The best holiday rentals and Airbnbs in Noosa

Consider your Noosa accommodation sorted with these standout Airbnbs and holiday rentals.

Not all Noosa Airbnbs are created equal. So, we’ve done the research for you to uncover the full range of stand-out Sunshine Coast stays. Noosa’s upmarket hotels and ritzy resorts will always attract luxe-leaning travellers. But there is also an impeccable collection of laidback Airbnbs and holiday rentals in Noosa. Find the perfect places to stay for a dreamy beachside or hinterland holiday with our guide to 16 of the best Noosa Airbnbs and holiday rentals.

In short

If you only stay at one holiday rental or Airbnb in Noosa, make it Makepeace Island. This Noosa Airbnb is Australia’s ultimate stay for extended family accommodation.

The Queenslander

Want to book a holiday for the extended family within walking distance of Noosa Main Beach? The Queenslander is part of the new Allawah Noosa portfolio of high-end holiday homes. The impeccably maintained coastal retreat sleeps eight and offers spacious, family-friendly living as well as generous entertaining areas and cool, coastal breezes. Explore nearby shops and beaches and then kick it beside your own private pool.

Address: Near Noosa Main Beach

Domic, Sunshine Beach

Domic graced the cover of Australian Traveller’s Spring 2021 issue dedicated to 100 Unique Stays. And it still leads our list of the best holiday rentals and Airbnbs in Noosa. Domic means ‘place of domes’ in Russian and serves as an elegant home for eco-friendly Hempcrete, which was invented by its owner Evgeny Skigin. The property fronts Sunshine Beach and features six suites, 10 bathrooms, an infinity pool, ‘day spa’, cinema, gym and personal concierge service. There’s also car parking for seven cars including two EVs.

Address: Seaview Terrace, Sunshine Beach

Eh Frame, Noosa National Park

Eh Frame is a mid-century-inspired A Frame named after the short phrase Canadians are known for ending their sentences with, eh? It’s the kind of Canadian love shack a bona fide lumberjack might stumble across while hiking the Rockies. The two-bedroom Noosa Airbnb features exposed timber beams and is kitted out with a fully equipped kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances and a dreamy loft bedroom. Although Eh Frame is in the middle of the forest, the only bears you are likely to see are koalas. Sleeps 4.

Address: Solway Drive, Sunshine Beach

Sabi Suite, Noosa Heads

A neutral toned bedroom with a bath — The apartment is swathed in calming neutral tones.

Love is in the Airbnb at Sabi Suite, a one-bedroom apartment ideal for romantics. The second-floor open-plan pad is a short walk from Noosa’s hip strip lined with cafes, restaurants and boutiques. In addition to the two-person spa bath, private balcony and king bed, this Noosa Airbnb also has a steam room, spa, gym and swimming pool onsite. The kitchenette fitted with a dishwasher and basic crockery will come in handy when you’re putting together a grazing platter for your gal. There’s also a cafe on the ground floor.

Address: Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads

Luxury Afloat Noosa

Enjoy the buttery break of a day onboard a Luxury Afloat Noosa houseboat chugging along Noosa’s network of watery highways. Choose between a six-berth, eight-berth and 10-berth Noosa holiday rental replete with kitchen, BBQ and all linen and towels. Drop anchor off Noosaville and ask the fisho cruising past in his tinnie for tips on how to hook a big one. What better way to get to know the curves of the Noosa River than by meandering through to Lake Cooroibah?

Address: Diyan Street Memorial Park Jetty, Tewantin

The Shack

The Shack is an itty-bitty Noosa Airbnb fit together like a game of Tetris with a loft bedroom above a kitchenette. The owners honeymooned in Hanalei Bay and their love of Hawaii is evident with the hula girl figurines and pineapples dotted about the cosy space. The Shack has rattan rugs and earthy timber beams that contrast with the crisp, clean white-on-wood interiors. The outdoor deck overlooking a tropical garden provides a tranquil retreat away from the hubbub of Hastings Street.

Address: Sunshine Beach, Noosa

The Lodge, Noosa Heads

Enjoy a peaceful weekend with your family at The Lodge which is an advertisement for a sea change in Noosa. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom beach house is ridiculously idyllic with its sun-splashed deck and heated plunge pool. Enjoy breakfast on the deck or lounge in the sun in the back garden. If the day is damp and soggy, retreat indoors to the light-filled living room which vibes off the classic Aussie beach-chic blueprint. There’s also a laundry, fireplace, workspace and complimentary cruisers. It’s just 20 minutes to some of the Sunshine Coast’s best beaches.

