33 Best Hotels in Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

This beachfront property just south of Palm Cove has its priorities right: Kewarra's sensitively designed bungalows and restored pioneer's cottage overlook rain forests teeming with wildlife, free-form pools, or a private white-sand beach. The eco-friendly lodgings bring comfort with their silky wood floors, custom furnishings, high-tech appointments, and simply furnished balconies or terraces. There's a glorious restaurant, bar, and airy lobby; a beach shack; and a lovely day spa, and there are various on-site activities such as guided morning nature walks, sunrise yoga, and tai chi sessions. Browse the boutiques, book a spa treatment, take a dip, go sea kayaking, or do some serious lounging. If you must venture off-site, the helpful concierge and Adventure Desk can arrange customized excursions and transfers via car or helicopter to Cairns, Palm Cove, and the airport. The resort also offers good-value multiday packages, some including dinners with wine, spa treatments, and reef, rain-forest, and tablelands tours.

This unpretentious, eco-friendly resort epitomizes laid-back luxury, with sleekly appointed beachfront rooms, suites, and villas; romantic alfresco dining; boutique wines; and numerous outdoor activities included in the rate. Beachfront rooms come with sleek modern furnishings and private patios, air-conditioning, and plenty of creature comforts, including well-stocked minibars, coffeemakers, iPod docks, and flat-screen LED TVs. The property has a maximum of 28 guests, so no one competes for watercraft at the beaches or sun lounges around the infinity pool. Rates, discounted for longer stays, include all meals, select Australian wines, beers and soft drinks, unlimited use of dinghies, nonmotorized watercraft, light fishing tackle and snorkeling gear, and one nature-based island activity a day.

Fine landscaping, pools, barbecues, and sunny areas for relaxation enhance this classy colonial-style vacation complex fronting a palm-shaded white-sand beach. The resort's vast apartment-style suites have large verandas, comfortable lounging and dining areas, large flat-screen TVs, and up to four capacious bedrooms. There are also full kitchens and laundry facilities. The spa's open-air and indoor pavilions offer several soothing treatments. Nu Nu Restaurant serves fine modern international cuisine, excellent wines, and tropical cocktails.

Billing itself as "the ultimate in barefoot luxury," the laid-back, exclusive, child-free Bedarra Island Resort hosts no more than 20 guests in modern, eco-friendly accommodations, spoiling them with fine food and service, and upscale amenities. All 10 villas have large private balconies, comfy king beds, ceiling fans, minibars, espresso machines, and LED TVs; some have outdoor showers, daybeds, and plunge pools. Guests congregate in the open-sided restaurant for tropical buffet breakfasts, varied lunch offerings, and multicourse dinners that showcase seafood and regional produce. All meals and drinks are included in the rate. Nature-based activities and use of water-sports equipment are complimentary.

This attractive hotel has an enviable location near the waterfront, a flotilla of services, and classy on-site drinking and dining options. Built around a central, open-air atrium, Hilton Cairns has large, stylishly furnished rooms and suites with all the amenities you'd expect of a modern business hotel and some pleasant additions you might not, including big, breezy furnished balconies. Spa rooms have large hydrotherapy tubs for postdive-trip pummelings. Enjoy a sundowner at Gin Social, or partake from the eclectic menu at Mondo Café Bar and Grill, overlooking Trinity Inlet.

The clean, spacious, self-contained studios at this friendly low-rise motel just outside of town make it a practical base for those who don't mind a short walk or cycle to Port Douglas's center. The studios come with fridges, microwaves, tea/coffeemaking facilities, and a minibar with milk and soft drinks, replenished daily. All are air-conditioned, with kitchenettes, desks, ceiling fans, free Wi-Fi, cool tile floors, and small patios. There's a spotless guest laundry, lovely tropical gardens, a free-form heated pool and bikes for guests' use. Continental breakfasts can be delivered to your door. Lazy Lizard is conveniently close to the beach, town, bars, and restaurants, but far enough away to be a restful retreat.

