We don’t encourage guests to hang around, or “cocoon”, in the lodge. Frankly, they get in the way of housekeeping and lunch set-up. Instead, we push guests out after breakfast to get some exercise. They’ll climb 400 vertical metres to Goat House on Mt Lidgbird for a stunning view of Lord Howe, or they’ll swim along Lagoon Beach for a coffee at Anchorage. Some will snorkel at Neds and see amazing coral just 10 metres off the beach, or dive on the southernmost barrier reef in the world with reef sharks and turtles. We don’t care what they do, so long as they burn some calories.
When they return for lunch, the breakfast ensemble has been replaced with our lunchtime “grazing table”. There are always a few one-dish salads, like our spice-roasted cauliflower salad with almonds, sultanas and mint, or our radicchio salad with apple, candied walnuts and goat’s cheese. The more substantial options may include our house paella, cooked on the grill by our chefs, or our spanner-crab bhajis with green-mango chutney.
For those who want something simple, we also have a spread of freshly-sliced leg ham, cheese, tomato, leaf greens and other ingredients to make a sandwich on our home-made bread. People appreciate the simple stuff, but they tend to eat the sandwich as well as the salads and chef specials. Willpower is pathetic at Pinetrees.
