An explosion of luxury resorts is coming to Queensland’s islands
The Sunshine State is known as Australia’s tropical paradise, with pristine beaches and, of course, the Great Barrier Reef.
Queensland has consistently been one of the most popular places to holiday for Aussies and now the state is experiencing a luxury island resort boom set to entice even more travellers.
The Sunshine State is known as Australia’s tropical paradise, with pristine beaches and of course the Great Barrier Reef. nna\orana.durney-benson
For years, many of the state’s famous island destinations languished due to cyclone damage, complex leases, and changing tourism trends.
But now an abundance of new covetable island resorts are breathing ultra-premium life back into the destination.
Developers are moving away from massive, crowded resorts in favour of hyper-exclusive, ultra-private options, with travellers increasingly interested in more bespoke eco-conscious and wellness-led offerings.
Mark Olsen, Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO said $290 million of tourism investment was underway in the Cairns region alone.
“We are seeing a surge in interest by developers who are sensitive with scale to the landscape which is ideal for the only place on earth where two natural World Heritage areas are side by side,” he said.
From the revitalisation of forgotten icons to the new kids on the block, here is a round up of what’s already on offer and what’s still coming – from the super lux celebrity favourites to more affordable family holidays.
Orpheus Island Lodge
Orpheus Island Lodge, a member of the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection, is welcoming guests again after a revamp.
The super-luxury hotel on the Great Barrier Reef is dubbed by bosses as “the ultimate secluded tropical paradise.”
It has just 28 guests in its 14 rooms at a time to enjoy the all-inclusive hospitality.
The resort is set within more than 1,000 hectares of national park, stretching across 11 kilometres of turquoise coast including reef.
It can only be reached via a 30-minute helicopter flight from Townsville.
Orpheus Island Lodge is welcoming guests again after a revamp. Orpheus Island Lodge
The Sundays, Hamilton Island, Whitsundays
The Sundays is a new hotel on the beloved famous island, which opened in 2025.
With 29 rooms, it aims to blend luxury with family friendliness.
The Sundays, Hamilton Island has won awards since opening. The Sundays, Hamilton Island
The hotel even appeared on US publication Travel + Leisure’s It List, of the 100 Best New Hotels in 2026.
It has generously sized rooms and adjoining rooms with blackout curtains and snack-stocked kitchens.
It also offers Catseye Pool Club with food by acclaimed culinary duo Josh and Julie Niland.
The Straddie Hotel reopened recently. Supplied
The Straddie, North Stradbroke Island
More of a laid-back family destination, The Straddie on North Stradbroke Island had a revamp last year after being hit by a cyclone.
At Port Lookout on the island off the Queensland coast, the island can be reached by ferry from Brisbane making it ideal for a day trip or overnight.
The pub has both rooms and apartments to stay in on what is the second-largest sand island in the world.
The redevelopment introduces a collection of new and refreshed spaces, including a breezy upper deck, a new bistro and bars and an expanded all-weather deck with panoramic views.
InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays
Hayman Island in Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands has become one of Australia’s most famous luxury holiday spots.
InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef reopened. Intercontinental
This hotel was renamed in renamed in 2025, when it celebrated its 75th anniversary.
You can get a boat from nearby Hamilton island, which has flights from major Aussie cities.
The island’s accommodation started out as humble beach shacks. It also had a $135 million upgrade in 2019.
It was also known as One and Only Hayman Island and InterContinental Hayman Island before settling on the new name, InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef.
Daydream Island, Whitsundays
The beloved island resort reopened in 2019 following a $100 million spruce-up following a cyclone.
The 277 refurbished rooms include standard, superior and deluxe options as well as suites.
It has a swim up bar, buffet restaurant Graze, Inkstone Kitchen and Bar and Asian fusion at Infinity. Get there by flying to Hamilton island and taking a short ferry ride.
Daydream Island is having a big revamp. Supplied
Elysian Retreat, Long Island, Whitsundays
This island houses just 20 guests, meaning it’s the perfect spot for relaxation.
It’s nestled on the southern end of Long Island in the Whitsundays and opened in 2019 on the site of the old Paradise Bay Eco Resort.
It’s set on a three-hectare private cove with a rocky beach and runs almost entirely off solar power.
Elysian Retreat is adult’s only luxury. Elysian Retreat
Dining is all-inclusive, and you can also sample yoga, spa treatments, watersports of just lazing by the pool.
Get there by boat from shute Harbour or helicopter.
Double Island, Cairns
This spot near Cairns’ northern beaches will reopen as part of a $40 million “world-class tourism and hospitality destination”.
It was once so exclusive, Keanu Reeves hired it 2001 for his New Year’s Eve party, flying in Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and 26 other A-list pals, according to the AFR.
Double Island off Cairns’ northern beaches will reopen as part of a $40m “world-class tourism and hospitality destination”. Nine
The revamped spot will have 24 luxury villas across six beachfront dwellings at Double Island Lodge.
It’ll have a pool gym and spa, a sunset bar and walking trails plus a restaurant.
Chris Morris, Morris Group, said locals will also be able to enjoy it.
“We want the public beach bar and restaurant to be a relaxed and welcoming space where day visitors and locals can meet with friends, step right onto the sand and appreciate the beautiful surrounds,” he said.
Access will be by helicopter and ‘super yacht’; according to Morris Group.
Work started this year, but it won’t be complete until around 2028.
Lindeman Island, Whitsundays
The hotel on Lindeman Island in the Whitsundays – where even Queen Elizabeth II once swam – has been closed since 2012.
But it’ll reopen next year as Le Méridien Lindeman Island Resort & Spa after a $60million revamp.
Dubbed by tourism bosses as “one of the most spectacular tropical islands in Australia”, the old Club Med resort in the same location was destroyed by Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
Lindeman Island in the Whitsundays has been closed since 2012. But it’ll reopen as a Le Méridien hotel after a $60m revamp. Supplied
The island has been a popular place for Aussies to holiday for decades.
Dating all the way back to 1923, when a camp was first started there by the Nicolson family.
During a visit to Australia in 1954, the Royal Yacht Britannia even anchored off Lindeman and Queen Elizabeth II swam in the ocean.
Le Méridien Lindeman Island Resort & Spa will become the second Le Méridien property in Australia – the firm has a hotel in Melbourne.
The new 200-room resort will have two restaurants, a lobby lounge and bar, a pool, and fitness centre.
The resort is scheduled to open at the end of 2027.
Dunk Island, Cassowary Coast
Dunk Island was once a popular holiday spot for Aussies and international travellers, and home to the beloved Dunk Island Resort. But it fell into disrepair, after Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
Dunk Island was once a popular holiday spot for Aussies and international travellers, and home to the beloved Dunk Island Resort. Tourism and Events Queensland
Last year a new restaurant and campsite opened and more is on the way.
Billionaire Annie Cannon-Brooks bought the freehold island in 2022 for $24 million create “a family-friendly destination that underpins the local tourism sector, preserves the natural environment and celebrates the island’s cultural significance.”