Address:  Noosa Heads

Makepeace Island, Noosa River

Makepeace Island is a small heart-shaped island on the Noosa River with a high-end sanctuary that sleeps up to 20, making it perfect for large get-togethers. The island retreat has three villas, a four-bedroom Island House, one-bedroom Boathouse, eight bathrooms, lagoon pool, 15-seater spa, tennis court and gym. It also offers access to walking trails and has a launching-off point for kayaks and SUPs. Those with extra cash to splash can arrange for a private chef. This Noosa Airbnb is one of Australia’s best holiday homes for a multigenerational stay.

Address: Noosa North Shore, Qld

Little Red Barn, Doonan

Little Red Barn is a three-bedroom Airbnb in Noosa that probs used America’s Midwest as its muse. This slice of hinterland heaven is near to multifaceted venue, The Doonan , easily one of the best restaurants near Noosa. The heated plunge pool makes this property a restorative getaway and is a top spot to catch the sunset, glass of wine in hand. A fireplace, freestanding cast-iron bathtub and comfortable bedrooms make this Noosa Airbnb one you’ll want to revisit again and again.

Address: Sunrise Road, Doonan

The Langville Estate

Budding contestants on The Block will want to take style notes at The Langville Estate to use as design inspo. Pack your best mocha mousse pantsuit so you blend in with the colour schemes in this four-bedroom Airbnb just a 40-minute drive from Noosa. Invite your next of kin to the Kin Kin property, which sleeps 10 guests and features a swimming pool, sauna, media room and open-plan living room geared for relaxation. The secluded property has a pool table to keep teens happy and off screens.

Address: Kin Kin, Noosa Hinterland

Noa by the Beach

You won’t find this luxe Little Cove crash pad on Noosa Airbnb listings. Rather, it’s on the noosasecretdestinations.com.au website aimed at those who want to try the Noosa lifestyle on for size. Want to find the perfect holiday rental for your blended family? This beautifully furnished property sleeps 12 and has an expansive backyard with a trampoline, dedicated media room and a solar-powered swimming pool. There’s also an outdoor terrace and barbecue area where you can swan around in evening attire and keep up with the Joneses.

Address: Little Cove, Noosa

The Hamptons Lake House

The owners have affectionately dubbed this spot The Hamptons Lake House , which speaks to the bright and airy design. The luxe lakehouse is a tranquil retreat with white-on-white interiors softened with earthy textures and views of the Noosa River framed like a watercolour from the wraparound deck. The three-bedroom renovated Queenslander is an ode to open-plan living with an undercover al fresco dining area, fully equipped kitchen and laundry. The lovely lakehouse is within walking distance of Noosa Marina and Noosaville.

Address: Noosa, Tewantin

Kurui Cabin

This architecturally designed tiny home is one of the most popular Airbnbs in the Noosa Hinterland.  The two-bedroom eco-conscious Kurui Cabin is on a working farm at the base of Cooroy Mountain and that soundtrack of mowers, tractors and mooing cows adds to the charm. Curl up on cosy leather couches around the combustion stove in winter. In summer, you can walk from the private outdoor deck into the plunge pool set like a gem in the landscape.  Perfect for couples or families with older children.

Address: Cooroy, Noosa Hinterland

Beachfront Hideaway – Sunrise Beach

Beachfront Hideaway is the luxe beach shack of your dreams. Call your nepo baby buddies and ask them to fork out a couple of hunge each for the privilege of staying in this East Coast retreat. Although it costs about $3250 a night to stay in the designer digs, you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck as the property sleeps up to 14. Bags one of the three bedrooms that have ocean views at the luxe property, which is listed on the Noosa Secret Destinations website. Family-friendly amenities at the seaside retreat include a waterslide, beach accessories, pool toys and large heated swimming pool.

Address: Sunshine Beach|

Thirlestone Farm Cottage and Barn

Picture this: you’re sitting on the deck of Thirlestone Farm Cottage in the Noosa hinterland, the sky soft in the dusk light. Your tech-obsessed teen has set up the 8-foot projector and you’re about to settle in for family movie night under the stars. The renovated workers’ cottage and architecturally designed barn at Thirlestone is like a fantasy farm stay with everything from a rainfall shower to an outdoor fire pit and gear for playing competitive games like cricket and lawn bowls. There’s even an outdoor claw-foot bath to luxuriate in. Could this farm stay get any more family-friendly? Bonus points for being just a 20-minute drive to Noosa’s pristine beaches.

Address: Evans Road, Cooroy

Azure in Sunshine Beach

The rooftop spa at Azure looks like it could be used as a location shoot for Selling Sunset. Cashed-up travellers will appreciate that there is no line of demarcation between the infinity pool, sea and sky at this luxury Noosa holiday home. With accommodation for up to 10 guests, the five-bedroom seaside retreat spills onto a spacious terrace and features endless ocean views framed by floor-to-ceiling windows. This exceptionally elegant Noosa property also has a media room with a big screen and PS5. But the real theatre is outside with the surround-sound of waves peaking and crashing on the shore below.

Address: Sunshine Beach

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.