Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Reflects recent average nightly prices reported by our partners, and may not include estimated taxes or fees. Price at checkout may differ.
Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.0
#1 of 2 resorts in Mission Beach
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Castaways Resort & Spa offers a wide range of accommodation, with 48 beachfront rooms and self-contained apartments, a private beachside villa and 18 lush rainforest rooms, spread over two centrally-located properties. All rooms located within our beachfront property other than the hotel rooms, feature a private balcony or garden patio with stunning views out to the Coral Sea and Dunk Island. Our beachfront hotel rooms feature a full length windows with views of the beautiful beachfront. All rooms located within our rainforest property are surrounded by our lush rainforest gardens, providing wonderful serenity and privacy. All guests have access to all of our facilities, including our 25m lap pool, beachfront leisure pool, laundry, Drift Day Spa and Buko Restaurant and Cocktail Bar, which is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wifi is free and accessible throughout the resort and all parking is off-the-road and complimentary.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Family
Languages Spoken
English
Location
2 Pacific Pde Mission Beach, Mission Beach, Queensland 4852 Australia
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
Powered by AI
Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach is a property that receives praise for its prime location from numerous travelers, although opinions on its other attributes are varied. While the rooms and amenities like the pool are generally kept clean, some guests feel that maintenance could be improved. A number of visitors have highlighted the need for room refurbishment, noting the outdated decor and wear.
The service quality is inconsistent, with reports of both friendly staff and instances of neglect. Despite the proximity to the beach and the presence of a restaurant, the value proposition of the resort has been questioned by several guests.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Run-down
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
Was this helpful?
Tripadvisor is not responsible for this summary or the opinions in it. For more information, please read the traveller reviews and learn more about how the site works.
Booked this beach front hotel purely because of the location, check in was quick and easy we had a free room upgrade which was really nice of the lady on reception. Shortly after we arrived down came the rain....and boy did it come down, so much that the beach was hardly visible from our balcony this was a huge dissapointment for us. The resturant at the hotel was closed apart from serving breakfast the rain was so bad we guessed any other local places may not be open it was far to wet to go walking in search of somewhere to eat, we ended up jumping back in the car and heading of to the local supermarket to get some snacks to see us through till morning. The room was lovely and big with 2 double beds that was extremly comfortable, great pillows too which is always a added bonus. Small fridge in the room with tea and coffee making facilities. TV. The bathroom was a bit of a let down, it had a small bath with a shower over it, there was lots of black mould on the bath seal, there had clearly been a leak from the floor above the ceiling in our bathroom was patched up. The bathrooms do need a upgradeat this place. We did not have the breakfast at the hotel so I cant comment on how good or bad it was.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from CastawaysResort, Manager at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 14 Apr 2020
Hi, Thank you for your feedback, we are always striving to improve our guest experience and appreciate that you have taken the time to leave feedback for us. We are glad that you enjoyed your time with us regardless of the weather and look forward to seeing you again. Happy and Safe Travels! Kind Regards, Castaways Management
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Car parking was close to reception and our room had been recently refurbished. We liked the soft bed, hot shower, clean bathroom and sound of the surf. We liked the organised reception desk who handed over our keys, wifi instructions etc in a pre-prepared personalised envelope. The room maid (and supervisor) had failed to leave clean towels and toiletries. A small omission, but annoying. The restaurant was painfully slow, it took long intervals to get our first drink and take our food order, then wait. It was over an hour to our first food
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Get an ocean view room, it is worth the extra cost
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lynne Scanlan, Guest Services / Front Office at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 22 Aug 2020
Good Afternoon Roger W Thanks for the time in posting your review and glad to read your comments. Our apologies that the Housekeeping team forgot to leave your fresh towels and amenities. We have Reception team available from 7am to 7pm I hope they were able to rectify this oversight fairly quickly. Thanks for noting on arrival that you receive a Welcome Envelope - we have inside for all guests, a Welcome Letter, Resort Information and a key wallet with sanitised keys. We ensure that one of the most used touch points (the keys) are sanitised after each guest. It's disappointing to read your time with us at BUKO was not up to the standard we generally deliver, our feedback has been overwhelming positive for them so this is a shame that your experience was different. Please do come back and try us again. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind Regards, Lynne Scanlan. Rooms Division Manager.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
We stayed here for two nights in a Beachfront Resort Room over a weekend. The location is great, the view from our room was beautiful, and the staff are friendly. We also had breakfast at the restaurant included which was nice.
