Great Barrier Reef Accommodation
There are several accommodation options near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, including:
Luxury resorts: These offer high-end amenities, spa services, and exclusive access to the Reef.
Dive resorts: These cater to scuba divers and snorkelers and often have their dive boats and equipment.
Eco-lodges offer a more sustainable and environmentally friendly experience, focusing on conservation and education.
Liveaboards allow you to spend a night on the water and easily access the Great Barrier Reef.
Camping and caravan parks: These are budget-friendly options for those who prefer a more adventurous and immersive experience.
It’s recommended to book in advance, especially during peak season (June to September), to ensure availability.
Suppose you are visiting Cairns, Australia, for the sole purpose of visiting the Great Barrier Reef. A Cairns liveaboard boat or island resort accommodation may be the ideal option to make the most of your time while visiting our great part of the world.
Cairns island resorts are only a short 45-minute boat journey from Cairns Marina, situated in the heart of Cairns City centre.
Green Island Resort –
Visitors can enjoy luxury tropical hotel accommodation on sand islands close to the mainland and surrounded by the ‘inner Great Barrier Reef.
Reef Encounter Liveaboard –
This is one of Australia’s unique holiday experiences. Overnight boat accommodation allows you to combine spectacular accommodations whilst touring the exclusive, very best areas of this natural world wonder – Australia’s ‘outer’ Great Barrier Reef.
Green Island Resort
Hotel Resort Accommodation On A Tropical Sand Island Paradise
Green Island Resort is situated on the pristine ‘inner’ Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. A natural sand island, Green Island is a ‘coral cay’.
The spectacular resort on the island proudly embraces its natural surroundings and is an eco-friendly resort, fully embracing the island’s tropical rainforest, white sandy beaches and coral reef habitats.
More On Green Island Accommodation, Dining & Activities
Select Your Green Island Resort Accommodation Option
There are three hotel resort room types to select from as your accommodation to stay at Green Island Resort. All hotel rooms are air-conditioned with separate bath and shower facilities. Visitors also can enjoy wi-fi, rainforest views, a private balcony and a full buffet breakfast.
The ‘Island Suite King Room’ has a ki bed and is suitable for up to two people. The ‘Island Suite Twin Room’ has two double beds and is the perfect option for those not wishing to share a bed or families of up to two adults and two children. The ‘Reef Suite Room’ is the most luxurious and spacious option, with a ki bed suitable for up to two people.
Green Island Dining
A range of dining options, bars, restaurants and cafes on the island. A delicious buffet-style breakfast for all Green Island Resort guests.
Accommodation Activities
Included in your hotel stay at Green Island Resort is your return scenic ferry journey from Cairns Marlin Marina, located in the heart of Cairns City centre, to the coral island.
As one of the most beautiful sand islands in the Coral Sea, it is unsurprising that there are idyllic beaches to enjoy. Sun lounges and umbrellas are complimentary to hotel guests. Green Island Resort boasts lush tropical walking tracks to explore, and complementary nature walks and fish-feeding tours are included with your Green Island stay. A glass-bottom-boat tour for those who wish to witness the Great Barrier Reef fish and coral whilst visiting dry.
For exploring the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, complimentary snorkelling and snorkel equipment allow you to explore the beautiful Great Barrier Reef straight off the island’s white sand beaches. Sea kayaks, canoes and windsurfing are all available free of charge to island resort guests.
Optional extra activities available at Green Island Resort include scuba diving for all experience levels, sea-walker helmet diving, scenic Great Barrier Reef helicopter tours, ‘
Marineland Melanesia
Marineland Melanesia is an attraction on Green Island. Home to the world’s most enormous crocodile in captivity and a resort massage salon.
Reef Encounter Liveaboard
Cairns Great Barrier Reef Liveaboard Boat Accommodation
Cairns’s outer Great Barrier Reef liveaboards offer boutique, hotel-style accommodation and amenities.
We support the best Great Barrier Reef liveaboard accommodation for the guest experience. A fantastic outer Great Barrier Reef tour and overnight hotel boat, Reef Encounter provides excellent accommodation options to suit all holidaymakers.
