I recently stayed at Pure Magnetic with friends and had a wonderful experience. From our very first glimpse of the villa we were thrilled and it was a shame to have to leave after only 3 nights there. The villa was really spacious and beautifully furnished. We had a big enough couch to fit us all and 6-seater table for everyone to gather around for dinner while still feeling like we had lots of space.

The finish of the villa was lovely, much to our pleasure. The big bi-fold doors folded right back to open up the whole patio area, which was furnished with 2 sun lounges, an outdoor setting and BBQ, surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The kitchen was also finished beautifully with big stone benchtops and proper facilities like a full-size fridge, dishwasher, full-size pantry and all the utensils we needed to cook up a storm.

The bedrooms were beautifully furnished too and everybody slept well, although the bed was a little hard for my liking, my partner slept very comfortably. It was lovely to have an ensuite for a 2-bedroom villa and the main bathroom had a spa tub in it too. The bedrooms both had aircon which will be great in summer, but we hardly used it. The louvred windows provided enough cross ventilation and at the same time glorious green glimpses of the gardens outside, while still being totally private.

The villas are set in such beautiful tropical gardens, I can't imagine the buildings are more than a couple of years old and the gardens are so lush and huge, they look like they've been cultivated for years. The pool was a bit smaller than the pictures suggested, but no less inviting and we spent many hours in it.

The villas are set right on the beachfront, with Villas 1 and 2 having views straight across to the water. We stayed in Villa 7, which is up the back right near the parking area and the bottom half of a 2-storey villa.

We thought it was excellent value for money and will definitely recommend it to anyone and of course, we'll definitely be back!

Having never visited Townsville or Magnetic Island before, I was very keen to do my research and make sure we were getting the holiday we were after. It has been a VERY hectic year for us and we were very much seeking some R&R, away from the Melbourne hustle and bustle, in beautiful tropical surrounds. I knew from the minute we touched down in Townsville that the next eight nights were going to be great!

As we landed in Townsville quite late, we spent our first night at Aquarius on the Beach on Townsville's Esplanade. At the time of booking I requested a deluxe room on one of the higher levels, only to be presented with keys to a room on level 3. When I politely reminded the concierge staff of my request, it was no trouble at all to rectify the issue and accommodate us as initially requested. I would recommend others do the same if they are requiring a good sleep as there are bars right next door to the hotel that make quite a bit of noise until around midnight. Really great place to stay though and the views are sensational! I loved that we could see Magnetic Island from our room and it made the excitement levels rise even more as I knew that's where we were headed the next day!

TIP - while in Townsville, you must eat at The Steakhouse on the Esplanade! The natural prawn platter was to die for and the steaks we tried on another visit (via ferry from Magnetic Island) were equally as good. Great atmoshpere and the staff are friendly and from all over the globe.

So, before we headed to the ferry for Magnetic Island, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at a restaurant that is across the road from The Stakehouse in Townsville, and is on the water. While we ate our yummy breakfast, we listened to chilled tunes and just stared across the ocean while surrounded by swaying palms.

Catching the ferry to Magnetic Island was fun. Only a quick 20 minute smooth ride and we were there - greeted by friendly Fiona who picked us up and very kindly explained were to shop, were to go and shared her knowledge of the island. On arrival at our villa, we were super impressed! Spacious, clean and very Bali-like in style. Quality fixtures throughout and while among a group of villa, very private.

There are two bedrooms in the villa and we slept in both! The beds were really comfy, both bathrooms clean and the lined was very nice. We used our kitchen to cook the occasional meal, mainly breakfasts and ate out most days. Now on that note, I have to tell you, we have been back in Melbourne for exactly one month today and I am still having withdrawls from eating at Man Friday restaurant on the island. This place is only a matter of a few minutes walk from the villas and is absolutely amazing!! The food is so good and the servings are extremely generous. You must try the jugs of sangria as well - they will help you sleep when the curlews are coo-ing their distinct coo! Besides the food, the atmosphere is very island-like with 70's style original decor in an outdoor setting, possums come to visit and will eat out of your hand and curlews cruise through the gardens for a sticky beak!

Back to Pure Magnetic though, I would highly recommend a stay here. We intend to come back and when we do, we will book Villa 2 again as it was just so wonderful to be able to sit on the front porch, lounge room, or side BBQ area and get to watch the ferries pass by, hear the gentle ocean sounds and also watch the amazing sunrises - very romantic! You can actually sleep in the front bedroom and keep the plantation shutters open (still private though) and watch the sunrise from the comfort of your bed.

Now as for hiring transportation, I wouldn't bother. Catching the bus is theway to go and is seriously adds to the experience of Magnetic Island life! I think there are only three bus drivers, and we met all of them! There are bus stops all over the island, however if you see the bus coming and want to get on, all you have to do is throw a friendly wave and they will stop for you. It's a great way to see the island too - like a scenic tour as it literally goes one route that travels from Picnic Bay, through Nelly Bay, Alma Bay, onto Horseshoe Bay.