We paid $300 per night to stay here and were disappointed with a number of aspects of the stay when considering the price. The property itself is tired, dated and showing considerable signs of age, wear and tear. The décor and furnishings in the room are out of date and some of the furniture had stains on it. There was also some visible mould in the shower sealant and the room had a musky/mouldy smell to it. There were also signs of structural wear and tear in the room and on the balcony with damage to the balcony ceiling, considerable rust on support beams and cracking wood on the decking.
We also returned from a day out to find out that a “room refresh” didn’t include making the bed (as it does in just about every other hotel we’ve ever stayed in that provides daily housekeeping) or swapping out the dirty glasses with clean ones. Although the lack of bed making was stated in the compendium, it was really quite disappointing (again because of the price) and also the fact that it would have taken a housekeeper less than 1 minute to swap the glasses over with clean ones and a few minutes to pull up the bed. We have stayed at much nicer hotels, paid a lot less and gotten a lot more.
The free WIFI was also disappointing with only 1 GB included and quite slow speeds. It was faster and easier to hot spot out mobile phone.
Although we enjoyed our stay, we probably won’t be back. If we were, we’d be reluctant to pay more than about $150 per night for the same room. I’d also suggest that there are probably much cheaper places to stay in the area that are just as nice (or nicer).
Read more
Date of stay: September 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Recently stayed here after the resort offered great deals after they re opened after covid restrictions.
My partner and I travel to mission beach regularly for a getaway at least 6-8 times a year and stay at the mission beach resort in their one bedroom apartment with spa for around $140 a night and we love it and it is always immaculate and service on point.
Castaways was offering their 'honeymoon suite (island suite) for 50% off per night - so $360 a night down to $180 a night(no housekeeping included) . Resort is absolute beachfront so 2 stars for location.
The condition of the honeymoon suite was absolutely disgusting. I felt ripped off paying $180 a night so can't imagine how someone would feel travelling up from downsouth forking out full price for a romantic weekend away and arriving to this..lobby and bar area is great but room smelt mouldy, peeling paint, stains on carpet, furniture warping, couch and TV 10+years old,grout in bathroom mouldy or missing completely everything looks beat up and stuck in a time warp.
This room type is meant to be the 2nd best in the resort!!!
Also states on website the island suite receives both fox footy channels (afl,nrl) I asked 3 times during my stay to get this rectified(could only get 502 - rugby league) but noone did anything about it on any occasion.
Do not advertise using the word luxury if you cannot provide it either through facilities,service or both!, even at the discounted rate I would not recommend.
Im sorry to bag out a local buisness during this time but it is what it is, I thought with all the months off the maintenance team would've addressed these issues.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Niki White, Marketing at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 14 July 2020
Hi, Thank you for your feedback, we are always striving to improve our guest experience and appreciate that you have taken the time to leave feedback for us. We have taken your comments and will be using them to help us in our future planning. Kind Regards Castaways Management
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stayed here for a night in the island spa suite (used for honeymoons). The room was large and had a loft bed, however there was nothing modern about it. The bathroom downstairs had mould stains on the grout - we didn’t even use the shower. Views were great but the windows were so filthy it distorted your view. The bed was comfy and spa was nice, there were some blinds missing next to window near bed which meant sun was up at 5am and lights on! This place needs a major Reno and refresh, paint missing holes in carpet and a very small 30 inch tv. We dined at the restaurant one night and would not recommend - over priced and took 1 hr to get meals, way too much chilli! The pool was great and the surrounds beautiful, nothing beats the location overall just needs modernisation and TLC to get it up to the price tags you get charged!
