A world class boutique hotel.
We, Ali & Xochi, welcome you to our little slice of paradise
Welcome to Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat. An enchanting rainforest paradise at the edge of Kondalilla National Park in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. We fell in love with the magic of this property the first time we saw it. We knew these six villas nestled in nature were incredible, a place that sparks special memories.
The beauty of Narrows Escape is that it is a boutique property and we have the luxury of personally welcoming you and getting to know what we can do to help make your stay exceptional. Whether it is sharing our secrets on the best spots in town or our favourite walks or water holes, or helping you organise an extra special little something for your loved one. It is connecting with you and being a part of these little touches that brings smiles to our faces and makes us love what we do.
We invite you to come and delight in this magical paradise as much as we do.
Ali ❤ Xochi
Ali – Disarmingly charming with an infectious laugh, Ali is an entrepreneur in the truest sense. His working life started at age 7, working in a hotel. Ali quickly took to life in the hospitality industry and worked a diverse array of jobs before managing his first backpacker hostel at the age of 15. Ali’s warmth and charm saw him create excellent networks in the Tourism Industry.
In 2003 he got the opportunity to live and work in Finland and this enabled him to save the money to achieve his dream of building a hotel. Hotel Helsinki House opened in 2014 and has received prestigious awards such as twice receiving Trip Advisors “Travellers Choice Award for best boutique hotels in all of India”. In 2018 Ali designed and built his second hotel, Boutique Helsinki.
Ali never stops dreaming. His dreams for Narrows Escape will continue to unfold, so we hope you will continue coming back year after year and come on this journey with us.
Xochi – Daydreamer, adventurer, and quietly confident, Xochi enjoys the little details in life. She was born and raised in Queensland but also spent a great deal of her childhood in Sweden, where her father is from. This inspired her love of nature and the outdoors that has seen her travel to all corners of the globe.
Xochi worked in various iconic Melbourne bars while completing her post-graduate degree in Psychology and Criminology at the University of Melbourne.
A chance meeting in Jaisalmer saw Ali turn on all his charms to capture Xochi’s attention. Love blossomed over hotel dreams, sketchbooks of ideas, and endless cups of chai. The chai’s been replaced by coffee and the deserts been placed by rainforest but dreaming and designing continue. This is just the beginning of our Narrows Escape journey, we hope you travel this road with us.
In 2021 we won TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Award
#1 Romantic Hotel in the World
This is an incredible achievement and we are so honoured to have such wonderful guests who have taken the time to review our product and service. We are so grateful for this recognition and we continue to strive to give our guests the very best experience.
Narrow Escape Rainforest Retreat acknowledges the Kabi Kabi peoples and the Jinibara peoples whose lands and waters we all now share. The Traditional Owners’ unique values and ancient and enduring cultures deepen and enrich the lives of our communities.
Through important cultural events such as the Bunya Festival, this region has been a place of celebration, abundance, connection and kinship for thousands of years. Every three years from December to February, thousands of First Nations people from across Queensland descended on the Sunshine Coast to feast on the bunya nut, meet friends and relatives, and engage in trade, governance meetings, cultural activities, marriages and dispute settlement, Many people walked hundreds of kilometres for this important festival.
Truth-telling is a significant part of our journey. We are committed to better understanding the collective history of the Sunshine Coast and the experiences of First Nations people. Legacy issues relating from colonisation are still experienced by Traditional Owners and First Nations people. We recognise our shared history and will continue to work in partnership to provide a shared future with the Kabi Kabi people and the Jinibara people.
Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Sunshine Coast and pays respect to their elders past, present and emerging.
Together, we are stronger.
Narrows Escape Rainforest is a proud supporter of the Tourism Industry. It is an active member of the following organisations:
- Villa wastewater is recycled onto the grounds via an Aqua nova Bio cycle system.
- Two 40,000 litre underground rainwater tank supplies the villas. Water is sourced from rainwater captured from the main residence and supplemented by water drawn natural bore in accordance with local government guidelines.
- Modern dual flush toilets installed with low volume water flush.