One thing to be mindful of is the restrictions with swimming at the various beaches across the island. Stingers prevented us from swimming but we didn't mind as we had the beautiful pool waiting for us at the villa. If you are looking for a beach-swimming holiday atmosphere, this is still possible but just check the season before you book.

I am not generally someone who 'treks' but during our stay I managed to get myself out there and connect with nature on quite a few different walks on offer. We walked from Nelly Bay to Arcadia, did the Forts Walk (a must! Plus, it's so much fun being on constant lookout for koalas in their natural habitat - we spotted five!) and we also walked from there to Horshoe Bay.....then enjoyed a cool beer at the Marlin Bar.

My last two recommendations would be to go to Horseshoe Bay and have breakfast with the koalas at Koala Village (also provides accommodation) and also to do the sunset sail onboard the ship called Providence. The Koala breakfast turned out to be more than breakfast with just koalas...there were lizards, birds, snakes and heaps more. Plus, the food was sensational and plentiful - all cooked bush tucker style and served with a guava champagne..YUM!

The sunset sail on Providence also exceeded expectations. Even though we were running a few minutes late meeting the crew, hosts Adrian and Grant were lovely and welcomed us with a glass of complimentary champagne and got us on our way. We got to help out with raising the sails, steering the ship and just having a good chat and lots of laughs over our few hours on board. We watched a stunning sunset, listened to great tunes while having a few drinks and eating a huge, yummy platter of cheeses and other delicious things included in our fare. As I mentioned, sailing with these guys is a must!

Overall, I think you can tell that I was really impressed and happy with my stay on Magnetic Island. I loved that this place is still as it was probably was 30 years ago - hardly touched by the 'tourism brush'. Life seems uncomplicated here and allows you the time to relax, enjoy and unwind. Just what we needed and just what a holiday should be!

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My fiance and I stayed seven nights in Villa number 2, one of the two front villas.

Great position, close to the ferry. Pam will collect if you arrange with her prior.
2 bedroom cottages (we had #5 adn #6 which overlooked the pool - ideal if you have young kids like we have). Rooms are air conditioned, have fans, and come with all neccesities (kitchen, flat screen tv's - 3 in fact, washing machine and dryer).

Only gripe - beds could have been more comfortable - also the couches. Please get the owners to update them!

While I wouldn't recommend Nelly Bay beach as one of the prettiest - the pool is perfectly adequate. In Magnetic island - if you have a hire car (a must) - you are only 5 mins away from the other attractions.

There is a Foodworks nearby for stocking up the fridge, and a couple of restaurants nearby. IGA at the ferry terminal is much larger though (3 min drive). Wouldn't recommend the Pizza joint next door (unhelpful staff - and even though they stuffed up our order - they insisted if we wanted what we asked for - it wasn't possible. But we could order something else - i.e. pizza or nothing. Anyway - simply avoid the Pizza place next to Foodworks). The Mexican around the corner - Man Fridays - was a different story. Massive servings, and friendly service. Very popular too - that says something.

Back to Pure - highly recommeded for someone looking for a quiet self contained 2 bedder with a pool. But don't expect a fully fledged resort - you are given the keys and the rest is up to you.

If you are looking for the best beaches - would rate them in this order - Balding (requires a 30 min walk though), Radical (can drive right to the beach), Florence bay (beautiful - and very safe for young kids) and Arthur (patrolled). Horseshoe is the place for all the watersports (jetskiing, sailing, etc...).

Re Car hire - we used C-Drive. We had to Suzuki Rav type 4wd's. Were absolutely fine. We thought you would need a 4wd - though no. Any car will get you around. On C-drive - while cars were fine - service was very ordinary to start. We had pre-arranged for the cars to be delivered at 3pm on the Sun. We had email proof of this. Had no contact from them at all until later that night (just so happened there was a major sporting event on that day - and this could have been a contributing factor) - and when we pointed out the facts - we got a threatening email back saying that if we complained it would likely lead to delays. Fair enough 9am the next morning became 10am. Needless to say the handover was rather tense. Seems they have a different take on the idea of service.

There are other hire car providers on the island if you didn't want to use them!

So - bottom line - Pure Magnetic was great. Magnetic island as a destination was equally great. Excellent for those seeking a low key island experience without the need for flash resorts and nightlife.

Great villas in lovely gardens. Good location near shops and right on beach. Good value compared to other similar options on island. The staff made a genuine mistake with our booking but were very helpful in resolving it with limited impact on us. They picked us up and dropped us off at the end of the stay. Pool was a bit shady in winter. I reckon the front two apartments are worth the extra $ to have the best views