Read more
Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lynne Scanlan, Guest Services / Front Office at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 28 Nov 2020
Dear Nicjane15 Thank you for taking the time to post your review. We offer many room types on the Resort and some rooms types have been refurbished. Our suggestion for guests wanting to book is contact the resort reservations team on 1800 079 002 to discuss your preferences so we can find the best room to suit your needs. We are a 30 year old property and agree we do need to look to revisit the style of some of the rooms. This will be the plan for us to review in the future. With our beachfront location and direct access to the amazing Coral Sea we are glad you agree the location is not to be missed. It's disappointing to read that you didn't enjoy your dining experience at BUKO our new restaurant has been receiving great feedback and reviews from guests and locals. We hope we can welcome you back in the near future and provide you with a amazing guest experience the one's we are generally proud to achieve. Kind Regards, Lynne Scanlan. Rooms Division Manager.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What a dump! It was supposed to be bulldozed years ago and replaced with a new resort but the owner got cheap and simply increased his room numbers by buying the tired old place next door. Now he owns two tired old hotels. The restaurant is overpriced and trying to be something that it's not. The staff are friendly but inappropriate; either in your face, or ignoring you when they are "busy" with one-third of the restaurant full. The showers in the rooms are great, if you like getting a continuous shot of boiling water followed by cold, and if you dare to embrace technology and own a rechargeable device such as a mobile phone then you won't be able to watch TV at the same time if you need to recharge it, as there's only one power point. At least there's a large nasty and dented metal garbage bin in the middle of the room under the flouro mood lighting. Too bad it's not big enough to put the stained sofa in. I never thought I'd say it, but stay in a caravan park... or stay at home!
Read more
Date of stay: September 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Choose another hotel or sleep on your car
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Paul Clark, General Manager at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 17 Oct 2021
Hi Djhirons, Well I'm sorry we did not match your expectations and we thank you for your feedback. I will review your comments with my team and Owner and we thank you again for taking the time to let us know how you feel. Regards Paul
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The view and outside of the resort were nice and peaceful.
We were in the “Coral Sea Resort Room”, our bed and pillows were uncomfortable. The base of our shower was a tiny bath that you could hardly turn around in. Our room was not serviced at all during our 6 night stay. We had to request new towels and face washers - if we didn’t do this we would have had the same ones the whole time. We were told our room wasn’t serviced because of COVID - while staying at other places for shorter amounts of time this was not the case.
If you choose to stay here make sure you ask to be away from the cleaners room/gym. As we were woken most mornings from 6:30/7am by the noise of trolleys, talking and opening/closing of doors.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lynne Scanlan, Guest Services / Front Office at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 12 Jan 2021
Hi Alexandramw12 Thank you for taking the time in posting a review and our apologies our service delivery has fallen short during your stay. I appreciate you taking the time to pass on your feedback which we will review as a Management team. Each property will have their own CV19 Safety Plan under which it operates in regards to the safety of guests and staff with daily room servicing. Hope you enjoyed your time in beautiful Mission Beach and the rest of your journey. Kind Regards, Lynne Scanlan. Rooms Division Manager.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Castaways Resort is in a great location by the beach in a beautiful local community. However, it is dated and the attention to detail leaves much to be desired starting with the “Beachfront Resort Room” to which we upgraded. Yes, the room had views from the balcony out to the beach and Coral Sea but that was from the third floor of an apartment block with the pool, restaurant, and 80 meters of grass and palm trees between you and the beach. Beach views yes, beachfront no.
During our two-night weekend stay we found the staff friendly but lacking experience and good management. We were aware that there is a lack of staff in FNQ as a result of COVID but surely some managerial oversight would help newbies. Service was slow, incorrect more than once, and with a somewhat cursory attitude to what they were doing. This was not good enough for the price we paid through Luxury Escapes.
Unfortunately the lifts weren’t working while we were there so we carried our bags up the stairs to the third floor on a weekend of oppressive high temperatures (37C) and high humidity. The staff were showing the signs of this in their appearance and occasional demeanour but it would be difficult not to be affected. The rooms themselves were OK but do show signs of age with the noise levels between rooms being a concern.
The included breakfast was acceptable and the Buko Restaurant was quite good with an innovative menu cooked well. Our thanks to Denis the Duty Manager on the night we ate at Buko; he was friendly, informative, and attentive while under pressure with the inexperienced staff and the oppressive hot weather. Buko is under cover but not fully enclosed nor air-conditioned.