Beloved by honeymooners, divers, and well-heeled travelers, this outer Great Barrier Reef resort ticks all the high-end tropical-island vacation boxes: luxurious beachfront accommodation, fine food and wine, and world-class diving and fishing. The beachside rooms, suites, and sumptuous villas have sail-shaded, furnished decks and views of the turquoise bay. Simple but comfortable rooms reflect the beachy environs with restful oceanic blue, sand, and white color palettes, polished wood floors and blinds, tropical ceiling fans (as well as air-conditioning), and private, furnished verandas. A freshwater swimming pool, day spa, a compact gym, a small boutique, and a guest library and lounge are just some of the facilities that await guests.

With beautiful Four-Mile Beach just outside and shops and eateries a brisk walk away, these comfortable, expansive, fully equipped apartments are in an excellent location. The regular units are large, but the pricier "Beachfront" units, which have two-person spa tubs and are closer to the shore, are huge. One-bedroom apartments are actually two-bedroom units with one bedroom locked off (available for the same rate as a two-bedroom during high season). Every apartment has a kitchen with all appliances, including a dishwasher, stove top, full-size refrigerator, and a washer-dryer. Families can rent strollers and highchairs. There are also two on-site pools and a tennis court. Make sure you meet Milo the dog, who might join you on a beach walk or curl up on your sofa if you want some company.

Catering to a privileged few, Hamilton Island's most exclusive resort has a tranquil and decadent ambience, private beach, infinity-edge pools, and a complex of luxe, well-appointed freestanding pavilions. The pavilions, handcrafted from Australian timbers, stone, and glass, harmonize beautifully with the tropical surroundings and have expansive, flow-through lounge areas with designer furnishings and high-end entertainment systems opening onto large private decks. Activities include guided walks, kayaking and snorkeling tours, diving, fishing, sailing, scenic flights, golfing, and catered, crewed cruises. Dozens of resort facilities and services are included in the price—breakfasts, room and concierge service, nonalcoholic drinks, the use of water-sports equipment, wireless Internet, 24-hour chauffeur service, and buggies to get to the resort complex.

Part of a lively entertainment complex in the heart of Cairns, this high-end hotel has spacious rooms and suites, as well as several restaurants and bars, a theater, a casino, an outdoor swimming pool, and a small wildlife sanctuary and ropes course in its rooftop dome. All accommodations have ceiling fans, plantation shutters, floor-to-ceiling windows, spa baths, and balconies. Soy Kitchen Street Food serves quality Asian dishes; the acclaimed Tamarind does contemporary cuisine with a twist; Bar36 serves up tapas and cocktails with live music acts often performing, and Flinders Bar & Grill is an inexpensive, tasty option inside the casino.

This beautiful, retreat-like resort and Advanced Ecotourism–certified hotel in the heart of the rain forest has luxe tree houses and suites clustered around an expansive open-sided lodge, day spa, and lagoon pool. All accommodations have recently been upgraded, and have minibars, aromatherapy-oil burners, and balconies. Tree houses and suites come with polished timber floors, large hot tubs, rain-forest showers, and bigger balconies with hammocks and daybeds. The Lodge's open-sided Tree House bar and restaurant serves gourmet breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Full breakfasts and a raft of activities (river snorkeling, bicycles, tennis, and, in season, guided walks and morning yoga) are included in the price. The tour desk can arrange excursions by horseback, helicopter, or hot-air balloon, as well as cruises, Indigenous-guided rain-forest walks, and adventure activities.

This attractive, two-story colonial-style hotel in the heart of town is the best bet in Cooktown. There are plenty of on-site facilities, including a large swimming pool, laundry facilities, car rental outlet, free Wi-Fi, the town's most upscale restaurant, and a sociable bar. With a wide front veranda and horizontal wide-slat shutters, the resort has the air of a plantation house. Guest rooms and apartments are simply but smartly outfitted with tiled floors, lounge areas, flat-screen TVs, and balconies with views. The Balcony Restaurant and Cocktail Bar is particularly good, serving classic Aussie dishes and showcasing local seafood. À la carte breakfast is served daily on the veranda.

