After reading so many bad reviews about Heron Island, we were a little dubious of our holiday to Heron Island over the Australia Day long weekend.

The transfer from Gladstone was magical - we may have been lucky as it was a smooth ride and maybe the 'free' ginger tablets handed on luggage check-in may have helped but it was a great ride. Spotless and beautiful boat with videos on show and bar area - should you need refreshments - 1 hour ride.

On arrival - the beauty of the island truly takes your breath away. You'll be ushered to a meeting room with a mocktail - told about the abundant bird life on the island and their nesting habit, the turtles and their hatching ritual and the do's and dont's. Then shown to the restaurant for a late lunch - not daylight saving but Heron Island is 1 hours ahead of Gladstone all year round.

At the restaurant, you'll be issued your room number - no keys - the island is keyless (which can be a little worrying at times when you have valuables but we had no problems). The lunch was a buffet and very good with great cheeses on offer. You then have the island to yourself to explore.

As we both love to snorkel, we brought our own equipment and were keen to explore the Great Barrier Reef, we had a ground floor Reef Room - which was perfect, spotless bathroom, spacious room with an extremely comfy bed and lounge/day bed to relax on. We also had table and chairs outdoors. The room had a mini-fridge (great for storing your water bottles/fruit) and tea/coffee making facilities which we didn't use. The snorkelling is the best we've seen in Australia, the most colourful fish, anenomes and clowns, beautiful coral, clams, reef and lemon sharks, stingrays and the largest turtle we've ever seen. You felt as if you were swimming in a fish tank.

We did the Research Station Walk which was very informative and interesting, great to play in the touch pool, and had an exclusive bird walk tour which was extremely enjoyable with binoculars supplied free of charge. Both tours were free and educational.

The food in the restaurant was excellent, buffet breakfasts and lunches, 2 x a la carte dinners - 3 courses with the best desserts I've ever tasted!!! The seafood smogasbord was to die for with fresh prawns, crab, moreton bay bugs, oysters, smoked salmon and a lot more for non-seafood eaters. The only negative is that the alcohol can be pricey but we were happy with a glass of wine and a beer for approx $15 total which is what you'd pay in any restaurant. There was a pizza option also from the bar but unsure whether this was inclusive or extra - we never asked so this was never explained.

It would be good if the meeting room was used as a movie room in the evenings as there are no TV's in the rooms nor elsewhere - but we were lucky to bring our laptop and movies to watch. There was a great band playing in the bar in the evenings but it got quite loud with the crowds so a little hard to hear them at times.

The pool is very small and full of kids as you'd expect.

My only complaint would be too many unruly children with parents letting them run amok on the island, in the restaurant, around the pool and bar area ..... I had to talk to one little boy who threw a stick at a nesting seagull with 2 chicks and a hatchling egg - the parents didn't seem concerned about his bad behaviour - which I thought was really sad. The seagull was extremely distraught :(

Overall a must go to destination - we picked up a package online which we thought was excellent value for money. You can pay for things using your room number (cashless) or pay cash as you purchase. Upon departure - check your invoice as we'd been charged $15 for drinks that we'd paid cash for on the first night, luckily we had the receipt to prove this. They also charge you $10 on your credit card for the Turtle Fund whether you like it or not - get the tax invoice stamped if you want to claim this as a tax deduction.

Must see location as it really is Paradise on Earth and only an hour out of Gladstone.

Heron Island was amazing!

I visited Heron Island with an italian friend of mine in January 2012 for 3 nights 4 days which was the perfect length of time. The weather was perfect, we saw so many Turtles digging nests, laying eggs and the hatchlings running down to the sea.

Most the time on the Island we spend snorkelling with the most amazing fish, we also saw a few sharks swim buy us and stingrays and turtles. The reef was so varied around the island, on one side the corral was mostly white and on the other side was coloured. For the most coloured fish and coral take a snorkelling boat trip, it take your breath away.

When we arrived they did a quick introduction to the island and explained that the births would sit on the paths in the sun and would not move for you, i found this amusing. They also explained that one of the birds on the island that looks a little like a chicken would steal the garnish of your cocktails. There are so many birds in the trees, I was quite lucky and never got pooped on but a bird did land on me and go for a walk around the island.
Early in the morning the island does smell a little bit like bird poo but by the time most people are awake, the staff has raked up the leaves and bird poo.

