The Sunseeker
Kitsch perfect
Northern Rivers new wave
‘Holiday often’ is the tagline at The Sunseeker, and with stays as stylish as this one, we’re firmly on board. The hotel’s canny alchemy fuses mid-century Californian cool and kitschy motel signifiers: Palm Springs meets Hockney at the pink and turquoise poolside and the spirit of David Lynch looms over the entrance’s red neon, crazy-pave pathway and old-school coffee cart. Inside, every detail has been poured over. Play and pleasure are twinned priorities here: kid’s can let loose at the jungle gym or glide around on the hotel’s fleet of bikes, freeing up adults for activities of a different kind, namely, dallying through the cocktail menu at the Tiki-brutalist bar before retiring to the festoon-lit fire pit for a soundtracked sitting of whimsical sundowners.
Facilities
Rooms
20, including two suites.
Checkout
10am. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates don’t include breakfast, but guests can fuel-up on coffee and pastries from the outdoor coffee truck.
Also
Stuck for souvenirs? Visit the hotel's on-site shop for a curated array of items, including sun-spangled prints and Christian Tortu citrus-infused candles.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pool
At the Hotel
Pool, bar, free on-site parking, coffee cart, playground, 24-hour laundromat, bikes and surfboards to borrow, WiFi throughout. In rooms: Cable TV, Minibar, Bluetooth speakers, Leif bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
The Sunseeker rooms are a fine choice for couples looking to get away, with ample – and incredibly chic – lounge space (think corduroy mustard sofas and tropical prints by the hotel’s designer Lila Theodoras), beautiful arched windows and funky yellow bathroom tiles. Opt for room number nine for strategic lashings of natural light. For extra privacy, go for one of the timber-clad bungalows; cleverly designed ‘tiny houses’ with fully-equipped kitchens and large Smeg fridges stocked with Army and Navy cocktails, local IPAs and funky natural wines. Sleeping up to four people, these cosy cabins also come with their own private patio, complete with a hammock, outdoor bath tub and mini barbeque deck.
Poolside
As if plucked straight from John Water’s pink-tinged imagination; the kitsch, kidney-shaped pool is as retro as they come, calling to mind a world of vintage postcards with its delightful juxtaposition of turquoise waters and coral edges. This advanced mineral pool is heated in winter, and has a shallow, child-friendly section for little ones to splash around (supervised, of course) while adults can recline on one of the cushioned day beds with a biodynamic rosé and a soundtrack of languid Balearic beats.
Packing Tips
A film camera to capture your poolside memories in an appropriately retro way.
Also
For guests with accessibility needs, please enquire about the wheelchair-friendly Standard Room. Bikes, boards and scooters are available to borrow, all free, aside from the electric numbers which cost $50 for a full day and $30 for a half day.
Children
Welcome. There’s a jungle gym type playground for little ones as well as go-karts, scooters and bikes to borrow. The two-bedroom family suites are ideal for families with a king-size master bedroom, and a separate queen with overhead bunk bed.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Daytime, shack up on a parasol-shaded daybed. Come evening, take your tipples to the firepit where festoon lights and boats-turned-benches make for a cosy, campside feel.
Dress Code
Anything goes, but why waste an opportunity to parade your throwback threads in a suitably throwback setting? We’re thinking Farah Facett fringes and pipelined running shorts paired with a graphic tee and some serious sunnies.
Hotel Restaurant
There’s no restaurant on-site, but should you get peckish, the bar serves gourmet grazing boards of pickles, fresh sourdough and a variety of cheeses. Out front, you’ll also find an old-school coffee cart churning out caffeinated pick-me-ups along with pastries and mini baguettes. Choose from mozzarella, basil and tomato or prosciutto and manchego. We’ve heard their chai latte is pretty great, too.
Hotel Bar
‘Tiki-meets-tropical-brutalist-bar’ is the elevator pitch for Sunseekers poolside saloon, but if you’re having trouble picturing that, let us help you out; this spritzed-up barbeque hut is an elegant concrete cube clad in 1980s wicker with a dark wood pitched roof, vintage seafoam green bar stools and brass finish bench tops. At the back, you’ll find a thatched teepee tent where dangling red lanterns hang above a sprawl of leafy plants and zebra print seating. The offerings here are defiantly local – choose from New South Wales’ Yulli’s Brews craft beer, the bay’s finest biodynamic wines, or a cocktail menu of elevated classics devised by local winemaker Peter Windrim.
Last Orders
Grab breakfast from the coffee cart any time from 7am till midday. The pool bar doesn’t have fixed operational hours, but if you’re around, they probably will be too.
Planes
Ballina Airport is a half-hour drive from the hotel, with flights arriving from all over Oz. You can also fly into Gold Coast Airport, about an hour away. Brisbane Airport is just over two hours away and may be the best option for international flights. Car rentals are available from either.
Automobiles
Wheels come in handy for exploring everything this sun-dappled corner of New South Wales has to offer. There’s free, 24-hour parking at the hotel, with an allotted space for each room.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
For any seasoned Sunseeker, beach trips are non-negotiable. Luckily there are plenty on your doorstep. The closest is Tallow Beach where you may just spot a few of bottlenose beauties making a splash, or venture a little further to Wategos and The Pass – two of Byron Bay's iconic beaches. Should you feel like breaking a wave in tandem, the hotel has boards to borrow, as well as bikes (including electrics) on which to explore the neighbouring Arakwal National Park. Additional outdoorsy pursuits come in the form of Minyon Falls, a 100m cascade surrounded by dramatic natural scenery, or the more ambitious Cape Byron Lighthouse trail, which as it happens, doubles up as a really good workout. A 15-minute drive to the Hinterland will reveal a line-up of lovely towns worth exploring. Newrybar is best for thrifting, with quaint streets of cottage-style shop fronts selling antiques, indie homewares and local produce – don’t miss Newrybar Merchants, a rustic retail space housing a collective of local makers. Bangalow and Federal are similarly charming, full of pleasing pastoral pizzerias and bucolic bistros. Though if it’s a hint of holiday hedonism you’re searching for, head north; central Byron never sleeps.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
