The Great Barrier Reef and its lodges
The Great Barrier Reef keeps its luxury on three shores, from Lizard Island to the Whitsundays and the Daintree.
The Great Barrier Reef keeps its luxury on three shores, from Lizard Island to the Whitsundays and the Daintree. On Lizard Island, a national-park island north of Cairns, one lodge stands alone; on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, pavilions open onto the Coral Sea at the island's northern tip; and in the Daintree, the oldest rainforest in the world, treehouses hang above the Mossman River twenty minutes from the reef boats of Port Douglas. Each lodge is reached by air and closes to no one who plans ahead. We list three houses, each described at exactly the tier it holds, with a concierge behind every stay.
Luxury hotels in Great Barrier Reef & Whitsundays
3 hotels
Lizard Island
Five-star · Lizard Island & Northern Reef
Australia's only Three-Key hotel — a lodge alone on a national-park island of the northern reef.
From $2,200 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
qualia, Hamilton Island
Four-star · Whitsundays & Hamilton Island
Pavilions on the northern tip of Hamilton Island, opening onto the Coral Sea.
From $1,200 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Silky Oaks Lodge
Four-star · Daintree & Port Douglas
Treehouses above the Mossman River in the Daintree, the oldest rainforest in the world, twenty minutes from Port Douglas.
From $900 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
“Because the lodge stands alone on a national-park island of the northern reef, with private beaches, a motorized dinghy at every suite and the coral a few strokes from the sand — and the house holds five-star standing.”
From our editors · Lizard Island
The neighborhoods
Whitsundays & Hamilton Island
The islands of the Coral Sea with an airport of their own, Whitehaven Beach and the sailing grounds. The pavilions stand at the northern tip of Hamilton Island.
Lizard Island & Northern Reef
The reef north of Cairns, an hour by air, and a national-park island with its own beaches. The outer reef is within reach of a dinghy, and one lodge stands on the sand.
Daintree & Port Douglas
The oldest rainforest in the world and the marina where the reef boats leave each morning. Treehouses hang above the Mossman River, an hour and twenty minutes north of Cairns.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels on the Great Barrier Reef & Whitsundays?
One. The five-star hotel we list on the Great Barrier Reef & Whitsundays is Lizard Island, the lodge alone on a national-park island north of Cairns. Two more houses hold four-star standing: qualia, Hamilton Island, the pavilions on the northern tip of Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays; and Silky Oaks Lodge, the treehouses above the Mossman River in the Daintree, near Port Douglas. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of the Great Barrier Reef should I stay in?
Lizard Island and the northern reef for the reef at the door, the private beaches and the outer reef by dinghy. The Whitsundays and Hamilton Island for the Coral Sea, Whitehaven Beach and the sailing, with an airport on the island. The Daintree and Port Douglas for the rainforest, the river and the reef boats that leave the marina each morning, an hour and twenty minutes north of Cairns by road.
When is the best time to visit the Great Barrier Reef?
May to October is the dry season: calm seas, clear water and no marine stingers, with the cooler months of June to August the most comfortable. November to April is the wet season, hot and humid, with stinger nets on the beaches and the chance of a cyclone. The winter school vacations of June and July and the weeks around Christmas book out first.
How do I get to the Great Barrier Reef — and do I need a visa?
Cairns is the gateway for Lizard Island, by air, and for the Daintree, an hour and twenty minutes by road; Hamilton Island has its own airport with flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Nearly every visitor needs an authority before flying: an eVisitor for European passports, an ETA for the US, Canada, Japan and others, applied for online; the rules change, so check before you travel. The lodges arrange their own flights and transfers.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
