Expect pared-back polish with a tropical lilt at this child-free haven of island escapism.
I wake to a horizon washed in pink and gold. I fall asleep to waves lapping the shore and wallabies grazing outside my room. So goes my daily routine at Beach Club, Hamilton Island’s secluded adults-only resort – best known for its direct beach frontage, personal service and horizon-grazing infinity pool.
Beach Club emerged as the adults-only counterpoint to the island’s broader, family-friendly appeal – a deliberate retreat within a retreat. The low-slung sanctuary on Catseye Beach has always traded on intimacy and low-key elegance. Now its recent lobby and garden refresh signals a new chapter: lighter, brighter and more design-led, yet still anchored in that original promise of exclusivity and ease.
Where is Beach Club hotel?
Beach Club sits right on Catseye Beach. (Credit: Courtney Atkinson)
Perched directly on the powder-soft curve of Catseye Beach, Beach Club occupies prime, toes-in-the-sand real estate in the heart of Hamilton Island. The hotel feels deliciously tucked away, yet it’s only a few minutes’ buggy ride from the island’s marina and restaurants.
Private VIP transfers from the island airport are included and the lovely staff even transport guests’ luggage directly from baggage claim to your room – meaning I step off the plane and am poolside with a glass of bubbles in hand within minutes of touchdown. Stress-free mode activated immediately. The hotel also offers an included point-to-point chauffeur service if you haven’t hired your own golf buggy to get around the island.
To one side of the resort, you’ll find the island’s buzzing main pool precinct, tour desk and a glorious spread of eateries. Just five minutes’ walk to the other side, you’ll find the start of Hamilton Island’s hiking and mountain biking tracks. And in between are Spa wumurdaylin and the island’s fitness centre. However, when presented with Catseye Beach’s sweep of white sand and improbable blues mere metres from your room, you’ll be hard pressed to step a foot beyond the resort.
What is the style and character of Beach Club hotel?
Beach Club Restaurant offers poolside dining with ocean views. (Credit: Nikki To)
Beach Club hotel's beautiful lobby lounge. (Credit: Eleanor Edström)
The lounge area flows through to Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Eleanor Edström)
Boutique and beautifully self-contained, Beach Club trades the island’s family-friendly hum for a calmer, more curated tempo. The mood of the newly refurbished, open-plan lobby lounge is pared-back polish with a tropical lilt. Think timber floorboards, warm beige textiles, rough-cut stone tables and abstract wall art nodding to the tones and textures of island life. It feels grown-up but not austere.
Champagne arrives swiftly after check in – cold, bright and just what I’m craving in the tropical humidity. We sit down on a lounge and sip, already feeling relaxed, as one of the staff members gives us the lowdown on the hotel’s facilities. Guests draped in linen drift between pool and shoreline; palms shift lazily in the breeze. There’s no soundtrack beyond the soothing lap of water and the low murmur of conversation – and best of all, no noisy children splashing in the pool.
What are the rooms like at Beach Club hotel?
Beach Club rooms are bright and breezy. (Credit: Kara Rosenlund)
The hotel has plans to redesign the guest rooms soon – bringing them in line with the new lobby’s contemporary sophistication – but even now the aesthetic leans into relaxed refinement. Interiors are bright with pops of sapphire blue and sliding doors dissolve the boundary between inside and out, inevitably pulling your gaze towards the Coral Sea. My bathroom features stones in volcanic shades of grey, a luxe freestanding oval bathtub and Aesop amenities.
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
Beach Club offers beachfront privacy. (Credit: Lean Timms)
The bathrooms feature grey stone and Aesop amenities. (Credit: Kara Rosenlund)
Lower floor rooms open out to private patios.(Credit: Kara Rosenlund)
All 57 rooms of the resort are near-identical in layout and size, which lends a pleasing sense of equality: wherever you land, you’re guaranteed a stunning sea-facing view. Guests can choose from an outdoor patio on the ground floor separated by privacy screens or a balcony on the second floor. My cushy patio day bed becomes my favourite perch: here I watch in awe as wallabies with joeys in their pouches nibble on grass just metres away, framed by spectacular island views, and let the waves and lorikeets lull me into sweet afternoon repose. I can’t imagine it possible for anyone to feel anything but utter relaxation when staying here.
I retreat back inside only to snag a snack from the mini bar area. The area is spatious and equipped with a cocktail shaker, pod coffee machine and selection of treats from dark chocolate almonds to wine. There’s even an optional ‘turn down’ service each evening, where candles are lit and sweet dreams tea and chocolates are left in rooms – a small yet thoughtful touch.