The room was so much better then I expected. We where on the second floor which was great. From our balcony we could see the sea through the trees just meters from our room.
All the buildings on the island are hidden by a wall of trees so that from the sea and beach you would think you where on a deserted island. The bathrooms are excellent, some people might not like the rain showers though (no pressure).

The whole island is very natural, theres not fake taiwanese style gardens or palm trees. I think this adds to the island, I much prefer the real thing! No other place can offer the Great Barrier Reef just meters from your room and just a few steps into the water!

Everyone should go on the research station walk! Its the only time your aloud in to see what there doing and it also includes a visit to a touch tank filled with all kinds of rare animals and plants from the reef!

Heron Island is a must for anyone visiting Australia or Queensland... Perfect for nature lovers and divers and snorkelers!

We took the ferry over from Gladstone which was quite rough so if you are not good on a boat, take your sea sickness pills with you.
We arrived on the island and taken to the lounge bar for welcome drinks follows by lunch in the restaurant. This was buffet, and was very welcome.
Our room was no 50 (right next to the information centre )on the ground floor and very nice.
There was no AC though, just ceiling fans. The only rooms that have AC are the point suites.
The rooms were supposed to be cleaned every day, but after 2 days of just the bin being emptied, I went to reception and complained. She said it would be done and all we got was an extra clean towel. There was little or no room cleaning in the time we were there which was 4 nights.
The food in the restaurant was ok, but by no means great standard. One one night, I had to send my tuna steak back as it was totally raw in the middle. We were lucky in the fact that there were not many people there through our stay, but on the last night, it was busy and we had to wait one and a half hours for our meal. In the end , we only had starter and main course and gave up on the desert.
The couple on the table next to us, walked out in disgust after waiting over 1hour for their main course, which they didn't like as it was left on the plate.
The bar was great for us, featuring a duo called beautifully mad. They were excellent and topped off our stay. Most nights, there were only one or two guests in the bar, all the rest were staff from the hotel which I found most strange.
Service aside.
The island itself is well worth the visit. Just to see the turtles nesting on the beach at night is a great honour and privilege .
Snorkelling with the sharks and fish is also wonderful, but I have to say the coral was very disappointing. We expected to see a lot of colour but it was all brown and in abundance.
All in all, the trip was worth it, just to see the turtles.
Be prepared for the birds and being pooed on a few times from high. Good tip is wear a hat.
You are supplied with ear plugs at night because the noise from the birds is quite off putting.
if you don't like birds, don't come to heron island.

It is a shame that the standard of service is poor in the hotel and should be a lot better for the very high prices you are paying for your stay.
Having said that, the staff were very friendly and helpful, but not enough of them for a good service.
I think the hotel needs a good shake up on staff and food and beverage to make this retreat the place it should be for the money that is charged.

