RATHER THAN the usual packing of a suitcase, our journey began with a set of keys. Specifically, a set of keys to the sculptural form of a shiny new Lexus LC 500, our carriage that would take us down into the green hills of the Mornington Peninsula and Jackalope Hotel. Low-slung, athletic and impossibly refined, it’s the sportiest car I have ever driven. It’s a machine so smooth and assured it made the freeway feel like a private runway. 

By the time we turned into the vineyard-lined driveway of Jackalope, the tone had already been set: considered luxury, one that had to be experienced. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the Jackalope Hotel and its aesthetic idiosyncrasies, the Louis Li-owned property operates at an intersection of gallery, winery and accommodation. As we step out of the car, we’re greeted by a whopping seven-metre-tall sculpture of the eponymous mythological jackalope, created by artist Emily Floyd. It’s surreal, arresting and unmistakably theatrical, acting as both guardian and provocation. The installation signals what Jackalope Hotels does so well: blur the line between art and hospitality.

The message is continued as soon as you step through the hotel’s doors. Artworks are carefully curated along the walls. Corridors become chapters. Light becomes a medium. The aesthetic is bold yet restrained – a delicate interplay between the ideal and the surreal, anchored by the vineyard that stretches endlessly beyond the infinity pool.

This investment in art as an immersive part of the hotel stay has led to a new cultural and cinematic experience at the hotel.

Following its successful launch in 2025, Jackalope Cinema, presented by Lexus, returns for March, transforming the hotel’s vineyard-facing pool deck into an open-air stage of cinematic classics and acclaimed films that are curated personally by Li. 

Set beside the infinity pool, guests are invited to experience film under the stars – wrapped in vineyard air, accompanied by elevated takes on nostalgic cinema fare, expertly crafted cocktails, and a bottomless offering of popcorn and house-made ice cream.

For those staying in vineyard-facing rooms, the experience becomes even more intimate: films can be enjoyed from private terraces, where the glow of the screen dances across the vines.

As Lexus General Manager, Wayne Gabriel, states, “At Lexus, luxury begins with experience. Jackalope Cinema, presented by Lexus, is a luxury destination to arrive in style, slow the pace, and let the film unfold. Every detail is considered, creating an experience that is immersive and intentional – where world-class cinema meets intuitive design, comfort, and consideration.”

At the heart of Lexus’s presence is its Encore program – a quietly powerful point of difference. True luxury, as Lexus defines it, is not about ownership but about access.

For Lexus Encore members, the collaboration extends well beyond the driveway. Benefits include a welcome drink when dining at Rare Hare and Doot Doot Doot, a complimentary transfer of up to 30 kilometres, a signature Jackalope room spray gifted in-room, estate wine tastings, discounted room rates, and preferred access to dining and spa experiences.

It’s a gesture of continuity – from road to room.

“Jackalope Cinema brings our vision of making luxury personal to life, through experiences that are intuitive, warm and thoughtfully crafted,” says Gabriel. “Our partnership with Jackalope allows us to create moments that extend beyond accommodation and stay with guests long after their visit.”

By the final evening, as the last film credits rolled and the vineyard dissolved into darkness, I realised more than ever that the entire experience isn’t defined by departure. It will be defined by arrival – in every sense. The arrival in a car engineered to turn heads without trying. The arrival at a hotel that treats art as infrastructure. The arrival at a pace that allows you to notice the details.

Check out the Jackalope Cinema, Presented by Lexus, March screening schedule here.

The writer stayed at Jackalope as a guest of Lexus.

Related:

What to eat, drink and do during the 2026 Australian F1 Grand Prix

Encore act: How owning a Lexus comes with so much more than just a car