Inside Byron’s latest wave of restaurants and luxe hotels

From whaling village to hippie haven and now playground of the rich, famous and stylish, Byron Bay has made a fascinating journey over the decades – and it’s not slowing down.

To keep things fresh, the holiday town has to stay ahead of the curve, while also striking a delicate balance between reinvention and nostalgia with its new restaurants, bars and luxury hotels, of which there’s never a shortage.

The still-fresh Hotel Marvell boasts a rooftop pool and bar.

If it’s been a while since your last visit, here are some of the new and noteworthy additions. 

The best new hotels in Byron Bay

No matter your taste or budget, you’ll find your ideal accommodation in Byron Bay, with the holiday town featuring a heady mix of hotels, apartments and resorts. All of them are worth splashing out on, and even more are on the way too. 

The newest five star entrants are Basq House and Hotel Marvell, both sitting just a couple of blocks back from the town’s famous beachfront. They’re also very different to what travellers have become accustomed to.

The Living Room at Basq House is the social heart of the hotel.

Basq House eschews the usual ‘coastal chic’ driftwood aesthetic in favour of a more artistic flair, with its Living Room and Library – fringing a heated courtyard pool – adorned in colourful artworks and design pieces that’d be right at home in a gallery. 

While there’s no public bar or restaurant, guests staying in its 32 rooms can enjoy a small menu of light bites and cocktails. A café is expected to open at the hotel’s rear on Marvell Street in the future though, alongside an onsite day spa.

Guests are invited to curl up with a good book in The Library at Basq House.

Across the way, the 24 room and suite Hotel Marvell sports a contemporary look created through liberal concrete and timber, softened by plush linens and indirect lighting. (It’s a similar aesthetic to The Calile in Brisbane.)

It also boasts a rooftop swimming pool and bar, together with a warm and inviting restaurant – Bonito – which focuses on locally sourced produce, seafood and plant based cuisine. Drinks are sensational too.

Golden hour at Hotel Marvell.

Of course, there are some other exceptional hotels that have been here for a while, and they still rank among the best places to stay in Byron Bay.

Just a few minutes drive out of town is the sprawling, yet surprisingly intimate, Elements of Byron (you can read our review here), which backs directly onto Belongil Beach.

Each of its villas features a colour palette echoing its location near the dunes, heathland or lagoon. Sunset drinks by the pool while being warmed by the embrace of the fire pit are essential.

Elements boasts a main pool and exclusive adults only escape.

Another destination worth seeking out is Crystalbrook Byron – nestled amid 45-hectares of rainforest a short drive out of town. It underwent an extensive glow-up just last year.

Within you’ll find light, bright suites designed to feel like extensions of the forest, an infinity pool and restorative day spa, plus the great Forest restaurant, all wrapped up in an ethos of ‘responsible luxury’ thanks to its parent group Crystalbrook Collection.

The best new restaurants in Byron Bay

Travel and food go hand-in-hand. When hunger or thirst call you back from the beach, your trip out to Nguthungulli-Julian Rocks with Sundive Byron Bay, or your walk up to the lighthouse atop Walgun-Cape Byron, you’re spoiled for choice.

Hutong Harry’s – an elevated Chinese restaurant on Fletcher Street – is a must visit, not only for its exquisite meals (try the crab fried rice) but the decor too. You’ll want to book ahead though, as it gets very busy.

Hutong Harry's is from the same team as local favourite Bang Bang.

Late night bar and restaurant The Smoking Camel is another multicultural affair, though its culinary cues come from the Middle East. Try the deliciously-smoky Muhammara chicken.

The aforementioned Bonito at Hotel Marvell is also an essential stop, serving up the likes of Hiramasa raw kingfish with Thai pesto (a must try), Bangalow farm beetroots with coconut labneh, and sweet pork loin in a Chinese BBQ glaze.

For something a little more low-key, head to Commune Canteen (previously Barrio) at the beach end of Byron Arts & Industrial Estate, where you’ll find an ever-changing menu inspired by home-cooked meals of the Mediterranean.

The new Commune Kitchen at Habitat.
Jillian McHugh

Really though, there’s no right or wrong way to see, sip and savour the delights of Byron Bay. It’s about exploring, relaxing, and never turning down a good opportunity.

As the famous entrance sign to the town says: ‘Cheer up, slow down, chill out’.