As a family of four with two children aged 8 & 10 we had heard very good reviews of Heron Island from friends with children of a similar age. With this in mind we booked a holiday to Heron Island as a last minute (about a week out) deal in a beachside suite.
About 16 hours before we were due to leave we received a call from Heron Island bookings who informed us that they had made an error and overbooked our room type and that they would either have to downgrade us to an unrefurbished room type, moving us half way through our holiday, or cancel our booking.
Despite already having packed we finally negotiated that we would arrive three days later and have our original room type. In return we were promised that we would definitely get any room preferences honoured (as to whether an upstairs or downstairs room) and that there would be a fruit basket and bottle of wine in the room on arrival. They also waived the cost of our childrens' boat transfers to reflect the cost and hassle of booking new flights. Our children in pre-holiday excitement mode were VERY disappointed.
On arrival at Gladstone the transfer was pretty seamless and the boat crossing was smooth. We disembarked and were taken straight across the helipad to the island reception.
This area could REALLY do with Jazzing up. It is your first impression of the island and frankly, walking past the works area and over a battered up helipad is not a good welcome to Heron, especially given that it really is a beautiful island. It wouldn't take much to make it far more welcoming and a little screening of the works building would help enormously.
On arrival we were notified of our room allocation and were unhappy to see that we were allocated an upstairs room despite the promises of the booking office to honour our preference of a downstairs room. We went to the reception and asked about this, where possibly the rudest staff member I have ever encountered anywhere (a young woman, possibly named Christine?,) informed us extremely churlishly that they knew nothing about the request so there was nothing they could do.
As part of the package we booked it said "free upgrade on arrival if available." so I asked about this too, very politely, wondering if this might be an alternative way to get a downstairs room if there were none in our chosen room type. At this point she looked at me and said "yes, you can get an upgrade, for $200 a night extra" and then turned and walked away, completely ignoring the piece of paper that I showed her that showed the offer we had booked under. We attempted to talk to her, very politely, for another ten minutes but received no help whatsoever, in fact she was downright rude. By far the rudest customer service employee I've ever encountered. Fortunately, at this point, the efficient and friendly manager turned up and actually helped us. As it turned out the only upgrade from a beachside suite for a family of four is the beach house which wasn't available and had a 3 month waitlist (bear this in mind if booking this offer) We were perfectly happy with this explanation as it was given politely. He also said that we could move to a downstairs room halfway through our holiday, but we turned this down as we didn't want to repack and unpack, so we just accepted the upstairs non beach access room.
When we arrived at our room the wine was there but the promised fruit basket wasn't. We never bothered to mention this as at this point we had given up all hope!
The beachside suites are newly refurbished and great for families because the lounge room divides from the bedroom. The daybeds in the lounge become the kids beds and are comfortable. It isn't swish, but they are nice rooms, and the upstairs rooms have a cathedral ceiling and lovely balconies overlooking the beach. Downstairs have direct beach access.
I did snoop other room types and wasn't keen. The lowest room type are close together with overlooking balconies and wooden, up on stilts, meaning a LOT of bird noise as the birds wander around under the floor. We couldn't hear the birds in our room.

The food at Heron is a mix of buffets and a la carte. The food was good, although not restaurant quality. (for instance, the salmon was very overdone etc). Nonetheless as a mass catering exercise it was pretty good.
They are exceptionally good at taking care of allergies etc and went to a lot of trouble over this.
They had a new pizza option when we were there which made a nice change, but the pizzas were very hit and miss. However, all food is included, which is great. We had been told that the food was great so perhaps our expectations were too high. It is fine, nothing more.

The Island itself is spectacular. Really, really beautiful. It has white sand and amazingly blue water as well as the reef. My favourite beach was Shark Bay, which is at the far end of the island. We were fortunate enough to see turtles laying their eggs, which really was unforgettable. This made our holiday. We also saw rays swimming alongside the shore every day as well as turtles swimming near the beach. This was an incredible experience.

The junior rangers club is also amazing. My children, who originally thought it sounded boring, went once and then begged to go to every session. It was also educational, teaching them all about the island. My daughter told me that junior rangers was "better than DIsneyland" which I think is about the highest praise a child could give!

One thing that drove me crazy at Heron was how they charge you for activities. If you've been to Fiji etc where snorkelling trips are free you will be shocked by the prices charged here. Similarly for diving. Also, even if you want to snorkel off the beach yourself to avoid the $40pp per trip snorkel boat fee you have to hire fins and mask at $14 per person per day (or $56 a day for a family of four) so bring these with you if you don't want to waste your money. The semi submersible trip (also usually free at other resorts) is also expensive, but really was worth the cost.

The snorkelling is beautiful here. It is only the cost that is offputting. We were there for a week and for us to snorkel every day would have been over $1000 so we just didn't do it, which was a shame.

The pool is fine, small and old, but the children love it. There were almost no adults in it when I was there, as it was so crowded with children. It is not much bigger than a home pool so I think that they could really upgrade this area, they have a lot of space, but a small pool and not nearly enough loungers when we were there around Christmas.

I think with Heron you have to know what you are getting. Despite the refurbishment this is not a luxury establishment. It is very rough and ready, you will get regularly pooed on by birds, and you won't get loungers etc on the beach (they would upset the turtles). The website somehow gives the impression that this is a luxury holiday and it isn't. The staff are largely backpackers, and they do a good friendly job, but it isn't polished service.
Equally, the island is spectacularly beautiful, but in my opinion they should have half as many rooms as they have crammed into the resort area.

I'm glad that I went to Heron because of its natural beauty. That really made it worth the trip. Also to experience the wildlife and to stay out on the reef isolated from the world, was very special as was the nightime stargazing.

However, you should go knowing that that is what you are there for, not luxury, and then you will be able to get the most from it.