Heron Island Resort

“Relaxing but very run down and over priced”

We recently visited Heron Island and stayed 4 nights. The island is in a beautiful location and although the drinking coral reef is full of fish, the coral is in very poor condition and the visibility is less than I anticipated. The staff are friendly and efficient but the place is very run down an… more

We recently visited Heron Island and stayed 4 nights. The island is in a beautiful location and although the drinking coral reef is full of fish, the coral is in very poor condition and the visibility is less than I anticipated. The staff are friendly and efficient but the place is very run down and looks like nothing much has been done to it since it was purchased in 2017 after being abandoned for several years. Our room was clean and fairly comfortable - we weren’t expecting luxury - but the whole place looks like nothing has been spent on it since acquisition. We understand that it costs money to bring food and supplies over but the price of food and drinks is eye watering - thank goodness that breakfast was included but that is soon going to change. Eat up well at the buffet because you won’t be able to afford lunch AND dinner. The evening meals from the small a la carte menu were just ok - on the small side and $48 was a lot to pay for a small, tough piece of steak with a couple of vegetables on the side. If you decide to go there look carefully at the tides so that you can snorkel during daylight hours but really if you want to see good coral and fish go up to Green Island off Cairns or the outer Whitsunday Islands. Parting words

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“Location is right on the reef, lodging is older and food is expensive”

Yes - all about the expectations here. The Turtle Room I had was probably a typical one, older, low end and dated but, that's what I expected. Yes, everything feels a bit damp there, yep, what I expected. Expensive, just okay food, no cell service or $25/day wifi, etc. etc. yes yes and yes. All exp… more

Yes - all about the expectations here. The Turtle Room I had was probably a typical one, older, low end and dated but, that's what I expected. Yes, everything feels a bit damp there, yep, what I expected. Expensive, just okay food, no cell service or $25/day wifi, etc. etc. yes yes and yes. All expected. I will say that the scuba and snorkeling experience certainly did depend on who you had guiding you that day. Some good, some not so good. The big plus was being able to do 3 dives (or snorkels) each day since you're only minutes from 15 or so dive spots. That's wonderful! It is fun to be able to start your day with a snorkel off the beach (seeing multiple types of sharks and rays plus turtles each day) and end it with a reef walk at low tide (saw Epaulette sharks, octopus, cone shells, etc.). As a note - it is a nice touch that there are reef shoes available to borrow. Nothing to do with the Herron Island team or resort: The visibility wasn't great most days for diving/snorkeling and it wasn't the best place that I've gone for diving or snorkeling for coral (not as colorful), fish (not as diverse or plentiful) or other wildlife. That said, seeing a couple manta rays was wonderful! Overall - it was a good experience and the island is located directly on the reef.

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