What It’s Like to Stay at Lizard Island, a Paradisal Resort Nestled in Australia’s Great Barrier Ree

Welcome to Checking In, a review series in which our editors and contributors rate the best new (and revamped) luxury hotels based on a rigorous—and occasionally tongue-in-cheek—10-point system: Each question answered “yes” gets one point. Will room service bring you caviar? Does your suite have its own butler? Does the bathroom have a bidet? Find out below.

In three words: Attenborough’s favorite place.

What’s the deal? 

To be fair, Sir David has called quite a few places his “favorite” over the years. But in 2021, while shooting the BBC doc A Perfect Planet, he said it about Lizard Island—a remote spec in the northern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. And yes, it’s lousy with lizards, medium to small.

A national park, the main island is just 3.9 square miles of rugged hills, mangrove swamp, tropical forest, and stunning beaches. Captain Cook famously used its highest point to navigate his way out of the labyrinthian reef system. And since the 1970s, a single boutique resort has operated on the island. Now, 50 years later—and after several rebuilds—Lizard Island is one of Australia’s best-known luxury resorts and a new member of Relais & Chateaux, the only property in all of Australia with that distinction. (It’s part of the Luxury Lodges of Australia circuit as well). 

It’s also the only five-star property that can show you what an otherwise feral Tropical North Queensland is all about. Fishermen flock here in the summer (our winter) for the giant black marlin, which in these conservative times are catch-and-release. Far more come to snorkel the reef and drown themselves in Billecart-Salmon as the waves roll in. It’s largely an American audience thanks to the favorable exchange rate and the no-roughing-it-allowed frills. But the atmosphere is highly international, thanks to the UN delegation of staff that keep the resort rolling along. 

Getting here means flying first to Cairns before boarding a small hour-long flight over the reef. Landing on the minuscule 3,000-foot runway feels like starting an expedition somewhere rare, exotic, and natural—the kind of place you might expect to find the likes of Attenborough.

The best room: 

Amongst the 40 rooms on the island there are beachfront and ocean view suites, as well as a large two-bedroom villa and a massive pavilion suite, which all have their various pros and distinctive amenities. But the House is what matters here. A private home nestled away from the rest of the resort, looking out over the ocean with its own pool and private beach, it’s a world-class vacation residence that eagerly competes with the best villa rentals in the world. 

Built in 2022, the contemporary, 2,798-square-foot, concrete-meets-natural-material design is by local firm JDA Co. (And we’re told creating something this polished and this remote was a Herculean feat that involved building an on-site concrete plant.) It has two levels plus a large roof deck, plus a separate cottage for additional guests or staff. However, booking here already comes with staff of your own, including a private chef and concierge. There are three king suites filled with beautiful play things (there’s even a guitar in the corner). If you demand exquisite privacy, this is for you. 

Rates range from roughly $12,000 per night for two guests to $21,600 for eight guests with a minimum of four nights; all inclusive. 

The Rundown

Did they greet you by name at check-in? 

Yes. When your plane arrives at what is technically an Australian airport, and in reality a pavilion, staff will be waiting to greet you and whisk you away via golf cart. Later on in your stay, as you dine or saddle up at the bar, the staff are better than good at matching names to faces. 

Check in happens in your room or in the large central building that serves as a lounge, restaurant, and bar. 

Welcome drink ready and waiting when you arrived? Bonus point if it wasn’t just fruit juice. 

Champagne flows freely here. It’s almost like the island’s ethos. They have a partnership with Billecart and plenty of Taittinger chilling. There are Aussie sparklers around, too; maybe try one for kicks, but it’s always better to drink French. 

Does the hotel have a standout perk?

It would be silly not to mention the natural splendor of the reef here. But if you’ve snorkeled and dived your fair share of world reefs, what you’ll be talking about back home are the clams.

You may think that you’ve seen giant clams before, but you are mistaken. The waters off several of the beaches are loaded with clams the size of Volkswagen Beetles, the kind of clams that feature in cartoons next to open chests of treasure. It turns out that they are real and they are here—and maybe here alone. 

Lizard is all about the water, so dive in, go fishing, or enjoy a sunset cruise on one of the house yachts.  

Private butler for every room?

As a guest of the House, you’ll have a dedicated staff member available 24/7 to do your bidding. Outsource much of your thinking onto them. While Australians don’t typically go in for formalities like a Jeeves in morning dress, let’s call a spade a spade—this is a butler by another name. In other rooms, you have full service a phone call away, but not a dedicated butler. 

Sheet thread count 300 or higher?

