Palm Bay Resort

Friendly staff, very international

Worst accommodation of both our lives - we stayed at bungalow 13 which is a beachfront bungalow, right next to the sunset bar which supposedly is open only between 4:30 and 6:30 pm - this will be relevant in a bit. First of all, a general note about the place. If you didn't know, the whole island has no other establishment but this resort. This means the only food on the island is sold at the resort's restaurant, and the only supplies are sold at the resort's store, and BOY DO THEY MILK THAT. Everything is crazy expensive. I'm talking a single bag of microwave popcorn for 4.5 AUD, two cocktail buns with a single shrimp in each for 16 AUD - truly outlandish stuff. We had two meals a day, shared food for the most part, barely drank anything and reached ~550 AUD in 3 days, and the food really isn't great. I'm not saying we were poisoned or anything nasty like that, but it wasn't good. Truly creates the feeling that you're a cash cow being milked. If you do decide to go here, I suggest bringing prep meals. Also dinner is always a full service and the food takes FOREVER to arrive sometimes as long as 40 minutes. The staff is aware and unapologetic. The bungalow itself films much nicer than it actually is and was actually pretty shabby, with dark spots on the walls that looked like mould and a LOUD ac unit that barely did a thing. The first night when we arrived was really eventful (and we drove down for 4 hours from Townsville to catch a ferry, mind you). First of all, there were people at sunset bar and they were drunk and loud up until pretty much midnight. This would've been ok if it were just guests' behavior but the bar itself was manned, there was music playing and we could easily hear everything from our bungalow, so we had to have our AC on just to drown out the noise. This was especially bad because we asked specifically about the bungalow being quiet as we were really tired and pretty sensitive sleepers and Kate at the reception desk assured us that there was nothing to worry about. After the party cleared up, almost immediately 3 cockroaches came out- no door/window was open. The reception closes at 6 so I had to leave the room and find a staff member to address the issue. I was lucky enough to find a couple. Upon informing them, one of them tried to call who I believe to be the general manager - she did not answer (this is a theme for our stay). She then called someone else only to tell me that since we're "in the middle of a jungle" there was nothing they could do. I obviously understand that, except 3 cockroaches popping out at the same time in different parts of the bungalow feels pretty unsanitary, and I'm not talking to the staff at a top resort, and paying over 400 AUD a night to hear excuses. After insisting, she had another staff member deliver reid spray to our room. He told us they'd get our bungalow checked out the next day (spoilers: they never did). Not so much as an apology from anyone from the staff, barely acknowledging t

I wanted a place where I could sit and relax. And this resort sure did offer that. Staff were all outstanding to deal with. Looking forward to another visit.

The only thing missing is wi-fi. For me this is an important feature during my trip.

A wonderful stay at the property. The staff was excellent. Shout out to Chase, Sarah, and Tommy. They worked non-stop to make sure our guest experience was perfect. The meals were excellent but with the heat, it would have been nice to have some lighter dining options.

Amazing location and beautiful bungalows overlooking pristine beach and bay. 5 day stay and loved it… so relaxing and part of nature. Only thing to change… music playlists as after a day they repeat (although staff happy to change at my request- thanks Tommy and Chase).

This place is on long island and it very far from hamilton island. Reaching here is very expensive and there are not too many options to choose from. Charter boat to this island is 400$ Appx. Apart from this food menu is limited and expensive. Staff is not helpful too. There is no wifi in the property.