What facilities does Beach Club hotel have?
Beach Club’s infinity pool is a hotel highlight.
Ask any guest what the hotel’s pièce de résistance is, and the unanimous answer will be the infinity pool – a palm-fringed body of water whose glassy surface merges almost imperceptibly with the Coral Sea. Here you’ll find plush loungers overlooking the island’s iconic Passage Peak, poolside service and a blissful adults-only policy. Unlike many other pools on the island, this one is reserved for in-house guests only, making it a quiet hideaway.
Just steps down onto the sand is a private stretch of beach dotted with shaded sun loungers for guests who prefer to be closer to the ocean. I love that the loungers have built-in head rests and that you don’t have to fight to find a free one. Feeling peckish, I order truffle and parmesan fries from the scannable QR code that are promptly delivered to my chair.
Alongside use of island facilities including the nearby gym, the hotel offers complimentary access to all non-motorised sports equipment – whether you’re keen to hop on a catamaran, windsurfer, paddleboard or kayak. And when you return from your water adventures, make sure to stop by hotel reception – where a sunglasses cleaning service is even offered.
What is the dining like at Beach Club hotel?
Enjoy smashed avo toast at Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Eleanor Edström)
Try the Talk & Taste experience at Beach Club. (Credit: Eleanor Edström)
Daily breakfast is included and à la carte, either at poolside Beach Club Restaurant (which reopens for lunch and dinner) or delivered to your room. While the menu ranges from a nutritious Buddha bowl to buttermilk pancakes with praline butter and nasi goreng, I fall into the habit of ordering the smashed avo toasted with Persian feta, dukkah and heirloom tomatoes, coupled with the always-refreshing cold pressed juice of the day.
Meanwhile, lunch brings casual bites including Wagyu beef burgers, battered soft shell crab sandwiches, lemon pepper squid and house-cured salmon. And should you get thirsty throughout the day, you can make use of complimentary barista coffee and non-alcoholic drinks from the bar.
Beach Club Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
At dinner, the grilled Queensland prawns with smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime is a serious standout – the zesty-ness pairing delightfully with the prawns’ sweet flesh. While the duck breast with baby beetroot is tempting for the main, I opt for the lamb rump served with pea ragout and parsley Paris mash. It’s homey, indulgent and layered with flavour.
The service is warm, too – yet discreet. Our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t have to bother us by asking every time they top up our glasses.
For wine-curious guests, the hotel also offers an intimate Talk & Taste experience where elegant native-inspired bites are paired with a selection of Australian wines, either all white or all red.
Does Beach Club hotel have access for guests with disabilities?
The hotel has some accessible facilities, and the common areaslocated on the ground level are wheelchair accessible. Hamilton Island’s nearby Main Pool has ramp access, too.
Is Beach Club hotel family-friendly?
Beach Club is an adults-only hotel designed as a calm, child-free sanctuary. If you are travelling with children, Hamilton Island has many family-friendly hotels, such as chic new The Sundays and iconic Reef View Hotel.
The details
Best for: Couples looking for a boutique, adults-only sanctuary providing front-row living to one of Australia’s most coveted coastal panoramas.
Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or testing her friends’ patience with increasingly obscure vocabulary.
From the moment you arrive in Moreton Bay, stunning natural vistas, fresh and tasty dining, history and more invite you to stay and play.
Untouched national park, mirror-like lagoons and endless stretches of beaches all make Moreton Bay experiences feel like you’ve stumbled across a secret Queenslanders collectively vowed not to tell. Yet it’s easily accessible. Explore further and discover hinterland farms, ancient rainforest, fresh seafood and more: there’s something on offer for every pace, interest and generation.
Just 20 minutes from Brisbane Airport, it’s hard to believe how underrated this Queensland getaway is. Here’s your ultimate guide to rediscover play with unmissable experiences in Moreton Bay.
1. G’Day Adventure Tours, Bribie Island
Explore Bribie Island with G’Day Adventure Tours.
G’Day Adventure Tours’ Sea to Table Experience should be your first agenda item in Moreton Bay. Take a 4WD journey through the sandy tracks of Bribie Island’s beaches to the still, glassy waters of the island’s lagoons. Glide over perfect replicas of paperbarks and fluffy blue clouds mirrored in the lagoon waters in your kayak. Listen as native birdsong echoes around you.
