The Timothée Resort—Busselton
The Timothée Resort in Western Australia is a retro lovers dream—once a Busselton motel, the Mediterranean-inspired getaway is equal parts nostalgia and luxury.
WORDS Hande Renshaw PHOTOS Peggy Voir & Taj Kempe
The Timothée Resort pool invites a sense of relaxation and escape. Photo: Peggy Voir
The vision for The Timothée was to combine the luxury of a hotel with the social atmosphere often found at caravan parks. Photo: Peggy Voir. Main hero photo: Taj Kempe
The Timothée Resort incudes 33 thoughtfully crafted rooms, featuring commissioned artwork from award winning West Australian oil-painter, Mia Laing. Photo: Peggy Voir
Recycled plastic door hangers from Precious Plastic Margaret River. Photo: Peggy Voir
Thoughtfully designed rooms include in-house luxuries! Photo: Peggy Voir
Retro charm can be found in details throughout the resort, such as the terracotta-coloured doors. Photo: Peggy Voir
Within the rooms you will find complimentary drip coffee from local favourites Margaret River Roasting Co. Photo: Peggy Voir
“We love the social vibe of the classic motel, unlike hotels where you’re trapped in a maze of hallways, motels encourage a bit of interaction with lots of outdoor communal spaces often overlooking central swimming pools and large grounds.”
The Timothée Resort cottage kitchen sits down by the river, firepit and BBQ, equipped with everything you need for meal times. Photo: Peggy Voir
‘We imagine our guests meeting other travellers around the pool, at our BBQ by the river, or at the on-site restaurant before retiring back to their room with all the modern luxuries,’ says Jamie Brady. Photo: Peggy Voir
Enjoy WA-made Idle Hands cocktails by the pool or some old school fun with retro board games, badminton and lawn games. Photo: Peggy Voir
Guests can make use of complimentary bikes to pedal into Busselton. Photo: Peggy Voir
Nestled on the banks of the Vasse River in the Margaret River region, The Timothée Resort is one of Busselton’s original motels—named after the French explorer Thomas ‘Timothée’ Vasse.
Back in 2022, local husband and wife team, Jamie and Alice Brady took over the quintessential Australian motel, and got to work thoughtfully crafting the interior spaces and exterior, with the help of Bel.Bon. Design, and branding agency Blank Slate Creative.
‘Growing up in the caravan park industry, we always thought motels were an overlooked part of the tourism industry in regional Australia. Often located in prime spots with great bones, large guest rooms, and parking right at the door,’ shares Jamie.
The couple were drawn to the social aspects of the classic motel—unlike a typical hotel where there’s separation between guests, motels are known for encouraging connection and interaction, with larger grounds and outdoor communal spaces that commonly overlook a swimming pool.
‘Alice and I had been watching as some iconic old motels on the East Coast got a second chance at life, and we thought WA was missing out,’ says Jamie.
From the get-go, the vision for The Timothée was to combine the luxury of a hotel with the social atmosphere often found at a caravan park. With 33 rooms, an outdoor heated pool, The Curry Port (a local favourite on-site restaurant), a communal BBQ area, fire pit, and a tennis court, Timothée Resort fortuitously had a Mediterranean feel when the couple took over, complete with arches and solid cream double brick walls. Honouring the original retro style, the new motel infuses classic Palm Springs details in to the design, such as terracotta-coloured doors, breeze block walls, and mint-green striped umbrellas around the palm tree-lined swimming pool.
‘We’ve gone all in with refurbishing our rooms with custom joinery, premium mattresses and bedding, digital door locks for flexible check-in, and commissioned artwork from a local artist. We’ve ditched single-use plastic bathroom amenities and replaced them with a refillable Australian skin care range, drip coffee from the local legends at Margaret River Roasting Co, and we’ve even sourced recycled plastic homewares from Precious Plastic Margaret River,’ says Alice.
The Timothée Resort is proudly eco-minded, equipped with 84 solar panels and an electric vehicle charging station, as well replacing single-use plastic bathroom amenities with luxury skincare amenities housed in refillable bottles. The resort also favours line drying their washed linen/bedding, and strives to select only local and Australian made products and furniture.
‘We want our guests to enjoy modern luxuries in a fun environment, making old memories new again—we imagine our guests meeting other travellers around the pool, at our BBQ by the river, or at the on-site restaurant before retiring back to their room with all the modern luxuries,’ says Jamie.
Book your stay at The Timothée Resort here.
The Timothée Resort
70 Causeway Road, Busselton, Western Australia 6281