Heron Island Resort

The restaurant at Heron Island is very good. We had some hesitations about staying here because of some less favorable review comments about the food especially since this is the only place to eat on the island. People who have been coming here for many years say the food is better than ever. Chef Johnnsy does a fantastic job, especially dinners and the prices seemed fair. If Kangaroo is on the menu get it! The breakfast buffet offers abundant choices, juices, fruit bar, pastries, hot table with full English breakfast, a variety of bread for toast jams, cold cuts, salads. Lunch is good too, except the pizza was disappointing.

There are two different things to evaluate here: First, ... Island, nature, experience superb!! Small island made of sand and corals, but explodes of animals and sea life. Lots of different rays, sharks and turtles (specially green turtles and loggerheads, which nest here) you will have the chance to snorkel or scuba dive with. Muttons birds all around (nesting in october). We woke each and every day for sunrise (5:20 aprox) and snorkelled around until aprox. 8:30 AM. Between 8:30 to 16:30 you can´t dive in the jetty area, afterwards beautiful place to finish the day until sunset, with some drink! Even though they are recovering fron a coral bleech from last year, the quantity of turtles, rays and colorful fishes is marvelous!!!! The rest ... hotel service is ok but basic, food wasn´t as bad as I read other reviews, but it wasn´t good enough as the price they charge you. Cabins are ok and dated, with hot water and strictly basic. For the price you pay, the place should give much more service and should be better managed and maintained. Great beaches, snorkeling, and good tours and talks (about turtles, sharks, birds; but we didn´t get the stargazing walk). Briefly, the lack of competition doesn´t help hotel service (only one resort and management) to be at high level, .... and meet higher standards. And Heron island deserves it!

The island is stunning, beautiful attention to nature, you felt privileged to be there. Staff were amazing and rooms were roomy and clean. My only gripe relates to catering. In particular, dinner service which was buffet style and frankly, awful. There are limited other options and I appreciate the logistics associated with being so remote but please improve the quality of food available.

The room was very close to the beach , surrounded by nature , spacious, relaxing, restaurant was amazing ! Staff all incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. Amazing stay

Unbelievably beautiful place so alive with marine and bird life. My fifth visit since 2020 and already dreaming of a return. The dining is still pretty average, but the sunset easily compensates. Yes, recent bleaching can't be ignored. It serves as a reminder how special this place is and how important action is.

We travelled as a family of five (with kids aged 3, 5, and 12) and stayed in the two-bedroom family unit. Yes, the accommodation is on the expensive side for what you get, but you’re staying on a remote island surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef – what more could you ask for! We stayed in the two bedroom room (the most expensive), the tv had Netflix etc for kids and a great breakout space! I think the other rooms are a really great price for what you get to experience. The unit itself was close to everything, which made it easy with young children, and the staff were absolutely amazing and accommodating throughout our entire stay. I’ll be honest – I was hesitant to book after reading some reviews, but I’m so glad we went. We had the best time and I would go back in a heartbeat. The wildlife and marine life were just incredible. We saw turtles, sharks, stingrays, and so many fish. We saw lemon sharks, turtles, blacktip reef sharks, huge parrotfish, rays, and endless tropical fish. I recommend a 430pm snorkel just in front of the bar, within 5min, we passed sharks, endless turtles and rays! One highlight for us was the snorkel lessons offered in the pool. My 5-year-old gained confidence quickly, and even my 3-year-old was accommodated. By the end, my daughter was happily snorkeling in the ocean alongside us, which was so special swimming with blacktip sharks and parrot fish with her! Also! They don’t advertise enough their activities available! They had junior rangers which is a small fee but 1.5 hours, kids were happy playing with other kids (endless activities and marine life activities learning) and we got to explore the island alone - absolutely priceless and so thankful for this opportunity. Kids also loved the marine bingo!! Us too as we won a free cocktail coupon! Food-wise, we really enjoyed it. Some dishes were better than others, and yes, it is pricey – but considering everything has to be transported from the mainland, it’s to be expected. We did the buffet breakfast daily, and being able to take a banana or orange for the kids as morning tea was helpful. The only improvement I’d suggest is adding more accessible healthy snack options during the day, especially fruit plates for families with young children aside love to eat every 2 hours! Practical tips: • Travel insurance is a must. Our ferry was cancelled one day, and we ended up flying which was $500 per ticket. Because of mechanical delays with the boat, we were refunded for our helicopter flights – a huge relief. • The island is full of birdlife (and yes, bird poo!), but that’s part of the experience. We weren’t there during mutton bird season, so noise wasn’t an issue and we all slept well. We didn’t mind the birds and added to the experience. Overall, this trip was such a memorable family holiday. The reef, the wildlife, the laid-back island atmosphere, and above all, the incredible staff made it unforgettable. Thank you to everyone at Heron Island Resort – we’ll definitely be back!

A paradise island. The friendliness and willingness of the staff to make our trip the best it could be our weighed any small downsides to this accommodation. One being the food, I’m sure they are doing the best with what they have but for the price of food that seemed more like heated up from frozen, it was a shock to pay an extra $2000 for 5 nights in food, wetsuit hire, a boat trip out to the reef where it was poor visibility and a depressing state of dead coral. Wilson island on the other hand was incredible!!

This island is very good for a family vacation. The island is amazing for beaches, snorkeling, and guided tours of stuff like the research station, island walks, bird and shark talks, and stargazing! The staff are bery nice, and even though theu only have one resort and one restaurant, both exceed the public’s needs. The staff are very nice and respectful. Also elliot is a very nice guy.

Highly recommend for a quiet getaway

Overall, the resort was excellent. Beautiful weather, our family room near the Gantry was great. Comfy beds, good shower, plenty of space. The activities were great, snorkelling was fun and the aquatic wildlife plentiful. The downside? The restaurant. Staff were helpful enough when you could get their attention but the food was usually cold and they run out of so many staples. No potatoes, no gnocchi, no chips. The steaks were the toughest boot leather I've ever eaten and the morning bacon about the same. Sloppy packet scrambled eggs and mashed potato was pretty ordinary also. Everything overpriced given the quality. Then there is the internet access. $25 per day for two devices. Come on it's 2025. Wifi is as basic a provision as hot water. Make it complimentary.