Amaroo on Mandalay, Magnetic Island

A couple of essentials to begin with … in the hot summer months, the reception closes at 5pm, and the bar/restaurant is only open at the weekends. So don’t expect to enjoy a drink and dinner by the pool. And you’ll have to open a key safe, read the instruction me then take yourself off to the room with all your luggage. Also the island has only one taxi on duty in the evening, and the driver did meet our ferry. But again, don’t bank on transport. It’s a good 15-20 minute walk to the hotel, not so great if dragging your luggage after you. And don’t believe the hype about the bus service. It’s very infrequent, and you’ll waste a lot of time sitting and waiting. If you can afford it, book a hire car in advance. The car hire companies, like Best of Magnetic, are based just opposite the ferry terminal. We really liked this hotel though. Yes, it could do with a bit of modernisation, especially the dull reception area, but our room (140, recently refurbished, we were told) was fine, with a little terrace overlooking the fabulous tropical gardens. Nice bathroom with good shower. We did also have one meal at the restaurant and it was very good. On other night we ate at the Granite place at the Road junction and also enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Bikini Cafe (more of a big pub), in Arcadia. If you like nature, Amaroo on Mandalay really is the place for you … wallabies, cockatoos and those long legged curlew like birds … a plenty. The hotel has 10 acres of garden and backs onto the National Park. One thing we didn’t like … the room isn’t serviced during your stay. So I cleaned the bathroom floor myself. I was suffering under the impression that I’d paid for someone else to do that. Also when we reconfigured the room to give ourselves more space, it was clear that no one had moved the furniture for a long time … we found loads of dust and a (thankfully) very dead cockroach. Yuk.

Worst hotel I've ever stayed at! Wasn't even a hotel room was an Airbnb and filthy dirty. No wifi no Telstra reception and no one would help me with my bags, explained I had a sore back and the manager watched me struggle taking my bags back to my room..very dirty unit..waste of money and scared of going back to Maggie island now. What a joke!!!

This is a hidden gem at the back of Nelly Bay. We had our car so could park in their car park, the lady at reception was super helpful and check in was very quick. We had a short walk along a concrete path to our family unit at the top of the complex. Although there are quite a few units on site the gorgeous garden planting means that ours felt very private and was super quiet (except the birds!). The unit itself was dated in places but spotlessly clean and with plenty of space. It had everything you could want, comfy beds, hot shower, table that seated 4 both inside and outside and useful touches like clothes rails outside (perfect for wet swimwear) and an airer. Our kids enjoyed the playground and were disappointed that we didn’t have time to check out the pool. The restaurant wasn’t open the two nights we were there so the reception lady helpfully recommended Granite down the road, which was great. Best of all was coming back from dinner and finding rock wallabies on the lawn! Overall it’s a lovely calm, tranquil place with a beautiful setting. Perfect if you want something clean, comfy and well priced and aren’t fussed too much about the decor of the unit as much as the peace and quiet it offers.