We still had a good time and may re-visit Mission Beach to sample the walks and local bars/cafes but we wouldn’t stay at Castaways again until they priced themselves according to the standard they offer. That would need to be 33% less than what we paid.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Try for a ground-level "beachfront" room with direct access to the pool.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Paul Clark, General Manager at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 21 Mar 2022
Hi Stepwalk - thanks for your well written and considered review. I thank you for your comments and take aboard what you say about experience and management. The lift was a hassle for everyone and I apologise - the two lift technicians contracted Covid and this pushed our timing out - it certainly was a hot week and tested all of us. Thanks again for taking the time to post a review we really appreciate it. Regards Paul and Team.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I stayed for 1 night with my mother and sister in a family room. The ladies on reception were very welcoming and offered 10/10 service. The welcoming pack was also good, however that's the only positive thing I have to say on our experience. The room, whilst clean, is becoming dated with a chipped table/bench top and cupboard door hinges close to breaking. There was also a large stain on the roof. I think describing the beach front rooms as luxury is quite a stretch. The only 'luxurious' element is the view - which is maintained by council being apart of a public beach walking trail. Perhaps it was luxurious when it was first built. The most disappointing part of our stay was our interaction with the restaurant BUKO. We couldn't book in for dinner because they were "fully booked" however we could still sit down and have drinks in the same area. We originally though it was due to covid restrictions, however if that was the case, how could they be able to still seat us in the same area and take our drink orders. They advised us we would have to order room service instead which we were happy to do. However it took over an hour for our meals to come and they then only provided two sets of cutlery for the three meals ordered. The food was alright, but certainly not worth waiting over an hour for. The next morning we had breakfast at the restaurant as it was included. However we were never told what items on the menu we could order/were included with our room booking. It wasn't until after we were checked out, we received a phone calling telling us we would be charged for the hot meals we ate. The lady then proceeded to tell us that her staff had advised us on what items were included (which they most certainly had not!), and that we were at fault. She then proceeded to tell us we were in the wrong and therefore would be charged - she did not listen to anything we had to say. Overall this left my family feeling disappointed in what was supposed to be a nice relaxing getaway. I wouldn't recommend staying here to anyone, but if you do, avoid the restaurant. The only thing it has going for it is the view and you don't have to be staying there to be able to see it.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lynne Scanlan, Guest Services / Front Office at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 23 Mar 2021
Dear Chartersvw Thank you for taking the time to post your review and disappointing to read you didn't enjoy your stay with us. My apologies for the shortfalls in service delivery we are generally proud to achieve. Your feedback will be passed onto the Food & Beverage Manager for review with her team. Yes correct we are a 30 year old property and we have refurbished a few years ago and are currently in discussion about future plans on room updates. I do hope we can welcome you back to Castaways Beachfront Resort in the future for you to have a different experience. Please reach out to me directly if I can be of any further assistance. Kind Regards, Lynne Scanlan. Rooms Division Manager.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Disappointingly we won’t be back. We stayed here a few years ago and were super impressed. The meals were amazing and in fact we returned excited to revisit a great relaxed location and what we remember as mouth watering meals.
Unfortunately this place is expensive (cheaper to stay in a luxury room at the Sofitel with meals included) and the wait staff and the restaurant meals leave a lot to be desired. Most of the night everyone’s drinks were empty. Is this not where most of the profits come from?
Given how hard the tourism industry has been hit you would think that places like these would be breaking their necks to impress visitors they do get to ensure return patronage and the undeniable power of word of mouth.
When we go out for a meal we are very happy to pay but in return we expect great service and memorable food.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lynne Scanlan, Guest Services / Front Office at Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Responded 12 Jan 2021
Dear Y8766FMpaular Thank you for taking the time to post your review. It is disappointing to read your dining experience at Buko - we have been receiving some fabulous feedback and I am sorry that you didn't have the same experience we are very proud to deliver. Your feedback will be passed onto Victoria Leeming our Food and beverage Manager to review with her team. Kind Regards, Lynne Scanlan. Rooms Division Manager.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I've driven back to Mission Beach after the night tour at Paronella Park and it has been no problem at all. Just take it slow on the back road bends and you won't have a worry - it's about a 30-40 minute drive to Castaways from Paronella.
Apologies, much too in response to this question, however the same answer still applies - our earliest guaranteed check in time is 2pm. However if on the day a room should be ready earlier, guests are more than welcome to check in prior to 2pm at no additional cost. If you are able to advise our reservations team of your anticipated early arrival, then we will do our best to be able to accommodate this.
There are more places to choose from in the Mission Beach area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$120 - AU$150 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
castaways resort & spa mission beach hotel mission beach, castaways resort and spa mission beach, castaways hotel on mission beach, castaways resort on mission beach
LOCATION
AustraliaQueenslandMission Beach
NUMBER OF ROOMS
65
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