- Guests are encouraged to reuse towels and linen before laundering.
- A Speed Queen front loading washing machine is used for most villa laundry, using only 44 litres of water for a 9.5kg wash. This is supplemented by a Maytag top loading washing machine. Both machines are commercial grade, renowned for long life and low energy use rating. High efficiency Speed Queen gas tumble dryers are used for on premise drying.
- 90% of all lights are LED globes, with the remainder energy efficient CF lamps Natural lighting is maximised in living areas with skylights installed in all villas.
- On demand gas hot water systems ensuring water is only heated as used.
- Timer switches used on all outdoor lighting, adjusted seasonally.
- Fuel efficient Weber Q closed lid BBQs are provided for guests.
- We encourage our guests to help us be environmentally friendly by turning off air-conditioning and lights when leaving the villa.
- Environmentally friendly biodegradable phosphate free cleaning products are used.
- Food scraps are recycled in our compost and worm farms.
- Guests are encouraged to participate in recycling: Compost bins and recycling bins are provided in all villas.
- Disposable and portion control packaging is minimised.
- Guest food supplies are sourced locally with an emphasis on regional, seasonal produce. Artisan food products made with local ingredients are supplied to guests.
- We have planted fruit trees that will hopefully supply our guests in the future.
- We grow our own organic produce to supply our guests with the freshest and most delicious salads.
- Land for wildlife member
- All garden areas are mulched to conserve water in the soil
- Hardy plants and natives are chosen for the garden
- Environmentally friendly biodegradable phosphate free cleaning products are used.
- Our bath products are all organic and free from nasty chemicals
- Our throws are from Seljak Brand and are made from closed loop practices.
- We use natural banksia diffusers with pure essential oil
- We have started phase one of our project to become solar powered by removing some trees that were blocking the amount of sunlight that can be captured by rooftop solar panels
- We are currently researching the best way to have and maintain beehives on our land
- 90% of all lights are LED globes, with the remainder energy efficient CF lamps Natural lighting is maximised in living areas with skylights installed in all villas.
- On demand gas hot water systems ensuring water is only heated as used.
- Timer switches used on all outdoor lighting, adjusted seasonally.
- Fuel efficient Weber Q closed lid BBQs are provided for guests.
- We encourage our guests to help us be environmentally friendly by turning off air-conditioning and lights when leaving the villa.
We believe in conscious luxury.
We believe that even lavish and indulgent travel can still have a small footprint. Sustainable and ethical tourism is at the forefront of our minds, so you can rest easy knowing that you are supporting a business that supports the environment. We are advance eco-certified. We know that climate change is a real challenge facing us all. Every effort counts, that is why we are continuously striving towards becoming a greener business. We have solar panels to harness natural energy, a hybrid car to offset emissions, we source all of our food locally and produce what we can ourselves to limit our carbon footprint, for instance, we have chickens and bees. We encourage you, our guests to reuse your towels throughout your stay and our rooms are designed to limit heating/cooling requirements in warmer and cooler months. We favor the purchase of products that are ethically sourced and produced and we hope that you are inspired to make some little adjustments in your life that will reduce your footprint, and in turn, reduce the impacts of climate change.
The projected changes on the Sunshine Coast region due to climate change include changes such as sea-level rise, higher minimum, and maximum temperatures, more hot days and fewer cold nights, lower annual average rainfall and extended droughts, more frequent and more intense bushfires, more intense storms, increasing tendency for cyclones to track south, increasing risk from large hailstorms and an associated increase in storm surges along the coastline. These changes pose very real problems to our area and our ability to sustain living in our environment and enjoying the natural beauties and recreational activities offered in and around the Sunshine Coast region. It was only at the end of 2019 that we experienced increased bush fires and drought in the area. Our creek bed was dry and our rainforest was very thirsty. Being aware of the impacts of climate change and the steps that you can take as an individual to mitigate these, is incredibly important. It is only through working together and adopting eco-conscious practices in your everyday life, including your leisure and travel activities, that change can be achieved.
Narrows Escape Awards