Set on 145 acres of private beach, coconut groves, and forest, this eco-certified nature lodge is about low-key luxury. Guesthouses, linked by meandering, stone-lined paths, are comfy, eco-designed refuges with polished-wood floors and forest or ocean views. Open-sided, canopy-level Osprey's Restaurant, bar, lounge, and reading room have stupendous vistas of the Coral Sea and rain-forest-clad mountains. Sunset cocktails and buffet breakfasts here are accompanied by colorful parrots in the canopy and a cacophony of birdcalls. There are two natural swimming pools (one split-level, with waterfalls and grottoes), bush-walking trails, a serene wellness center, and areas for secluded sunbathing. Eco-friendly activities include wildlife, bird-watching, coconut plantation walks, cultural performances, and turtle-spotting from sea kayaks.

With the town's small beach at its doorstep, three eateries and bars downstairs, and the main street directly behind it, this hotel makes a comfy and convenient base. The modern rooms and spacious suites have free Wi-Fi access, flat-screen TVs, bar fridges, and tea/coffee-making facilities; most open onto big balconies overlooking the palm-lined waterfront or town. You can also stay in smaller, ground-level motel-style rooms. There's a nice pool, a guest laundry, and a tour desk on-site.

The sociable public areas at this family-friendly complex include a lovely lagoon pool, a guest laundry, and the terrific Bayleaf Balinese Restaurant & Bar. The main complex offers simple but spacious double, family, and studio rooms, some with balconies. The second-floor rooms are quieter, if you don't mind lugging your bags upstairs. Across the road are two- and three-bedroom apartments that are slightly more modern and larger and have their own, more private pool, internal laundries, and fully equipped kitchens.

A handful of simple but comfortable, solar-powered cabins sit among rambutan, mangosteen, and breadfruit trees on this 40-hectare exotic fruit farm. Each cabin has an en suite bathroom, insect screens, and a veranda with rain forest and mountain views. Three are air-conditioned—though as cooling breezes blow off Mount Sorrow, you may not need it. In the central farmhouse are a guest lounge, kitchen, and laundry. There is also a communal kitchen with a wood-fired pizza oven for guests' use and a shed full of free coconuts (if you can crack them). Commune with fellow guests around the nightly campfire, and wake to a chorus of birdsong.

The elegant solar-powered tree houses at this impeccably run boutique retreat invite relaxation and romance. All come with king-size, Balinese-style beds swathed in white mosquito-netting, under-floor lighting, fridges, and sea-breezy balconies overlooking the rain forest and out to the Coral Sea. There are no TVs or karaoke nights here; just a cacophony of birdcalls and several quiet walking trails, rain-forest waterholes, and unspoiled beaches to explore. Mingle with fellow guests around the infinity-edge pool and at low-key evenings around the Lodge's Python Bar, crafted from rosewood mahogany. Continental breakfasts include tropical fruit salad, cereals, organic yogurt, and warm croissants with homemade jams, but after that you're on your own foodwise, though there are several restaurants and cafés in the vicinity (bringing a vehicle, or at least provisions, is a must). Your host can arrange tours, reef trips, jungle surfing, horse-riding, rain forest walks, and restaurant bookings.  For best results, book your stay directly through the property's website.

These well-appointed luxe apartments and penthouses perched above Port Douglas's main strip have state-of-the-art furnishings and appliances, freestanding spa baths, and large entertaining spaces including big, furnished balconies or decks, some with outdoor barbecues and plunge pools. For couples and small groups, the three-bedroom set-ups can be reconfigured as one- or two-bedroom accommodations. In-house massages and tours are easily arranged and there are catering options—from having your fridge stocked on arrival to arranging a special dinner (and, if you like, a chef to cook it). There's a helpful reception and tour desk, undercover parking, and a 20-meter (66-foot) lap pool in the compact but landscaped grounds. Cafés, bars, boutiques, and the beach are a mere stroll away.