Then, it’s on to Fort Bribie. During the Second World War, these concrete bunkers – now slowly being enveloped by the dunes – were the last line of defence for Moreton Bay.
End the day with a sun-dappled beach picnic of locally caught Queensland prawns and famous Moreton Bay bugs. As you head home, watch the dolphins playfully dart in and out of the surf.
2. Morgan’s Seafood at Scarborough
It doesn’t get fresher than Morgan’s Seafood. (Image: Ezra Patchett)
Right on the Scarborough Boat Harbour, you’ll find Morgan’s Seafood . Between the luxury yachts, you’ll also spot trawlers and fishermen delivering their day’s catch right to Morgan’s. The family-owned and operated spot is one of the best places to try the region’s eponymous Moreton Bay bug. Or, sample more of the area’s direct-from-the-boat seafood fresh at their oyster and sushi bar. If you’re lucky, your visit might coincide with a day they’ve caught tuna.
Picture fish caught that day, prepared and then served to you as fresh sashimi as the sun sets over the unique silhouette of the Glasshouse Mountains.
3. Woorim Beach, Bribie Island
Hang 10, or relax, on Woorim Beach.
On Bribie’s eastern coastline, you’ll find Woorim Beach : aka the closest surf beach to Brisbane. Find a place on the sand by the patrolled area or wander further south to find a quiet spot and while the day away between the shaded dunes, the pages of your book and the peaceful sound of rolling waves.
Ask any local where to grab lunch, and they’ll direct you to Bribie Island Surf Club Bistro . Tuck into a fresh, local seafood platter, just metres from the beach.
4. D’Aguilar National Park
Admire the landscapes of D’Aguilar National Park.
D’Aguilar National Park is a 40,000-hectare slice of greenery that stretches from urban Brisbane right up to Woodford (home of the Woodford Folk Festival). The vast expanse of park is home to ancient rainforests, eucalypt forests and shaded swimming spots hidden within gorges and under waterfalls. The area is significant for the Jinibara and Turrbal people, with ceremonial bora rings and dreaming trails all found within the park.
Carve out some time in your itinerary to explore the park’s many trails. The Maiala day-use area is the perfect starting point for walks for all levels of ability.
5. Arcade Wine Bar
Sit down to a menu inspired by Italy.
Opposite the Redcliffe Jetty and down a laneway, you’ll find an unassuming wine bar. Venture inside and quickly fall in love with Arcade Wine Bar , one of the region’s most beloved local haunts.
Owners Danilo and Matt have a combined 50 years of sommelier experience, which they have poured into the menu, styling and wine list. More than just a hole-in-the-wall wine bar, Arcade Wine is an enoteca (a wine repository), whose walls are lined with bottles upon bottles of Italian wine varietals from every corner of Italy.
Settle in with a wine and work your way through the menu inspired by Danilo’s native Italy: traditional meatballs, their quick-to-sell-out terrine, or a selection of Italian cheeses, charcuterie and arancini.
6. Wamuran & Loop Rail Trail
Away from the ocean, tucked in the hinterland, is the Wamuran & Loop Rail Trail . Perfect for cyclists or walkers, the trail was built to showcase the history of the Caboolture to Kilcoy rail corridor (last operating in 1964) and makes for the perfect family day out. The trail runs for 10.5km and connects Wamuran and Caboolture via an accessible path.
Pass through former railroad, bridges and shaded bushland as you cut from A to B. Plus, visit in winter for a detour along the way to one of the many pick-your-own strawberry farms.
7. Farm Visits
Beaches, mountains and history make an enticing combination. But Moreton Bay also brings hinterland, family-friendly farms to the table. Trevena Glen is one of the area’s most loved, with bunnies, ponies, sheep, alpacas (and more) available to visit for the kids. For the adults, book a horse-riding session and be treated to a grazing platter as you watch the sun set over the mountains of D’Aguilar National Park.
At White Ridge Farm , find camels, putt-putt, train and tractor rides and all kinds of animals. The entire farm is paved, making it accessible for all.
8. Miss Sprinkles
Pick your scoop at Miss Sprinkles Gelato.
An ice cream at the beach is one of life’s most perfect pleasures. While in town, stop by Miss Sprinkles for the locals’ pick of homemade gelato on the Scarborough foreshore.
The gelato here is made the authentic Italian way and scooped up just across from the beach. Or, settle in at their kitschy pink wooden tables for traditional gelato in the sunshine. Aside from the homemade gelato, you’ll also find tarts, pies and even doggie gelato.
