Heron Island Resort

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars but I went ahead with 5 stars because we're already planning our return to Heron Island. We stayed at a ground-level Reef View room for 5 nights, which was the perfect length of time. My husband and I were braced because of all the reviews we read, and this helped manage our expectations a lot. The room and bathroom are exactly what everyone else is saying - functional and comfortable but shabby, with windows that don't close, some dust etc. We were also braced for bad food, but I think management may be listening to the reviews, because the food we had ranged from average to really good (with only one questionable meal - the chicken karaage was pink in the middle, but I just didn't eat that part and didn't get sick). It wasn't hot at all at night in April, but it was stuffy since none of the doors or windows have screens so you have to close everything and rely on the ceiling fan to keep air circulating. One good thing is that there were surprisingly few bugs, we got bitten by a total of 2 mosquitoes total, and keeping the ceiling fan on helped keep other harmless flying bugs away. Even though we were braced for all of the above, there were a few other things that took a full day of getting used to. I have a few chronic conditions including a strong reaction to smells. The reviews warned us about the bird poop smell everywhere, but wow. I was dizzy for a solid day until I got used to it. The beach and jetty areas are safe from the smell, which helped. My chronic illness also meant that Room 103 may not have been the best pick for me, it was a bit of a walk from the restaurant etc. And good lord the eerie, haunting human-baby cry of the shearwaters in the middle of the night. I was torn between feeling very lucky to be witnessing such a sound and feeling bad for my husband who has sleep issues and couldn't get a wink. Earplugs helped somewhat, he said, but he struggled to sleep the entire time we were there. Not Heron Island's fault at all - just a warning to others who also don't sleep very well that you should plan ahead. When we return, we'll be booking one of the Point Suites, which seem more luxurious in general. They're far from a lot of the densest nesting areas, and have air con, so this will hopefully block out the sounds of the shearwaters, keep out the smell and make us a bit more comfy. But wow the place, the place 🤩 The colours, the horizon, the wildlife are all stunning 🫧 🐠 🪸 We went out on a very lucky boat ride to the Heron Bommie where we snorkelled with about 4 or 5 giant green sea turtles at their natural 'cleaning station'. And we spent hours and hours snorkelling the reef just in front of the beach. More turtles, sharks, rays, fish. I passed about 5 sharks on a single 5 minute snorkel once. It was sad to see a lot of patches of bleached coral, I hope we can preserve what we have left. If you've been snorkelling in places like French Polynesia, the colours underwater may not be as vibrant as what you're used to, and the visibility wasn't great some days, but the sheer size of the reef and diversity of wildlife made up for that. We had magical moments with turtle hatchlings on the beach too. Sunrise was glorious, we watched many of them from the beach just in front of our room. My husband has a mortal fear of deep water and of sharks, and yet this place was beautiful enough to help him overcome his fears for long enough to snorkel with me, including in the deep waters of the Heron Bommie. We overall felt very lucky to be there, and would love to come back. Small tip: watch David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef, which features Heron Island, before you go. It'll get you excited 😊

We just came back from our Easter break at Heron Island. We were sceptical because of the mixed reviews and I do appreciate where they are coming from but the island is exceptional! Myself, husband and three children (aged 10, 11 and 13) stayed in one reef lodge and our friends with two kids stayed in another. The ferry was fairly rough going over - definitely take seasickness tablets before you go. There were many many people sick on the journey - best place to sit is down stairs at the back in the middle in front of the bar area. It’s worth queuing up early for these seats. The air con is quite strong so you may need a jumper for the ferry. We arrived and wow it is so beautiful here!! The sea is so blue, it’s like heaven. The resort is not new, nor has it been recently refurbished so it is tired and old but it’s functional. The room has lots of cobwebs so if you are expecting luxury or bug free accommodation then readjust your expectations. The windows in our lodge did not close properly and there are no locks on the doors (you can lock when you are inside). Food is served in the restaurant - breakfast was $30 adults and $20 for children. Dinner was buffet when we were there and was around $55 adults and €25 for kids. Food is good. Not amazing but acceptable. There is a shop that sells snacks, crisps and noodles but no bread or milk. There is a fridge in your room so defo take snacks with you especially if travelling with children. The birds - there are so many birds everywhere. Mutton birds nest in holes in the ground all around and these little birds called rails which are kinda like pigeons, also everywhere. There is bird poo everywhere - you will probably get pooped on. Snorkelling was really good - especially around the ship wreck. Seen loads of rays, fish and turtles. Didn’t see any sharks. We were lucky enough to see turtle hatchlings on our last day which was amazing. Go with an open mind, it’s an incredible place to visit. We had to leave a day early as the ferry was cancelled on the day we were due to leave so were sad about that. Also very few mosquitos there unless they have had a lot of rain. You won’t need any fancy clothes, just swimsuit and shorts or cover up. It’s very casual there. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Loved location and wildlife, turtle experiences and snorkelling amazing. Pity the resort is so poorly maintained and run down. Hotel and restaurant staff less than helpful and a lot were incompetent, meals continually stuffed up and wastage was extreme due to the size of some meals (especially the entrees). Obviously the management is very poor or non existent.

Amazing place for nature watching. Accommodation is in a poor way and clearly hasn’t been maintained for a long long time - large plants growing from blocked gutters, repairs needed inside (broken curtain pole, toilet roll holder, door handle etc), damaged externals. I can’t fathom why they aren’t getting a company in to fix these up given the cost of the accommodation. I do wonder where all of the money is going. Restaurant was surprisingly ok given the reviews I had read. Plenty of choice at breakfast too. Yes there is bird poo everywhere but that’s what happens when it’s a haven for birds! The staff are amazing and those that have completed science/conservation degrees are so interesting. Overall would recommend. Would go back if the accommodation was seen to, but not if it continued to fall into disrepair.

The staff were amazing, our ferry was cancelled due to bad weather. Celine in the office, went the extra mile to make sure we got to our connecting flights. I so appreciate her help, she was amazing. The coral, the fish, the sea birds and the laying and hatchling turtles were also awesome, if you want to teach your kids to love and care for our beautiful planet 🌎 go to Heron. This place holds a special place in my heart ❤️