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.
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.
