Heron Island Resort
Heron Island, Australia
Jump to: Room choices | Hotel description | Map | Amenities | Reviews
About the Hotel
Off the east coast of Australia between Cairns and Brisbane, Heron Island is a coral cay right on the Great Barrier Reef. Itâ€(TM)s also home to Heron Island Resort, whose reef experience is reserved exclusively for guests, a claim few other resorts in the world can offer. Though youâ€(TM)ll be removed from civilization, the resortâ€(TM)s creature comforts are many. Enjoy live entertainment, superb meals, and laid-back island lodgings that include Point Suites with their uninterrupted reef views and Wistari Suites that promise maximum privacy.
Location
Heron Island Resort
Via Gladstone
Queensland
Heron Island, Australia
4000
Nearest Airport: GLT
Features and Amenities
- On-Site Amenities
- Beach Access
- Interests
- Active & Adventure
Reviews for Heron Island Resort
Heron Island: The full story
Our experiences at heron island were extraordinary and was full of surprises. Some things that could have been better during our stay was the bird poop. If you come during December thousands of birds live in the island(noodies come to nest) causing poop zones. It was like a game; some places you could get hit rarely and others where you had to run to not get hit. In the two days we stayed, we all got hit with nasty poop at least 3 times. The hotel mentioned no bugs at all because of the high bird population, however even with that many birds, countless bugs were in our room. Beware that if you are a luxury kind of person, this resort is more of a eco friendly and not made for endless relaxing. Not the hotels fault, but if you hate hot weather or think you can handle( or live in a cold place) the heat gives you headaches and massive burns. BRING SUNSCREEN! Tips: Come during December and you can not only go see turtles laying eggs but you can also see them hatching. Also the algae makes the water glow at night and the was a big surprise. Staff were nice and so were guests. A good tip is to do the turtle walks so you can see baby turtles and females laying eggs, you can also wake up at 4 every morning and see a beautiful turtles and sunrise. Some honorable mentions were Ethan, our guides for excursions, Cath, a guide on the snorkel tours who really helped and Chase, our helicopter pilot and helpful guide to our first Australian hotel. Speaking of helicopters, the helicopter experience is super fun and thrilling, while giving you an ariel view of the Great Barrier Reef. The excursions like snorkeling and tours was very informative and fun. Snorkeling is fun on tours and around the jetti. There are so many unique experiences like jumping spotted eagle rays. If you are planning a trip around one to two days is best for a trip. However, this means that you will be tired and have tours back to back so be prepared for that. The water is so clear and beautiful you can see everything. Some tours I definitely recommend is the snorkeling/ scuba diving but if the water is choppy and the weather is windy, I don’t recommend doing that. For the wildlife the waters are so abundant and if you are scared, here are some things you need to know. Jellyfish are present, we saw a whole lot of them including moon jellies and various other jellies that are harmless and mild stings, however you could encounter a irukandji jellyfish, we might have seen one in the I spy submarine. Sharks are harmless if you don’t chase or harass them you are safe. There are no hammerhead sharks and tigers sharks in the reef however if you go out of the reef there are some.( some tours take you past there. There are mostly rays however there is one species the Cow-tail stingray. Don’t worry those are rare and don’t sting that hard. And that is all you need to know for your stay at Heron island, hope you liked my in depth review for only two days though.
aarthit2016
Paradise
Heron Island is an absolutely beautiful place. The sea life you can see, without even setting a foot in the water, is incredible. We have been visiting the island every couple of years for over 12-years and the island is thankfully still unspoilt and stunning. Over the years the resort has had its ups and downs, thankfully a change in management shows. The staff are happier and there is now a good level of customer service that was sorely lacking when we last visited. Housekeeping was efficient and regular. The food, even for us as vegetarians, has improved massively too. It was also good to see a definite emphasis being placed on appreciating and respecting nature. We dove every day and although there has been significant coral damage and bleaching, there is still a lot of life and we enjoyed all the dives. The dive team are great. Special thanks to Keiran and Katie, Nadia, Edu and Tyson too. Also thanks to Will in the bar. And Ethan, for his amusing trivia night and genuine enthusiasm for nature and conservation. We will be back!
TheSuburbanStiletto - Brisbane Region, Australia
The hidden gem of the Great Barrier Reef
A true escape Heron Island is perfect. Accomodation is comfortable and blends in nicely with the natural environment. Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Heron island is the hidden gem of the Great Barrier Reef.
Ann M
Nature photographic paradise! but management not as good as deserved
There are two different things to evaluate here: First, ... Island, nature, experience superb!! Small island made of sand and corals, but explodes of animals and sea life. Lots of different rays, sharks and turtles (specially green turtles and loggerheads, which nest here) you will have the chance to snorkel or scuba dive with. Muttons birds all around (nesting in october). We woke each and every day for sunrise (5:20 aprox) and snorkelled around until aprox. 8:30 AM. Between 8:30 to 16:30 you can´t dive in the jetty area, afterwards beautiful place to finish the day until sunset, with some drink! Even though they are recovering fron a coral bleech from last year, the quantity of turtles, rays and colorful fishes is marvelous!!!! The rest ... hotel service is ok but basic, food wasn´t as bad as I read other reviews, but it wasn´t good enough as the price they charge you. Cabins are ok and dated, with hot water and strictly basic. For the price you pay, the place should give much more service and should be better managed and maintained. Great beaches, snorkeling, and good tours and talks (about turtles, sharks, birds; but we didn´t get the stargazing walk). Briefly, the lack of competition doesn´t help hotel service (only one resort and management) to be at high level, .... and meet higher standards. And Heron island deserves it!
Genesis4ever - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Magical as ever
Unbelievably beautiful place so alive with marine and bird life. My fifth visit since 2020 and already dreaming of a return. The dining is still pretty average, but the sunset easily compensates. Yes, recent bleaching can't be ignored. It serves as a reminder how special this place is and how important action is.
73pennyc - Brisbane, Australia
Read more reviews or write a review
© 2026 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved
