Lizard Island Resort

We had the good fortune of spending four blissful nights and five active days on the island in late January. This trip had been planned for two years to be the final piece of a 3-week New Zealand and Australia adventure, and while we expected it would be great, we were still blown away. The approach- flying from Cairns itself was spectacular- the views of the reef are epic. Time of year- we had no idea it was their low season (aka rainy season-which, by the way, never impacted us during the day). The result: we happily had much of the resort to ourselves and only eight to ten other guests, tops. The island was also the most verdant green- truly stunning alongside the ever changing blues of the Coral Sea. The rooms- we found our oceanfront situation to be spacious, impeccably clean, quiet and so very comfortable. The bed was heavenly, the A/C worked especially well, the blackout curtains were welcomed, the seating and decor were perfect, the bathroom was just the right size with awesome products, and the complimentary mini bar had everything we (didn’t know we) needed (their red wine was super)! Loved the beach tote that is provided! The food and adult beverages- this is why Lizard is now part of Relais & Chateaux. We had just spent 16 nights on a Silversea cruise and didn’t think it could get any better, and yet it did, sadly for our waistlines! Every meal was delicious and we found the kitchen tried very hard to say yes to most any request. Best meals and drinks of our trip. The standouts: kangaroo tartare and the barramundi. Special shout-outs to our servers, Steph and Ivo (the funniest people you’ll ever meet from Buenos Aires- they had us laughing every time) and Gonzalo. Uri the bartender was our favorite mixologist. Pro tip- visit the Marlin bar and order pizza. The activities- we were lucky to enjoy a full day snorkeling tour, a sunset cruise and a full day dinghy adventure. Captain Trent got us to the outer and inner reefs, and Jordan was our most excellent and joyful snorkeling guide. Her passion and expertise were palpable and she has the very best laugh. The snorkeling was next level- of all the places around the world we’ve visited, none of them came close to the wonders of color and quantity we witnessed. The brightest corals, electric blue sea stars, every fish you could imagine, reef sharks, stingrays, turtles and our most unexpected surprise: the beauty of the giant clams. Obsessed! The sunset cruise was a terrific treat- gorgeous evening, yummy drinks and charcuterie and great conversation with our guide Abby. A wonderful way to end the day. The dinghy day was our favorite- the four of us (friends we traveled with) in our own boat motoring to the beaches we chose (and had to ourselves!) along with our gear and provisions (drinks of our choice and an extensive and fabulous lunch)- what could be better?! When we checked out we were asked, “what was your favorite part?” My husband answered, “getting to know the wonderful staff.” This is high praise from the man I know to have very high (and often unrealistic) expectations. There is some “special sauce” in how Lizard recruits and trains the staff (who represented many different countries). Everyone we encountered exhibited the consistency of excellent, professional service coupled with profound warmth, humor, engagement and a natural desire to connect. In all our travels, we’d never experienced something quite like that. Magical. If time and resources weren’t finite, we’d return and stay thirty days or more…but then, we wouldn’t ever want to leave. Thank you Lizard Island for the experience of a lifetime! T

There is a lot to like about lizard island but they really have a lot to improve. The real reason to come is to experience the reef in a more remote, leas crowded and easier way than going from The Cairns area. If you are simply looking for a luxury Australian lodge experience in this price range I would consider the other options, most notably the Great Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island where the view, food, service, excursions and property were very significantly better. In my case, The weather limited diving which made coming to this remote island disappointing. The food at LI is very good. Our Dive master, Jordan was excellent. She has a positive and competent demeanor and a passion for her Role. Well beyond her 25 years in many ways. The property is tired and not well cared for in many ways. The ceiling fan in our room was filthy for our entire stay and there was noticeable dirt on the ceiling in the restaurant. The generally beautiful beach was full of garbage at both ends but very bad near the marlin bar where we found toothbrushes and lots of other garbage. The boardwalk to tree room is a few years beyond its lifespan. While the service was generally good there were times it wasn't. For example, we went to Blue lagoon and were given bag with a cabana to set up on our own while 2 staff, otherwise not busy, offered no help until we asked.

An absolutely incredible experience. Gorgeous island and resort, great food and the best customer service I have ever known in my 63 years. The staff are not only accommodating, they are warm and friendly and welcoming. I was fearful of swimming and snorkeling but felt completely safe with the staff ‘s reassuring words and attitude. I truly trusted them when they told me all about the “friendly” sharks; and explained they hadn’t seen a croc for at least 3 years. I could see that the staff also happily made sure to make every guest feel included, like skilled hosts and hostesses at a neighborhood dinner party. The coral and fish at the Great Barrier Reef were stunning; I felt as if I was swimming in a most beautiful (and huge) aquarium. I also had a wonderful aromatherapy massage and exfoliation at the spa. If I had to come up with one “growth area” I would say to improve and update the architecture and interior design/decor. The overall aesthetic could be a little more sophisticated, to match the incredible staff and surrounding nature.

My wife and I had 8 lovely nights on Lizard. It was our third visit. The restaurant staff and Beach Hut staff were really accomodating, however the food has definitely gone downhill. For the money we paid we expect 5 star meals. The meals were adequate but nowhere near as good as our previous visits. Prawns and lobster were regularly available, but not now. Lizard Island Resort provides a relaxing and rejuvinating holiday, however the penny pinching in the restaurant is not acceptable.

The resort is quite lovely. The highlights are the location and the food. The chef is outstanding and the meals are very well thought-out and delicious. The staff is also really good and goes above and beyond to be helpful. Paige at the dive shack loaned me her diving gloves and Ivo, Amanda/Andrea (from Missouri) in the dining room were spectacular! Several of the reviews said that the rooms need refurbishing but, in our opinion that wasn’t the biggest problem. While there is a lot to do here - diving, snorkeling, hiking, there are times that you want to just sit and enjoy the resort. This is nearly impossible. None of the chairs are comfortable. The lounges on the beaches are stretched-out or ripped (sunset beach), the lounges at the pool do not recline all the way though they have very nice cushions and it’s completely unfortunate that the pool has no view of the water. And finally, at the rooms themselves there really is no outside spot to relax. Each room seems to have only a beanbag — and only 1!! Though the porches at the rooms tend to be small, there really has to be a more comfortable alternative! Also, it’s super nice to have the portable cabanas — which the staff was very nice to set up for me at Sunset Beach — but those too are in need of refurbishing. These are such small updates which could be done EVERY season and it would make a huge improvement.