3 Best Hotels in North Coast, New South Wales

This hotel offers high-end technology amid an open and free-flowing design that pulls the surrounding rain forest in. The emphasis is on a connection to nature here and one- or two-bedroom luxury villas are nestled in the rain forest, and offer a lounge area that opens into a completely private balcony with a fire for the winter months. There’s a large lagoon-style pool with surrounding cabanas, pool bar, restaurant, and chill-out area, which is reserved for adults-only. Elements is a short five-minute drive from central Byron Bay but a solar train connects guests to the town center, running regularly from 10 am until 5 pm ($10 per person).

Teak furniture and antiques collected from Indonesia and the South Pacific fill the accommodations at this resort, which sits amid palms, frangipani, and hibiscus. Each suite has a kitchenette, lounge, laundry, and glass-ceiling bathroom with a two-person whirlpool tub. There are also hotel-room studios, whirlpool suites, and two-, three-, and four-bedroom split-level villas. Outside, the landscaping is highly imaginative; the pool is immersed in a miniature rain forest with a waterfall and hot tub. The resort borders a secluded white-sand beach on the blue waters of the Pacific. There is a three-night minimum stay during the high season (December 23–January 20, and during Easter).

Just a few minutes' walk from the east end of the beach, Novotel has sweeping views of the ocean and of the city. The rooms are spacious, with large lounge areas, which make up for the lack of balcony, and come with free Wi-Fi. There’s an on-site restaurant that gets buzzy in the summer months, offering cocktails and share plates. Join the locals and get up at dawn, grab a coffee downstairs, and hit the coastal path, a perfect way to start the day and work up some hunger before an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast.