High demand for rental luxury
It is right on Lancelin beach and had six huge bedrooms, a heated pool, 500-thread count sheets and fishing gear - and for $21,000 a week it is all yours.
Solitude, a $6 million mansion owned by businessman Kim Illman, is the cream of an opulent crop of holiday homes.
Despite eye-watering fees, the demand for luxury home accommodation is still strong - in the South West they are booked up to 12 months in advance - and Solitude, which charges a $21,000 weekly rent during Christmas and New Year, is booked out during December and January.
"The luxury homes are very exclusive … there are not very many places with the beach of that sort of quality, in terms of value for money and location - it is so pristine and beautiful," said David Moyes, owner of Private Properties, which manages high-end holiday homes in the South West.
Mr Moyes said 30 per cent of his guests came from Hong Kong and Singapore. One of the priciest homes on his books is Jahangir in Eagle Bay. It rents for $14,000 a week at peak season and has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and an infinity pool.
Joe White, of Real Estate Institute of WA South West, said most exclusive holiday homes were renting in areas such as Bunker Bay and Eagle Bay for between $1000 and $10,000 a week.
Mr White said executive rentals in the South West were under pressure, with Bali increasingly become a more attractive escape.
"For a similar or even cheaper price, people can have a luxury holiday in Bali with the added benefit of exotic food, in-house servants, duty-free goods and a stronger sense of having actually been away on a holiday," he said.
In Broome, Koolinda by the Bay at Roebuck Bay rents for almost $1200 a night and is fully booked for the festive season.
"The Broome holiday scene is dominated by self-contained, resort-style accommodation, the supply of which has increased by 40 per cent since 2006," REIWA Broome branch chairman Tony Hutchinson said. "This increase of supply coupled with a fall in tourist numbers has resulted in a very competitive market."
