Orpheus Island Lodge

Australia has some pretty great luxury lodges at the same price point, but Orpheus is a standout - especially if you want to snorkel, dive or fish. We snorkeled every day - a mix of included excursions, a private guided tour and hiking over the hill with our gear to the gorgeous reef just off the beach at Picnic Bay. Other guests, who were there for the fishing, reported similarly excellent adventures. We were also hugely impressed by the consistently first-class dining experience. My barometer for a great culinary team is when you can't tell when it's the chef's day off. At many lodges, that's when things get a bit wobbly. At Orpheus, the 6-star quality continues without missing a beat. The team, led by the delightful and capable Chrissie Williams, continues the high-end experience. You can expect smart, friendly service with a thousand thoughtful touches. We're already booked to go back next year.

This is an amazing place. The setting, staff, food and wine, activities are all top notch. The staff all went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. It would be unfair to single out any one particular staff member as they were all amazing but I must say I was very impressed with Chrissy (the Kiwi General Manager ) pitching in to drive our snorkelling boat! I can’t think of anything I would change and we are already planning a return visit .

Had a wonderful time. Staff were so lovely and efficient and the food was delicious. The place was amazing. We went deep sea fishing, snorkelling, paddle boarding, kayaking and walked across the island. Lots to do if you really want to keep busy or just lie back and enjoy the ambience. Would go again in a heartbeat.

It’s hard to describe how wonderful Orpheus Island Lodge is. From the moment you arrive and are welcomed with a glass of champagne it feels like an incredibly special place. The staff are all excellent and very friendly and the food is amazing at every meal. The lodge is extremely well managed and the manager Chrissie is always present and hands on which we feel is a very good sign. We rarely say that we would love to return to a destination but we definitely would love to return to Orpheus Island Lodge.

I stayed at Orpheus with my husband and 2 children (aged 5 and 3). It has been the absolute best holiday. So relaxing! The location is stunning, the staff are incredible - nothing is too much trouble. My son has an allergy and they have curated every meal to ensure it’s safe and I don’t need to worry. The food at every meal has been delicious. It’s so impressive that they can make such fantastic food for every meal while being flexible with dietary preferences and needs. The pool is beautiful as is the beach. Staff are great at organising fun experiences for you and filling up eskies with yummy drinks and snacks for you to take. Oh and they do your washing at a lightning speed too! With two kids we’ve had a lot and everyday it’s been left clean and ready in our room once we get back from dinner. If I get my way I will be back here again and again and again. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.

A stay at any luxury resort is not cheap so I thought I’d give you a review of some of Australia’s best tropical luxury resort options. First a few general comments. If you’re spending over $10k for 3 nights you should try to pick a time of the year when the chances of being seriously impacted by rain is minimised. Easier said than done with the way weather has been lately. Also some people are happy to lay by the pool for their stay.. we like that too but also love snorkelling with beautiful fish and coral and some not too hard bushwalking. All the costs are approximates Lizard island (2021) You get a small plane out of cairns, we shared ours with a couple. Lizard is expensive and you can get Beachfront suites for $4,300 and Oceanview villas for $3,700… there’s also a range of other accommodation from garden villas to a private house on the clifftop. We went for a beach front suite located about 50 metres from the beachfront which was very convenient. The downside was that on our last day the island had a barge come in and it was busy and noisy for a few hours.. but no big deal. Food was amazing, incredible but OMG it was soo slow. Can take 2 hours for lunch and 40 minutes to get entrees. That’s ok as you’re on holidays but we wanted to do stuff and it’s not great to loose the best part of 4 hours for breakfast and lunch. Hopefully that has improved. Service was good and the staff were really nice. We had a lovely welcome at the airport and check in. Activities… there are dinghies available and you can get picnic with nice food and whatever you want to drink to take to a nearby beach… we went to Watsons Bay There are sunset cruises, snorkelling tours and nice walks Lizard is beautiful with gorgeous white sandy beaches. You can walk out of your beachfront suite and swim out 30 -50 metres to coral reef with beautiful fish and coral… like wow. The other side of island past the airstrip (30 minute walk) was a beach totally littered with plastic. Watsons Bay is bit of a walk up the hill and back down, nice boardwalk and gorgeous beach. Qualia October 21 & December 22 Yes twice in a windward suite. They are drop dead gorgeous. You will be met at the airport and it’s a short drive to the resort. Their are spectacular views from the main building. I found the welcome a bit ordinary… sure you get a nice glass of bubbles but they didn’t seem to know we were returning guests and it was all a bit impersonal and standardised.welcome. Leeward and Windward pavilions Leeward approx $2k a night Windward $3k a night with a plunge pool Amazing views from the bed, the room and the plunge pool. You get a nice breakfast included and the staff there were lovely and way better than the front desk staff. Poolside we had good burgers and great service in the poolside cabanas. We had a lovely lunch at the restaurant pebble beach. We never ate dinner there but I am sure it would be good. You will be given a golf cart during your stay. There’s not much to do bu