Whales and Wine at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort, Margaret River Region

We’re ready for a sneaky midweek beach getaway, and it’s an easy three-hour drive south of Perth to Pullman Bunker Bay Resort.

The hotel is just 10 minutes (12km) from the nearest town, Dunsborough, and along the drive, we’re taking notes for stops on the trip back to Perth. Top of the list is lunch and a walk down the famously long Bussleton Jetty, which stretches 1.8km into the spectacularly blue ocean.

The hotel has the best of beach and bush; it’s set on 35 acres of native gardens, and looks directly out to beautiful Bunker Bay.

Warm, moody, and full of promise: with its slate and limestone-stacked walls and ceilings lined with karri and jarrah timbers, this secluded hotel feels like a clubby lodge.

Past the grove of olive trees, the drama really starts as we walk through to the lobby to the walls of windows that frame the Indian Ocean. Bunker Bay’s charms are always on display, with the perfect sweep of beach before us, and we start our stay right, with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, perfect on a hot summer’s afternoon. We’re told that the colder months see a switch to a spicy mulled wine, for a cosy winter-beach vibe; think cable-knit jumpers and pom-pom beanies.

Check-in is swift and simple from the attentive front desk team, and we confirm our ALL Accor membership to collect our hotel loyalty points.

There are 150 self-contained villas at the resort, which curls around the white-sand Bunker Bay to put that dazzling view in the frame. You could choose from the couples-friendly studio or one-bedroom villas, or bring the whole fam and book out the two-bedroom villas, which sleep up to seven. Everything is at ground level, making it wheelchair and pram friendly.

While the whole property is secluded, our one-bedroom, lakeview villa takes it up a notch. Facing the resort’s lake, we’ve got front-row seats to the beach beyond; simply follow the private walkway and you’re on the curve of white sand.

Inside, it’s a soft, earthy palette of timber and stone, with huge windows overlooking the lake, and we listen for the ocean breezes and the shush of breakers hitting the shore. There’s a workstation if your holiday has blurred into a workation, but I’m avoiding making eye contact; ditto the gym!

Who doesn’t love to eat? One of Australia’s top foodie destinations and a premier wine region, Margaret River is my new heartland. It has some of the country’s best food and wine festivals, even a truffle festival each winter, if you’re a fan of the fungi.

Happily, that fine food pedigree continues into the hotel. I find the menu fresh and full of great options, with Asian and Mediterranean influences such as seared tuna with ponzu, or a buffalo mozzarella salad. I try to always eat local, so it’s great to see a hearty local venison loin featured, and the woodfired bread is a winner, as are the can’t-stop-eating Margaret River cheeses.

At lunchtime, we dial it back a little, with hot, fresh pizza and a Margaret River wagyu beef burger, because there are no carbs in holiday food, right?

It’s great to see the wine list is full of Margaret River heavyweights including Cullen, Moss, and Vasse Felix, alongside a suggested cellar-door touring route which we’ll use to taste some internationally celebrated wines at their birthplaces. And it’d be rude not to slip in a cheeky little gin from around these parts, courtesy of local distillery West Winds with a good range of local craft beers. Happily, there’s also a strong showing of non-alc options, with plenty of creative mocktails, which we take pool-side.

It’s hard to put the camera away and simply soak up the beauty of the isolated Cape Naturaliste and Bunker Bay, with its wide skies, turquoise waters and orange, lichen-covered boulders tumbling into the Indian Ocean.

The heated infinity pool overlooking the bay was made for socials, and we loved following the boardwalks to the beach for an early dip, and then back down again for the fabulous sunsets that set the sky afire.

The region is regarded as the best place in Western Australia to spot humpback and southern right whales, who pass through in the winter and spring on their way to and from Antarctica; that means a repeat visit from us.

Even in the resort’s Vie Spa, I’m immersed in the Australian landscape. I’ve booked some downtime here, and it’s a toss-up between a body scrub and a facial – the Australian-made lemon myrtle renewal body scrub from Ikou promises to detoxify and energise, and the fresh scents of local lemon myrtle are singing to me.

But in the end, I plump for plump, and choose the signature white flannel flower anti-ageing facial. The 90-minute treatment employs an acupressure face and scalp massage that extends even down to hands, arms and lower legs, and I emerge fresh as a flower, with skin softened and smoothed.

The hotel offers wedding packages, and the couples treatments would be perfect to massage away any organisational stress after the big day.

From swimming to coastal walks and wine tastings, it’s hard not to overload the itinerary; we pop in to nearby Dunsborough, renowned in gourmet circles for its fabulous food and wine, and a dip in Bunker Bay is obligatory. It’s safe and calm, and great for snorkelling and swimming, even for families with young kids.

While the Margaret River region is full of activities, we have to remind ourselves to take the time to slow down and simply immerse ourselves in the spectacular landscape and wildlife, through whale watching, bird watching, or simply ocean watching.

To walk off at least some of Margaret River’s great food, we take the easy one-hour loop walk to the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse. If I was being honest with myself, we really should be going all the way to Cape Leewin lighthouse, the 123km Cape to Cape walk.

This neck of the woods is also a surfer’s paradise - the Other Side of the Moon is not only the name of the hotel’s restaurant and bar, it’s also a sweet, left-hand reef break popular with local surfers. It gets its name from the lunar-like sand dunes nearby in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, which adjoins the resort.

The staff tip us off that black cockatoos love the Marri, a type of flowering eucalypt found around the property, so we keep our eyes and ears open for them, as well as kangaroos and the colourful ringneck parrots that we hear squabbling in the trees.

So, who’s it best for? As the song says, for lovers, dreamers, and me.

Getting there: Pullman Bunker Bay Resort, Margaret River Region is a three-hour drive (260km) south of Perth.

The details: (08) 9756 9100, 42 Bunker Bay Road, off Cape Naturaliste Rd, Naturaliste Western Australia, 6281, Australia