Heron Island Resort

This is our third time at Heron and while the resort is looking dated and tired, it was clean and the accommodation we stayed had good air conditioning. Overall the holiday was magical but not everything went well hence the 4 star review. We had issues before we even arrived and Lauren the duty manager was extremely apologetic and we were able to come to an agreement during our 6 nights stay. Our Pros - 1. Staff were amazing. The restaurant staff and reception team both deserve a special mention. 2. The marine life was just great. So much to see and do. The water was warm and very clear when the conditions were right. 3. So easy to just walk from the room to the beach and swim with turtles, sharks and stingrays within a few minutes 4. The food was good! Tasty, generous and reasonable. Lunch menu is very limited but dinner offered more choices 5. We were lucky to see 2 sets of turtles hatchings. A once in a lifetime experience. Our Cons - 1. As many have mentioned the resort is tired 2. The booking system is broken.. many guests we spoke to also had issues with their booking where rooms were over booked for the period they had selected. Even with a confirmation email the booking was still not guaranteed 3. Not enough activities for the day and none set up for the night. When we first visited Heron 30 years ago they had live music at the bar. Guided star gazing at night. Various water activities running every day instead of some only twice a week. Perhaps it’s due to staff shortages or the Canadian owners trying to save money. 4. And this is a BIG issue. They don’t seem to have a process in place when things go wrong. The Heron ferry is the primary method to get on and off the island. The helicopter is the second option which costs $900+ per adult one way. The ferry only runs 5 days each week and the 6 days we were there it broke down on a Wednesday and still out of commission on the Friday we were due to depart. The usual schedule is for the departing guest on the ferry by 12:30 plenty of time to get back to the mainland to catch the 4:55pm flight back to Brisbane. One the Thursday management was aware of the issue and stated due to low tide and having to use a replacement ferry the delayed departure time will now be at 2:30. We changed our flight to 6:40 which is the last flight out of Gladstone and was reassured we will definitely make our flight. Friday morning the story changed and now we were told 3:45 is the new departure time but the airline has been made aware of the late departure implying they will hold the flights for us. We did not leave the dock till 4:30. Missed our flight home. Had to pay for a hotel for the night, two taxi fares and got home almost 12 hours later. Our issue? The management would have been well aware the arrival time of the replacement ferry. A 4 hour delay. We were never going to make our connecting flights. They chose to not be honest about the situation and it seems they just wanted us off the island so it wasn’t their issue anymore.

The property was a true island getaway. We didn't have internet, phone, or TV. We could move around easily and on a relaxed state. There is only one restaurant but the food was very good. Elliot was the activity director and he was incredibly knowledgeable . All the staff were lovely. We had a room without air conditioning but found the fan quite sufficient .

Leaving Heron tomorrow. I have been returning here for about 30 years and have seen the reef and the resort evolve. This is true living with the reef and the residents and visitor birds. The energy of the island and the rhythm of the reef are good for the soul. Watching from the jetty the eagle rays leaping out off the water makes the heart sing over and over again. The resort is not a luxury place, one would probably think of it as an eco- resort that deserves much better care by its financial owners. It seems that they are investing as little as possible in the upkeep of the accommodation and general maintenance. A shout out to Heron staff for doing excellent job within noticeable restrictions. The place is beautiful regardless of that. Most importantly, the rooms are clean, there is plenty of warm water, beds are comfortable and clean... Luxurious resort this is not, but rather a very comfortable cabins surrounded by nature, trees, the reef and the birds who share the cay with humans. Observing the birds closely is fun, both for us, and them watching the humans. Their pooping is inevitable and has to be accepted as a part of the deal for staying on Heron. It cannot be managed any better and no amount of criticism can change that. Heron is a national park. Personally, I am definitely not keen on the mutton birds (the wedge tailed shearwater) and their burrows and whining throughout the night, however they are an unavoidable part of Heron and I accept their right to be here equal to mine. After couple of nights I am hardly bothered any longer. Heron is a magical nature reserve, and that makes it much more magical than luxurious island resorts for me. I would be coming here even if it was just a camping ground, let alone with everything provided for us. The staff are doing a fantastic job in looking after the guests and the resort, within the conditions they are provided with. Everyone was doing their best. It seems that most of the people are not professional hospitality workers, yet they are doing a professional job in managing everything in the very best way possible. The reception staff go out of their way to provide the best service to everyone, and manage skilfully each day. The maintenance and cleaning staff are super helpful and responsive. The activities staff are the same. The restaurant operates smoothly and is a relaxing place. The bar staff are kind and friendly. A shout out to Elliot, who wears a number of hats throughout each day. He is a highly professional, articulate, and knowledgeable staff member, his expertise and passion for his work are admirable. It will be yet another goodbye to Heron tomorrow, until the next visit. Thank you to all staff for their friendliness and for looking after the guests so well. To the financial management, please allocate more funds to Heron because it definitely deserves it.

We stayed at Heron Island. We had a great time at the location, in full contact with nature, land and sea. The snorkeling tour team was good and well organized, especially the girls Imma and Nicole who accompanied us with professionalism, pointing out every small, great marine creature. At the restaurant, a close-knit and well-organized team always welcomed us with a warm smile... like being with family. Always ready to listen to requests, quick to satisfy them. A beautiful Beachside room on the top floor with a sea view, very spacious, comfortable, fairly good cleaning, a lot of maintenance would be useful. So we had a wonderful holiday.

