The argument over what qualifies as humanity’s greatest invention is always an invigorating one, and “sliced bread” gets a surprising number of mentions, right up there with A-grade answers like antibiotics, anesthetic and the internet.

There’s no doubt that the invention of the wheel should rank highly, because it led to us having cars, but recently, as Sydney’s summer has sizzled to the point where you can cook bacon on your forehead, I have a new personal favourite - Mazda’s ventilated seats.

Mazda CX-90 Comfort Features: Ventilated Seats and Everyday Luxury

When the temperature soars past 40 degrees, there can be few greater joys than pressing a button in your plush-seated Mazda CX-90 and feeling an invention of great genius instantly cooling your back and legs, not, in fact, by blowing cold air on them - which is what it gloriously feels like - but by “wicking” warm air and moisture away from you using a vacuum-like effect.

This - along with the heated steering wheel and seats, front and rear - is the kind of luxury our fire-worshipping ancestors could only have dreamed of, and it’s just one of the many high-end inclusions that make this particular Azami Takumi version of the up-market, yet affordable CX-90 so desirable.

A Luxury SUV Designed for Weekend Escapes

When it comes to luxury, there’s no doubt that you should engage in as much of it as possible as often as you can afford to, which is why this Mazda seemed perfect for a trip to Pretty Beach House, a form of accommodation that’s both exclusive - there’s only room here for four couples to be spoiled silly each evening - and all-inclusive.

Worthy of mentioning in the same sentence as vented seats and, yes, possibly the best thing since sliced bread, all-inclusive resorts like Pretty Beach House provide a form of hallowed holidaying, during which the answer is always “yes”, although they can also be defined by the single word “more”.

Mazda CX-90 Azami Takumi: Premium Features and Refined Craftsmanship

Much like the Azami Takumi variant of the CX-90, which includes every option you could imagine - Nappa leather, a panoramic sunroof, 12-speaker Bose sound system, body-coloured cladding and spectacular Artisan Red paint, the list goes on - what you spend on a “room” (although that term seems entirely insufficient to describe the small house we stayed in) at this beautiful bush location includes everything a heart, or stomach, could desire.

That means, from $2250 a night, you and the other very few guests are treated to all dining, an open bar with premium wines, spirits and a range of cocktails, snacks, refreshments and even mountain bike hire, should you have the energy to exercise after all the eating.

An Immersive Australian TRIP Just Outside Sydney

What you notice instantly after arrival is that you are, despite being just 100km, or 90 minutes, from Sydney’s CBD, surrounded and embraced by gum trees. Everything seems to be built from timber and to give off the rich scent of Australian forests.

It’s no surprise to hear that Pretty Beach House is very popular with international visitors, because it feels, smells and sounds, thanks to the bush-bird chorus, so intensely and wondrously Aussie.

And that’s just the main dining room, which, again, features a chef and staff working tirelessly to serve just eight people, which makes it feel intensely personal, and special.

A walk down a winding path took us to our pavilion, Hideaway, which was huge, open plan and offered a large outdoor area, entirely private, with our own heated pool, day bed and comfortable lounging chairs ideal for reading.

Mazda CX-90 Driving Experience: Confidence on Steep and Challenging Roads

To experience all this, however, you need a car strong enough to climb a mountain and, no doubt, in certain conditions, one with all-wheel drive and Off Road mode, like our intrepid CX-90.

When you book into Pretty Beach House you are advised about the steep driveway that you must conquer to get to the accommodation, and it’s tempting to think they are exaggerating, but it really is quite something, with a serious gradient and a slope that seems to disappear into the sky. I would not like to be forced to walk up it, even to access all the goodness that awaits at the top.

Guests are advised that “it is best to come up at a fast, safe speed”, which sounds slightly oxymoronic, although I can see some small, older cars becoming stranded halfway (staff tell me that some people have not made it, but they have been kind enough to rescue them).

Power and Refinement: Inside the Mazda CX-90 Performance

Our Mazda CX-90, amply powered as it is by a 3.3-litre inline six-cylinder turbocharged engine making 254kW and 500Nm of torque, powered its way up this serious climb with ease and was welcomed by staff who declared themselves taken aback by just how lovely it looks.

One waitress, who says she sees a lot of very expensive vehicles parked there, as you would expect, said she thought the bold front end, in particular, was Bentley like, which is pleasant praise.

She was so taken with it, in fact, that she asked to look inside, where we could show off the simply stunning dash treatment, with its beautiful white cloth and unique Kakenui stitching, which is based on the traditional art of Japanese braiding.

Crafted for Comfort: A Premium SUV Experience Beyond the Drive

Both that delectable dash and the touch and feel of the timber panels in the doors and console came to mind that afternoon as I was examining the many options for sustenance in the plush, beautifully bound leather compendium in our Hideaway.

Similarly, the hugely comfortable lounging chairs in our living area reminded me of the two Captain’s Chairs in the second row of our six-seat CX-90, which, before we ditched them for this adults-only location, my children had so enjoyed being chauffeured around in all week.

After a simple but spectacular lunch of traditional Italian ragu and pasta, accompanied by freshly baked sourdough, we took some hours off to prepare for our dinner, a four-course degustation meal with matching wines that featured a caviar appetiser, a carrot soup with pancetta crumble and a swordfish main course that was almost, but not quite, a struggle to fit in after so much eating (the pre-dinner cheese plate delivered to our room may have been a mistake, but when one is going all-inclusive it feels wrong not to try absolutely everything).

Breakfast the next morning was similarly superb and then, incredibly, guests must do it all again, as Pretty Beach House insists, wisely, on a minimum two-night stay to fully appreciate all that it has to offer (and by the look of the fireplaces, both in the dining room and the pavilions, it might be even more impressive to visit again in winter).