Phil Brown

Phil Brown - Travel Stories - WHERE TO STAY

Space for relaxation at Noosa

Phil Brown reports

There are those who refuse to stay anywhere else but Hastings Street in Noosa when frequenting the Sunshine Coast resort town. I have in the past been one of these people. I love Hastings St and consider it my spiritual home. Over the past two decades I've stayed up and down that fabulous thoroughfare in a variety of accommodation, including the occasional beachfront penthouse. The mix of cafes, restaurants and shops with proximity to the beach and the Noosa National Park makes this a special place that, for some of us, has it all.

I've also stayed in one or two places outside the strip but mostly stick to Hastings St. But the RACV Noosa Resort has changed my mind about staying a little west of centre. This spacious property is just a hop, skip and jump from Hastings St and has a handy shuttle bus to ferry you back and forth, which helps. I was aware of the resort, having hosted events there during the Noosa Long Weekend Festival, which has recently been rebranded as Noosa Alive! The RACV Resort is the venue for the festival's literary events. For the past few years I have participated in events there but have never stayed, despite invitations to do so. I always ended up on Hastings St. But I've taken note of the lovely bush surroundings, the great pool and sun deck and the general sense of space. Things are pretty chockers in downtown Noosa these days but this property has more room to move and is very popular with families.

For the fourth consecutive year, Trip- Advisor has named the RACV Resort in its Top 25 Travellers' Choice Awards for Australia. It was awarded this year in both the Family and Luxury categories, which demonstrates the breadth of its appeal.

It's a decent choice for families with the infinity-edged heated main pool and toddlers' pool, water slides and splash park, plus tennis courts and a playground. The restaurant and bar has a wideranging kids' menu and the breakfast choice is comprehensive to say the least.

The accommodation ranges from onebedroom suites to three-bedroom villas, the latter with rooftop span or plunge pools. We were lucky enough to stay in one of the three-bedroom villas on a recent overnight stay and the spaciousness was very conducive to relaxation. If we'd been staying longer we might have used the rather swish kitchen but, as it was, we had a booking at Locale for dinner so we were pretty well sorted.

I do like to spend time in Hastings St at my field office, Aromas, but the parking is tricky nowadays if you're not staying there so it's great to have the shuttle service at RACV Noosa Resort. If you miss the shuttle or it's full, it's only a $10 cab ride (or less), which is acceptable.

The resort is nestled on 9ha of conservation sanctuary and there is abundant birdlife (the lagoon attracts water birds) and lovely bush in and around the resort. And there's a day spa if you want some pampering during your stay.

The facilities at RACV Noosa mean that on some days you might want to just stick around the resort and laze by the pool. Why not?

The writer and his family were guests of the RACV Noosa Resort 

travel

with PHIL BROWN
Arts Editor - The Courier-Mail