If you’re considering getting married at Heron Island I would strongly suggest not to. The hotel is run down, the food is disgusting and the staff eg. Management and also the staff you will encounter during your stay there are not very polite or nice. It acts like it is a 5 star resort when all it has going for it is the view and that’s it. It would lucky to be 2 stars with the view. As a local, I have holidayed there a few times as it is such a treasure. So when we have thought about where best we get married, we thought Heron Island straight away. Why not support local business and tourism when that is on our door step? But damn, that was not the mindset of the staff. Back in January, I reached out to this magical place to plan one of the most special days I will ever experience in my life. From day dot, it was a struggle to get ahold of the events manager. Once I got ahold of her, she was polite and nice and helped with what we were wanting. She told us to get our guests to reach out to her to book rooms, eg. Friends and family. Basically all up would’ve been 15 rooms plus food, activities, drinks etc. However as time went on and our guests were trying to get ahold to book their rooms they were met with no answering of the phones and emails. This continued for about 5 weeks before I decided to reach out to the GM of the island, only after trying to call the reception office a hand full of times to help get rooms booked but again met with ZERO answer. My email to the GM started with an apology for even reaching out to him to get some help with booking rooms as people weren’t getting a response. At the start, this GM was very apologetic and reassured me he will be helping from here on in to get rooms booked (keep in mind, this is all this company needed to do, I had organised everything else). And then he said he would get the front of house staff onto the guests who hadn’t been able to get through, to book them a room. Due to the limited accomodation and other weddings that are meant to be there on the same weekend, obviously ourselves and guests were about not being able to stay! I only contacted the GM as I thought he might’ve been my best bet of getting the final few rooms booked. But boy was I wrong, he kept telling me that he’d get the staff onto them but two weeks went by and he nor other staff had reached out. In this time I had only sent one follow up email, asking how very thing was going? And what the hold up was? I was then met with passive aggressiveness, accusations, and utter disrespect from this general manager… it is absolutely appalling the way he speaks to PAYING guests or anyone for that matter. As a local here in this town myself, he is an embarrassment to us all being allowed to run this beautiful the way he is and speaking to people the way that he does. There is three of us all up in the group bookings with whom he has spoken down on and utterly disregarded everything that we have all said. Again, stay away from this place and save your money for a much nicer place that will provide an unforgettable experience with delicious food and a beautiful space. **Please note the attached photos below is correspondence between the general manager and 2 paying guests**

Very relaxing place surrounded by unspoiled nature.

This was our second visit to Heron Island, the first being back in 2014, and I’m sorry to say that it’s a far cry from what we remember. Upon arrival, we were not-so-warmly greeted by Master Reef Guide Elliot. Not sure which one he is? Don’t worry, his shirt, drink bottle, and probably even his pyjamas, all proudly declare his title. If you missed the obvious signage, Elliot will be sure to tell you all about it. The staff, to their credit, were mostly lovely, but it felt as if they were drowning in an understaffed work environment. During each dinner service, at least one table around us was complaining about waiting 30 minutes (or more) for someone to take their order or about missing meals. You can’t blame the staff—they were working hard—but there simply weren’t enough of them to go around. That said, Master Reef Guide Elliot was seen hitting the bar for another beer or chilling in the restaurant while the rest of the staff scrambled to keep things together. Maybe part of his duties as a Master Reef Guide is "quality control"? Speaking of standards, Master Reef Guide Elliot also made a point to mention the designated smoking area during his briefing—it’s the only place on the island where smoking or vaping is permitted. However, this rule apparently doesn’t apply to the staff. We observed several of them casually vaping as they walked around cleaning the paths. It’s little things like this that add to the overall disappointing vibe of the resort. As for the food, it was decidedly underwhelming—especially considering the price ($$$). And the cocktail menu at the bar? Honestly, how does an island resort mess up a cocktail bar? Heron Island has so much potential, but it feels like a beautiful location being horrifically mismanaged. We won’t be returning for a third time. One last thing—this isn’t the resort’s fault, but the reef is in terrible shape. The best dive sites were basically a graveyard of bleached coral. Sure, there are still plenty of turtles, sharks, and rays, but if you’re coming here specifically for the diving, I’d strongly suggest looking elsewhere. The dive guides did their best, but like the rest of the resort, they were stretched too thin. Eight divers being micromanaged by a single guide was chaotic at best. The boat also had to cater to both diving and snorkelling, meaning compromises had to be made on both fronts. At times, this resulted in a less-than-great experience for everyone. Overall, far to expensive for what it is. Avoid Avoid. Avoid.

Such a wonderful island, still so many stingrays, eagle rays, sharks turtles, so many different fish to see its just amazing. The staff all s helpful from the ferry and on the island. The food this time around was amazing, huge meals and so tasty! Different menu every night we were there and fab brekky buffet as usual!! Thank you!!!!

Wonderful place, magical, snorkeling fantastic, but they could have more options to eat…

Such a special island, the staff are so friendly, extremely helpful, I cannot wait to go back !Sea-life is very abundant , as is bird life, excellent exercise walking around island every day ! So many turtles!!! Lots of swimming! I regret not getting to the pub in the evenings