Yes, and although the linens here aren’t a big name, they are comfortable and cooling—perfect for the humid climate of Northern Queensland. The ocean suites are laid out with a king bed and a large living room that opens to a generous porch with a daybed. It’s air-conditioned and dehumidified, and there’s a ceiling fan to boot—all tropical essentials. 

Is there a heated floor in the bathroom? What about a bidet?

The bathroom has a generous shower and his-and-her sinks. It abuts a long open storage-space and a separate toilet. European-style bidets are unheard of in most of Australia (a tricked-out Toto, perhaps), and a heated floor would be an absurdity in this climate. 

Are the toiletries full sized?

Yes, and in the House they are Leif, a luxe Australian brand known for using plant-based scents and natural fills. Think hipster Aesop. In the suites you’ll get bottles of Sodashi skin care, a Western Australian brand with an Ayurvedic wellness influence. 

Is there a private pool for the room’s exclusive use? How are the spa and gym?

Some rooms have plunges, others do not (in those cases the ocean is your pool). The House, of course, does and she’s a beaut of an infinity edge. 

The facilities here are surprisingly good considering the logistics involved with improving an island like this. There’s an impressive gym in a slick, boxy building that looks about as rustic as a Mies van der Rohe design. Next door is a tennis court (extra point!) with a ball machine in case you didn’t travel with a partner. The spa is petite, verging on simple, but does the job.  

Is there caviar on the room service menu? If so, what kind?

There’s no room service beyond a generously stocked minibar, which is included in your stay. Like most Australian and New Zealand lodges, meals are served at your leisure in a central dining room. The menus change daily, but a separate list of staple meals (your burgers and fish and chips, etc) is always available. But if you crave caviar, say so and we are sure they can make it happen (they’ve flown in far more exotic fare). 

The food here is as good as it gets. For better or worse, high-end eco-resorts of this type tend to focus on hyper-local ingredients often grown in a pitiful little garden behind the kitchen. That’s fine and noble. But because Lizard Island is a national park and protected by some of the world’s most stringent environmental regulations, the resort is rather limited in what it can grow or farm. Instead, it takes a welcome “best of the best” approach—although local fish are certainly a feature. They fly in top ingredients on the twice-daily planes that land on the island. For instance, you might start a meal with a perfect Tasmanian oyster. The house-made focaccia is a meal-ruining highlight and strangely, after nights of faultless haute cuisine, I walked away remembering a crudités appetizer. How they are able to secure vegetables that are so flavorful way out on this humid isle hours from civilization is a magic trick that impresses far more than another marbled cut. 

Do you want to spend Friday night in the lobby bar?

Very much so. It’s a convivial scene around sundown (although we do wish the bar faced the ocean). The long bar fills one side of the central resort building, and it’s well stocked with the booze medically necessary for inducing an all-American hangover. The wine list also runs deep. But if you’re feeling exotic, go for a special off of the rotating craft cocktail list. 

Would you buy the hotel if you could?

When you enjoy a place, it’s hard to fault it. But absolutely not. In fact, many a deep-pocketed industry player has looked and passed over the years (it’s currently owned by mining billionaire Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest). On the surface, it’s a winner, but it’s held-back by a leasehold and sublease that discourage capital improvements and makes juicing out a profit a tough gig. Coral bleaching and a changing environment also make the resort vulnerable. And, of course, staffing a remote island ain’t easy.

Moreover, the House, which is the island’s premier product, is owned separately and merely operated by the resort. That being said, I would happily pocket that piece of the puzzle if I could.

The Verdict 

Lizard Island is rich with history (aboriginal and colonial) and is such an environmental wonder that researchers from around the world come here to study the reef. As a guest you know that you’re somewhere special. Nevertheless, it’s time for a little TLC. They know that, too ,and a laundry list of improvements are currently underway. That means that public areas are getting “a new look and feel,” while the rooms are getting a “cosmetic refresh” by year end, the resort’s savvy GM Mark Leslie tells us. The experiences are also expanding, and salt-water fly-fishing is being introduced—with three new boats being added to their fleet (two of which are sport fishers).

“Lizard Island is going back to its roots and DNA as a sustainable luxury fishing lodge,” Leslie says. 

Rates: from roughly $1,266 per night in a garden view room.  

Score: 8

What Our Score Means: 
1-3: Fire your travel agent if they suggest you stay here. 
4-6: Solid if you’re in a pinch—but only if you’re in a pinch. 
7-8: Very good. We’d stay here again and recommend it without qualms. 
9-10: Forget booking a week. When can we move in permanently?