At this 30-acre boutique eco-resort in the ancient Daintree rain forest, elevated boardwalks protect the fragile environs and link the day spa, heated pool, restaurant/bar, and 15 freestanding tree houses or "bayans." All are air-conditioned and equipped with ceiling fans, satellite TVs, and king-size canopy beds. Every bayan has a balcony with mosquito screens. Julaymba Restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serves modern Australian food (average main course A$38) incorporating local seafood and fresh seasonal produce. There's an adjoining bar/lounge, a small gallery-gift shop, and a large outdoor dining deck. Activities here include guided rain-forest walks, relaxing treatments in the day spa, longer excursions with Indigenous-owned Walkabout Cultural Adventures, and Daintree River wildlife-spotting cruises. Note that no kids under six are allowed at the resort.

The upscale amenities and no-kids policy mean this hotel swarms with couples, who can cool off in the infinity-edge pool, enjoy meals poolside, or admire the Catseye Beach and Coral Sea views from their private balconies or courtyards. Rooms, which all have ocean vistas, are adorned with chic modern furnishings and high-end entertainment systems. Public areas are spacious and stylishly appointed. Nightly rates include the use of the 24-hour buggy chauffeur service (including free airport and marina transfers); a small library stocked with magazines, books, and games; all non-motorized watercraft; and sports-fitness facilities nearby. The staff is friendly, but don't expect them to go that extra mile.  Ask for a higher room to get a Coral Sea view.

Spacious, self-contained, and with a relaxed island vibe, these steep-roofed, freestanding bungalows are great for families and self-sufficient travelers. Each Polynesian-style hut has a private furnished balcony with a hammock, cool tile or polished-wood floors, a basic kitchenette with cutlery and bar fridge, a king-size bed and divan, air-conditioning, and ceiling fans.

All hotel rooms here are comfortable, with private balconies, but only hotel rooms on the fifth floor and above live up to the name, with their unbroken Coral Sea vistas. Meanwhile, rooms on lower levels overlook a landscaped, tropical garden and pool. One- and two-bedroom Terrace and split-level suites on the 17th, 18th, and 19th levels in particular have fantastic ocean views. Guests get complimentary use of Hamilton's windsurfers, catamarans, paddle skis, and snorkeling gear as well as sports club facilities and return airport transfers. There's an on-site tour desk and a well-equipped business center.

The well-appointed studio rooms and apartments at Pullman’s gorgeous Palm Cove property have private balcony or terrace areas, high-definition flat-screen TVs, and comfortable beds with memory-foam pillows. Those who have business to do will appreciate the in-room work desk, ergonomic rolling chair, and free Wi-Fi access. The resort has a state-of-the-art business lounge, a well-equipped gym, and day spa. There's a golf course and a beach with jet-skis nearby. You can rent bicycles from reception.

The smartly configured studios and suites at this hotel are a five-minute walk from Palmer Street's bar and dining precinct, and an easy stroll across the footbridge from Flinders Street and the ferry port. Podlike accommodations are long and narrow but cleverly designed, with laundries, compact kitchens, and work desks. All have balconies and fast Wi-Fi. There are some useful guest facilities, too: a small gym, an outdoor pool, a business center, and free on-site parking. Don't expect five-star service, but if you're looking for a good base, this ticks the right boxes.

