5 Best Hotels in North Coast, New South Wales

One of the most luxurious accommodations on Lord Howe, Arajilla Retreat contains 10 spacious suites and two two-bedroom suites. Decorated with understated elegance, rooms have crisp white walls, timber blinds, polished wood floors, cream sofas, and Asian-style furniture. Each has a separate lounge area and a deck or terrace overlooking a lovely palm-filled garden. Just steps from Old Settlement Beach, one of several lagoon beaches on the island's western shore, Arajilla has all the charm of a boutique hotel, and rates are fully inclusive of meals, including room service, afternoon tea, and predinner drinks and canapés. Guests mix and mingle in the funky main lounge and bar area, which is a cross between a stylish beach house and a gentlemen's club, with its comfortable leather armchairs and sofas. The restaurant serves modern Australian cuisine, including fish caught by the owner Bill Shead. Guests are provided with mountain bikes, snorkeling gear, light fishing rods, and backpacks to ensure they get the most out of their stay. A spa offers facials and massages and some wonderful ayurvedic treatments.

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).

This self-catering resort opposite Town Beach is a great option if you are staying for a few days or traveling with a family. Almost all the apartments (one-bedroom studios and two-bedroom apartments) are spread over three floors. Some have hot tubs, and many have ocean views from private balconies. Travelers wishing to save a few bucks should request one of the 17 two-bed apartments that come with washers, dryers, and dishwashers. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.

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).

Five minutes' drive north of Coffs Harbour's busy city center is this small resort with just 16 self-contained one- to three-bedroom apartments, some with hot tubs, spread out among tropical gardens. While the design may be slightly dated, the location, price, and family-friendly facilities (like free use of beach cricket equipment and bodyboards for surfing) make this place worth recommending, especially to families and groups who want to stay for five nights or more.