With roughly 300 days of sunshine a year, not to mention just a 90-minute flight from Sydney and two-hour flight from Melbourne, the Sunshine Coast is an easy choice for East Coast city dwellers to visit for a holiday.
The area also has pristine, empty beaches to explore, countless nature tracks you can walk and several annual festivals you can time a visit around, including Horizon Festival, The Floating Land and The Curated Plate.
So, where to stay when you’re there? Ahead, we’ve rounded up what we consider to best the current best Sunshine Coast hotels.
Bli Bli House Riverside Retreat
Bli Bli House Riverside Retreat is a Victorian-style bed and breakfast hotel in Diddillibah, along Petrie Creek, a 30-minute drive from Noosa. The retreat is made up of the Manor House, with a Grande Entrance Foyer where you’ll check-in and a Chandelier Dining Room and Pool Room, and smaller properties surrounding it. Spend your stay here, nibbling on a DIY picnic at the retreat’s riverside area, watching a movie in its media room or curled up with a book in its library.
The Cove Noosa
The Cove Noosa reopened in August 2023 after a six-month, $4 million renovation that included a new outdoor reception, a complete rebuild of the resort’s pool and poolside decking and a refreshment of the resort grounds. The property in Little Cove Beach in the centre of Noosa comprises 22 beachfront apartments. Apartments range from two-bedroom, to four-bedroom and a penthouse.
Montrose Apartment
Montville is known as the “creative soul” of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, and because of that is a must-visit. Accommodation Montrose Apartment, which opened in July 2022, is housed in a stone-clad building, also home to a water wheel. The building’s located on a main street, so is steps from art galleries, cafés and shops. Save when you book a multi-night package.
Essence Peregian Beach
Boutique hotel Essence Peregian Beach on Peregian Beach opened in August 2023. A 15-minute drive from Noosa, the hotel offers 32 studios and two-bedroom apartments, along with 20 three, four and five-bedroom houses, three of which have private pools. The resort also features two guest pools, one with a pool bar, and a gym. Owner Tony Scanlon opened the property to allow more visitors the chance to experience the charming coastal village.
Maleny Country Estate
Set on 75 hectares of Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Maleny Country Escape gives guests an opportunity to reconnect with nature, while still being only an 80-minute drive from Noosa, which you might want to visit on a day trip. The estate has one, two and three-bedroom cottages, all equipped with fireplaces and reading nooks. The Estate House on the property has six bedrooms and can sleep up to 10.
Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort
Base yourself at Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort on main drag, Hastings Street, if you want to be in the heart of all the Noosa action. Like other Sofitel hotels, this has a Parisian elegance, though with a touch of coastal. Spend your afternoons soaking in views of Noosa’s Main Beach from your balcony, or book a treatment at the hotel’s onsite Aqua Day Spa.
Rumba Beach Resort
Rumba Beach Resort in Caloundra, facing Bulcock Beach, is an hours’ drive from Noosa. It has one, two and three-bedroom apartments. All apartments come with two-person spas, Bluetooth speakers and full kitchens. Facility-wise, the resort has a lagoon pool, a lap pool and a jacuzzi. Black basalt pillars and white stone flooring feature in its reception.
Related: Whether For a Long Lunch or Romantic Dinner, 6 of the Nicest Restaurants in Noosa
Related: You Can’t Say You’ve Been to Noosa If You Haven’t Stayed in One of These Stunning Spots
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