long and between 0.3 and 2km wide, so it’s possible to cycle end to end in as little as 25 minutes. With a 25kmh speed limit, everyone always waves ‘hello’ as they pass!

Our commitment to the environment

The Baillie Lodges environmental commitment is best expressed by each lodge’s interaction with its local natural and cultural surroundings. View our sustainability policy.

The Baillie Lodges environmental commitment is best expressed by each lodge’s interaction with its local natural and cultural surroundings. A dynamic environmental management plan featuring cutting edge and continually evolving technologies steers lodge operations and ultimately enhances each guest’s experience. View our sustainability policy.

Population

Population

Limiting the number of people living and visiting a small island such as Lord Howe is critical to ensuring its pristine environment remains sustainable and appealing for its population of resident and migratory seabirds, its marine life and endemic plant species.

Energy

Energy

Lord Howe Island has committed
to a 
ground-breaking solar energy project which will see 80% of its energy produced from solar panels and replacing diesel fuel energy which currently supplies the island.

Recycling

Recycling

As a remote island, any waste that’s not recycled must be removed on the supply barge which visits fortnightly. The Lord Howe Island Board runs the island’s Waste Management Facility with an award-winning recycling program.  

Conservation

Conservation

Conservation on Lord Howe is considered a personal priority, with residents and guests alike committing to reducing, reusing and recycling. Residents have a high degree of knowledge about the environment they live in and work hard to protect it.   

Design

James and Hayley share a love for good design and together they curated Capella's interiors to create a sense of relaxed luxury and a place to feel at home.

Pierre & Charlotte Julien

Working from their studio in Tasmania, Pierre and Charlotte Julien have worked with James and Hayley Baillie for more than a decade and have supplied custom furnishings for Capella Lodge, Southern Ocean Lodge and most recently for Longitude 131°. The pair are renowned for their refined chairs and lamps and their sleek, organic

style and sustainable techniques fit perfectly with the natural beach house design aesthetic at Capella. Pierre and Charlotte returned to their furniture foundations to create their most recent commission for Capella – a beautiful oval dining table made from endemic timbers which extends to perfectly seat four for convivial occasions.

Malcolm Greenwood

Sydney-based ceramist Malcolm Greenwood creates individually styled ceramics in a characteristically organic style, with collections spanning tableware to bathroom ware, vases and sculptures. Malcolm’s style is simple and functional, with each piece’s form and signature glazing creating a distinctive design.

His tableware offers an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to the daily changing menus and fresh local produce at Capella. Malcolm takes inspiration from art styles from around the world, including from Japanese potter Makoto Yabe, who taught him throwing, ‘neriage’, glaze formulation and firing. 

EcoSmart

James Baillie has long been inspired by local sustainable heating company EcoSmart Fires which influenced the final design of the Capella’s lounge and guest suites and appear in various iterations across the sister lodges. James was impressed by the product for several reasons including their aesthetics, ease of operation, clean

burn, lack of smell, the environmental benefits, and the fact that they don’t have a flue. The fires’ flexible design that enabled their integration into a range of contemporary designs was the deciding factor. Capella uses green energy ethanol to fuel the EcoSmart fires which provide heat both in guest lounging areas and in guest suite fireplaces. 

Bruce Goold

Famous around the world for the vivid graphics that made the Mambo surf brand so distinctive, Bruce Goold creates fabrics, linocuts and screen prints that are seen around Capella Lodge. Bruce has a special affinity with Lord Howe Island, having created the kentia palm fabric which has been

used in soft furnishings throughout the lodge, as well as several lino cuts including the SS Makambo produced in 1994 which depicts the rats swimming from the sinking ship off the coast of Lord Howe. One of the original cuts hangs in the Makambo Loft.

Bemboka

Guests at Capella will enjoy the soft warmth of the premium towels and luxury blankets supplied by Sydney company Bemboka. The hallmarks of luxury lodging, Bemboka’s bath sheet-sized plush ribbed towels are perfect to wrap up in after a

shower or a swim while a soft cashmere blanket or custom-made cotton throw in contrasting marine tones is ideal to cuddle into after a day’s exploring outdoors, with a good book or – better still – a mate!

Anibou

Anibou, based in Sydney’s Redfern gathers some of the best local and international design furniture and furnishings and has been the source of some of Baillie Lodges favourite design finds over the past few years. Classic items which are seen across all the lodges – but were featured first at Capella – include the ceramic cubes by Gervasoni

which serve as side tables on Gowers Terrace, battered brass bar lights by Paola Navone and the campfire table by Tomek Archer which is found in the Lidgbird Pavilion. A new addition is the Euvira Lounge Chair by Brazilian designer Jader Almeida which brings a little club culture to Capella and is the perfect place to sink to enjoy a drink… 

Julie Paterson

Artist and designer Julie Paterson created textiles company ClothFabric in 1995 with a vision to create contemporary, natural furnishing fabric by hand, using local and sustainably produced base cloths. All Julie Paterson textiles are made in Australia, mostly in short-batch productions using

flatbed screen printing. Julie’s art is inspired by the strength and diversity of the Australian landscape. At Capella, her distinctive graphics and illustrations of the rare Lord Howe woodhen and kentia palms are seen in soft furnishings and plywood prints throughout the guest suites. 

Jardan

Quality lounging is important at Capella and James and Hayley have engaged with Sydney-based designers Jardan for supply of their sink-in-deep lounges. Relaxed and exceptionally comfortable, the Australian designed and crafted sofas, occasional chairs and love seats from Jardan invite you in with open arms.

Toned in natural hues to reflect the outdoors, the lounge is a place to come together and enjoy each other’s company. Lord Howe Island isn’t a flop and drop destination so when guests relax after a day’s exploring, Capella’s lounge, cushioned among jaw dropping views and within reach of the bar is the best place to be. 

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Stay

Island hideaway

Resting above the jewel-toned lagoon, Capella Lodge is the only Island accommodation that commands spectacular views of the ocean and awe-inspiring twin peaks, Mounts Gower and Lidgbird.

Find your suite
Dine

A natural selection

Capella Lodge holds a far-reaching reputation as Lord Howe’s knock-out dining destination. A regional approach to cuisine ensures the finest and freshest produce from Lord Howe Island and New South Wales is showcased in every inspired menu.

Whet your appetite
Spa

Heaven sent

The petite Capella Spa indulges body and soul. A signature menu of rejuvenating and relaxation treatments embraces the island’s endemic kentia palms and marine environment.

TIME TO INDULGE

Need more inspiration?

For more information about Capella Lodge
and the other properties in the Baillie Lodges
portfolio please download our brochure.