My Husband and I booked our trip to Fitzroy Island for our first anniversary. It was a great spot to have a romantic getaway as the stars shine brightly, there were beautiful sunsets and a two different beaches to explore. We only stayed in the regular room which was very nice and clean. Air conditioning worked beautifully. We didn't have a view of anything, but we weren't far from the beach so it was okay.

We stayed during NSW school holidays and what would have been the tail end of QLD school holidays. There were a lot of families during our stay. The pool was lovely, but lacking enough pool-side chairs so we couldn't always get somewhere to sit (it seemed as though we needed to stake out seating when possible). During our last day there they started bringing out new chairs though so that might have been remedied.

The restaurants were good, but got pricey (especially breakfast as you were required to get the buffet) and repetitive after a week there. It would have been nice to have more choice as only one place was open to eat at during any given time. If I were to visit again I would definitely bring more food. That said we were lucky to have some very nice waiters who had our names down pat mid-week.

Snorkeling was lots of fun. We rented equipment from the very relaxed dive hut on the beach and snorkeled around not far from the beach. We were happy to see lots of colorful coral and fish. Very good for a first time experience.

I've just come back from Fitzroy Island and loved every minute that I was there. I was travelling on my own and had booked in to one of the Ocean Suites. The room was great - spacious, clean and comfortable. I love snorkelling so I spent some time with the Dive Centre team. They were absolutely lovely. Very friendly and knowledgeable. I hired a stinger suits and mask / flippers most days so that I could go out on my own. However, the team also did daily tours for snorkellers and divers to other more remote areas of the Island. The team were flexible, incredibly customer focused and made a great effort to engage with their clients. Good work!!

The Crossing

We booked transfers with the hotel and found our tickets waiting with an attendant. I would recommend booking through the hotel so you have flexibility on departure times. We changed our transfer back to an earlier time with a different operator and it was no problem.

Arrival

We arrived at 11am. The front desk greeting was acceptable though not particularly warm. In general reception here seems a little ho hum about everything. We were promised a room ASAP before the 2pm check in and were invited to use a luggage room and enjoy the pool. By 1pm we were in our room.

The rooms

We stayed in lovely new rooms. The bathrooms were superb and overall the place was spotless and perfect. The lack of natural light would be the only niggle but when it's hot it's nice to have a cool room. Very good value. We asked for a two bedroom suite but in actual fact ended up with adjoining rooms. This was OK but not ideal. The room had a kitchenette though frustratingly the hob and oven were out of bounds for "fire regulations". So it's whatever you can muster with a microwave and a kettle.

The Facilities

The only pool is big and nicely set though the tiling is beginning to give up - to be frank, with goggles on it looks a bit grubby. The beach club is superb and helpful, though annoyingly you can't charge expenses to your room. The beach is a stunning coral formed embankment and the kids loved swimming off the trampoline pontoon. We spent $50 on stinger suits but many people swum safely without them unlike you would do on the mainland in December.

The restaurants.

We only ate at The Foxy Bar and the food was diabolical. Even our children hated the deep fried nonsense. The only light option, a salad, was swimming in a disgusting mayonnaise. Cooked prawns were thawed and manky. A hamburger was the only safe option. The bar itself is wonderful with a huge beer and wine selection, lovely staff and a great ocean setting. But you will feel held to hostage eating here. Expensive and poor. The breakfast buffet in the main restaurant is pretty good with decent range of hot and cold foods though you'll get stung again for a proper coffee. The Market Store is blisteringly expensive and poorly stocked. If you think you can arrive empty handed and put together a meal from this shop, you will find yourself eating beans and 2 minute noodles. Poor and clearly geared to getting customers into the restaurant.

The verdict

Fitzroy Island is accessible and affordable for the actual accommodation. We found it good for a couple of nights, but were keen to leave the morning of check out. The rooms are top notch. The staff are variable. The dining options are dismal. It's a step away from being a resort I'd recommend to friends but it is on balance a pretty nice small island resort and a good introduction to Queensland islands.

We stayed in a Hotel room which is quoted as $200 a night. Each one has the window facing the exterior corridor; as such the room has very little privacy and natural light. The room does not have any view of gardens or of the beach. We considered the price very inflated against what you get and would definately reccomend upgrading and paying the extra to get an Oceanfront Studio with a balcony.
The beaches are nice but there was alot of rubbish, such as cans, bottles and plastics along the beaches and walking tracks. Considering that the island is also a national park it was disappointing to see such treatment and/or lack of maintenance by the resort staff. Bins were not emptied out regularly and general cleanliness was poor. Scuba and reception staff were very friendly and professional and the walks were lovely.