This beachfront property houses self-catering travelers at alluringly reasonable rates. Relax in simple but stylishly furnished bures (tropical-style bungalows), A-frame bungalows, villas, and suites, all with balconies and hammocks or daybeds, strung along a palm-fringed, white-sand shore and scattered around the tropical grounds. While there, you'll have free rein of the resort, including its kitchen, dining room, lounge, media room, day spa, tennis courts, saltwater pool, and kayaks. The resort is mostly self-catering, though staff are on hand 24/7 to clean up and make drinks at the bar, and Azure restaurant does basic lunches and dinners five days a week. While the island shop has food supplies, it's cheaper to bring your own from the mainland. Cooking is a cinch in the resort's guest kitchen. With few tourists and no TVs, piped music, or organized activities, the ambience here is peaceful. Wallabies, goannas, brush turkeys, and big-eyed curlews wander freely about the grounds, and kookaburras cackle from the trees. If you're keen to explore neighboring islands, beaches, and the reef, scenic flights, day cruises, and diving can be arranged through the resort.

The expansive one- to three-bedroom apartments at this high-end hillside resort are tailored for comfort, with spa baths the size of small cars, designer decor and appliances, high-end entertainment systems, free Wi-Fi, and big, furnished balconies with great views of the bay and yacht club. The resort is a steep trek (or about a A$12 taxi ride) from Airlie's main strip (or before 11 pm take the resort shuttle, but it only runs every two hours). In-house dining at Tides restaurant is sophisticated, if pricey, offering breakfast, pool-side lunch, and Modern Australian dinners. On-site facilities include a licensed bar, a wet-edge pool, a well-equipped gym, and an endota spa that offers detox, destress, and anti-aging treatments using organic Australian ingredients. Reef trips and water sports are at your doorstep, but there's plenty of incentive to stay put.

Its beachfront location, excellent on-site dining, and tropical suites make this laid-back resort popular with city dwellers seeking upscale relaxation. With three magnificent lagoon pools and a day spa, it's not hard to find a spot to relax. The open-air lobby opens onto compact but well-landscaped grounds and the largest of the Club's three pools, with a soothing waterfall nearby. All rooms and suites have contemporary furnishings, flat-screen TVs, ceiling fans, minibars and/or fridges, and large balconies or courtyards; spa rooms have balcony two-person spa baths, and deluxe rooms have rooftop Jacuzzis. You can rent a quad bike, chill out with a cocktail at the swim-up bar, or receive a treatment at the Day Spa, which does everything from detoxifying body treatments to Vichy showers and massage.

The hotel and studio rooms, apartments, and penthouse suites at waterfront Blue on Blue are stylishly designed, with high-end entertainment systems, luxe amenities, and balconies overlooking the ferry port, pool, or the island's private marina. Apartments and penthouses also have full kitchen and laundry facilities. There are two lagoon pools, a restaurant serving Mod Oz fare, and a full-service day spa. Nearby are shops, eateries, water-sports outlets, a marina-front boardwalk, and a supermarket. It's a 20-minute walk (or bus ride) to Alma Beach.

This practicality-meets-luxury hotel near Cairns's waterfront has an impressive three-story lobby, an elegant day spa, and smartly outfitted guest rooms and suites, all with furnished balconies. Classy in-room touches include fluffy bathrobes and Roger & Gallet toiletries. Higher-floor executive suites also have separate lounge areas. On weekend evenings and Sunday lunchtimes, there's live music in the Lobby Bar. Coco's Restaurant is open for big buffet breakfasts, long or speedy "power" lunches, high teas, and Modern Australian dinners, including a nightly seafood buffet showcasing the region's best produce.

This centrally located small resort, once a private residence, feels positively quaint, and that's a good thing when you're looking for a low-key escape in this resort area. Gigantic rooms have expansive terraces or private patios (some with large spa tubs), large flat-screen LCD TVs, and minibars; some have separate lounge rooms and small kitchenettes. The well-regarded on-site restaurant predates the hotel and serves modern Australian cuisine with Asian influences and big buffet breakfasts. Light lunches are served alfresco, poolside. There's a tranquil guest lounge, and Brigadier's Bar, operated on an honor system (you sign for the drinks you pour yourself). There's also a lovely beach just across the street, but if the ocean doesn't call you or it's stinger season, there are two pools—one with a jacuzzi, the other with a waterfall and an outdoor spa.