Howe totally divine
Framed by the top storey's bedroom window-wall and its deck are the granite guardian peaks of Mt Lidgbird and Mt Gower, and I wager many guests return home from Capella Lodge and download pictures of that view as a screen-saver.
It's not just the majesty of the scenery but the moodiness of the weather, the low clouds and bustling winds, the purity of the air and the unsullied landscape, the gymkhana ribbon blue of the deep sea; all the reviving elements that make time-stalled Lord Howe Island one of Australia's most
inviting destinations. So ensnaring, in fact, that Lord Howe Island has just been ranked No 1 across Australia for visitor satisfaction in a Tourism Research Australia Visitor Profile Satisfaction Report. Apparently 94 per cent of visitors were satisfied with their trip there; I can't imagine why the remaining 6 per cent could be unhappy, unless it is the sorry lack of discos, malls and tanning salons.
It is my fourth visit here and I hope not my last; just stepping off the quick QantasLink flight from Sydney (after a service of non-stop snacks and drinks from a genuinely happy attendant) and seeing cows beside the runway is enough to bring one down to earth.
