Halcyon House, New South Wales, Australia

There has been some quite spirited discussion about the Halcyon House in other threads, with many debating whether the hotel really offers true luxury, especially at the price point.

I stayed for a few days in late July 2017.  This is a quick review (photos to come), before I forget my impressions of the property.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay, but I think it's better to think of this property as a very comfortable boutique hotel with a beach club feel rather than a luxury hotel as defined by the consensus of this forum.

I wouldn't go out of my way to plan another stay here - I didn't rate it as THAT kind of destination property - but I would would certainly happily stay again in either of the following circumstances:

1. After the spa opens (currently under construction, due for completion later in 2017) - it would be IDEAL for a girls' spa weekend.

2. As part of a broader tour of this area of Australia.

Check in by Bridget was quick, personal and efficient.  I arrived mid-morning and so my room was not yet ready.  I was escorted to a shady table outside and brought a delicious chilled glass of home made lemonade.  My room was prioritised by housekeeping and I was in it within the hour.

As others have noted, Halcyon House is a hotel converted from a mid-century surf motel in Cabarita Beach, which is a small seaside township about 25 minutes' drive south of OOL (Gold Coast).

Rooms are more or less of a similar size, although there Is a small number of suites on the upper levels (I did not inspect these - my stay was a Mother's Day gift from my young sons and I had no influence over room selection!).  

All rooms face the sea and overlook the pool, and all have furnished balconies or terraces.  

Despite the relatively similar size of the rooms, there are some small differences between different room categories (excluding suites).  The key things to consider (if you are not choosing a suite) are whether you want a bath in your room (not all have them) and whether you care about ceiling height.  Rooms on the first floor (the second floor, for American readers) appear to have the highest ceilings.  Rooms on the ground floor have relatively direct access to the pool area but appeared to have the lowest ceilings.

I had an Ocean Deluxe Room on the first floor, which was comfortably furnished in a beach-chic kinda style - lovely wide plank floorboards that felt wonderful underfoot, provincial furniture, colourful upholstered bedhead, original art.  

For those who care about such things, the shower was EXCELLENT. 

Climate control in the room was very effective, although I can't confirm whether it would meet Bhrubin's requirements - the weather wasn't warm enough to test the lower limits of the thermostat!

The property is easily reached from the Gold Coast airport at Coolangatta.  It's close enough (about 25 minutes' drive - perhaps half way between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay) simply to take a taxi there, but the hotel will also arrange a car transfer for you if you prefer. I preferred.

It has the closest thing you get to an absolute beachfront location in Cabarita Beach.  It is separated from the beach by a narrow strip of public park, which is pretty and well-tended, and used by locals walking down to the local surf break.  Because of the height of the vegetation along the beach, the hotel doesn't have sweeping sea views to speak of.  But the sound of the waves breaking on the shore is ever present.

Each morning after breakfast I enjoyed crossing the narrow lawn and walking down one of the short sandy tracks to the beach.  The beach is several kilometres long and ideal for walking in either direction.  It is a public beach - you will come across swimmers, surfers, sunbathers, dogs and local amateur fishermen - and not at all manicured.  You'll see lots of surfers at the break.  If you visit at the right time of year you may see migrating whales from the lookout at the top of the Norries Headland, and, even if you don't, it's a lovely place to sit and contemplate the meaning of life while looking out across the sea!

If you don't feel like walking the hotel has bicycles available for guests, or alternatively the area is interesting to explore by car.  I mainly felt like (a) walking and (b) napping, so I'll leave those options for others to evaluate.

As a solo female guest for this stay, I particularly appreciated the attentive service I received.  

All the staff quickly got to know me, I was always given a very well-located table in the restaurant and my wine glass was kept well topped up.  They offered me the opportunity to order a bottle of wine and keep it behind the bar for the duration of my stay (which would have significantly expanded the wines available to me, of course).  Knowing that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to a really good bottle of wine, I chose not to take this option and instead I was always offered several tastes of different wines before I ordered by the glass.

I have mixed feelings about the restaurant, Paper Daisy, which is touted as one of the best in the region (and no doubt it is).

It's a pleasant, large, breezy room that is opened up to the outdoor terrace each day.  It is furnished in a casual beach chic style, which feels very well-adapted for the location, if not particularly innovative in a design sense.  Parisian style cafe chairs, lots of comfortable cushions along the banquettes, lots of original art on the walls, and a small but very comfortable bar area with deep sofas in front of an open fire.  Tables are also laid on the terrace and you can eat by the pool if you want (although I saw few people doing this).

The food was sometimes wonderful, and sometimes just seemed to miss the mark (flavour balance was my main concern here).  My biggest criticism, however, is about portion size.  Portions are just enormous!  Far too large, especially given that the standard dinner menu is a four course fixed price meal.  I was not alone in my assessment here - the staff warned me in slightly apologetic tones about portion sizes on my first evening in the restaurant.

I took the fixed menu my first evening and on subsequent evenings I ordered from the substantial bar menu (always available in the restaurant).

The pool really needs its own heading in this review, because it is the heart of the hotel.  It reminded me a little of the atmosphere of the pool at the Tanjong Beach Club in Singapore (but without the location directly on the sand).  Every room looks onto the pool and the restaurant and bar are right next to it.  It is surrounded by the sorts of comfortable lounging options that are perfect for whiling away lazy afternoons - lots of magazines, and food and drinks service are available all day.  On my first afternoon there were a couple of children swimming, but overall this feels like a grown-up space designed to appeal to Millennial couples.

It felt like the hotel was trying to generate a hip beach club atmosphere at the pool.  In the afternoons the bartenders pump up the music, with a chilled vibe early in the afternoon and later more upbeat music. This gave me the distinct impression that the hotel wishes its clientele were cooler and hipper than it really is!  Music plays into the evening but I never found it intrusive when I was going to sleep.

The pool was not heavily frequented during my stay but this is probably explained by the season  (late July is winter) - while I enjoyed lovely sunny days it really wasn't warm enough for lying around by a pool.