Reef Encounter overnight boat provides liveaboard accommodation, and your Great Barrier Reef trip is all rolled into one. Liveaboard boat tours depart and return daily via a fast guest transfer vessel from Cairns Marina – located in the heart of Cairn city centre. Tailor this liveaboard as you like it to choose the days that suit you best, duration of stay and activities.
Select Your Liveaboard Accommodation Option
Accommodation onboard the liveaboard boat, Reef Encounter, ranges from standard hotel-style accommodation in a ‘Stateroom’ to luxury accommodation packages known as the Top Deck Club. All liveaboard boat staterooms have ensuite with toilet and shower facilities. Staterooms also have spectacular ocean views, air-conditioning and Australian power outlets.
First, book your liveaboard accommodation for as many nights as you choose.
The Stateroom onboard Reef Encounter liveaboard boat is a standard hotel room with either one double bed or two single beds. All staterooms are for two guests unless you select ‘sole occupancy’ when booking to ensure private accommodation. Staterooms are air-conditioned with their ensuite: towels, linen, and eco-friendly Australian toiletries for all guests. Staterooms have spectacular views of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea.
Top Deck Club
Top Deck Club accommodation onboard Reef Encounter liveaboard boat has all the same inclusions as Stateroom cabins, with many added luxury inclusions and upgrades. Whilst enjoying the best hotel rooms onboard. The Top Deck Club also comes with your crewmember – assigned to make your Great Barrier Reef stay the best it can be.
Your valet will give you private tours when snorkelling or diving on the Great Barrier Reef – tailoring your in-water experience to your ability level and guaranteeing you see the best of the Reef. Private dining in the evening for Top Deck Club guests is served outside under the starlit sky overlooking the Coral Sea (when weather permits). Discover more about the Top Deck Club and its luxury inclusions here.
All Top Deck Club hotel cabins are for two guests unless you select ‘sole occupancy’ when booking to ensure private accommodation.
Liveaboard Accommodation Activities
Reef Encounter liveaboard accommodation provides entertainment for all the family. Onboard activities for guests include unlimited snorkelling and scuba diving on the outer Great Barrier Reef, free glass-bottom-boat tours upon request, and large sundeck and deck chairs. There is also an outdoor hot-water spa. Indoors there is a shared communal area with a TV, games and library area and a fully licenced bar serving alcohol, soft drinks and snacks.
Optional Extras
Optional extra activities include scuba diving for all levels of experience, from complete beginner to experienced certified divers. Scuba courses are also available for those wishing to develop skills during your Great Barrier Reef holiday!
Reef Encounter has a helicopter pad on the roof. Scenic helicopter tours are an excellent way to experience the views of the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding islands.
All Meals Included
This Great Barrier Reef you’re includes all meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert are prepared fresh daily by an onboard chef. Complimentary tea, coffee and fruit are available throughout the trip. Our chefs can cater to all dietary requirements. Please advise when making your booking.
Hotels Located Close To Cairns Marlin Marina
Are you looking for the ideal place to base yourself for all your Grea Barrier Reef adventures? Marlin Marina hosts outstanding hotel accommodation options at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
Here, we’ve listed some of the hotel options at Cairns Marlin Marina.
Cairns Marina is a few minutes from the heart of Cairns City Center and a vibrant hub of cafes, shops and dining experiences. Cairns Marlin Marina is the main departure point for boat tours to the Great Barrier Reef and scenic helicopter tours over the reef, islands and rainforest.
4 – 5 Star Hotel Accommodation At Cairns Marlin Marina
Shangri-La Hotel Cairns is beside the Cairns Marina, with most rooms boasting spectacular harbour and mountain views. Ideally situated adjacent to the Reef Fleet Terminal and Cairns Esplanade, this five-star hotel is a 5-minute walk from the city centre, a 10-minute walk to the Cairns Convention Center and a 10-minute drive to Cairns airports.
Pullman Reef Hotel Casino boasts a 5-star hotel accommodation rating, with all the luxuries one would expect, including a casino, bars, pool, sauna and gym. It is a comfortable 3-minute walk to the Cairns Marlin Marina and Reef Fleet Terminal, 2 minutes to Cairns City Center and a 4-minute walk to Cairns Convention Center. Ten-minute drive to Cairns airport.
Sebel Cairns Harbour Lights Hotel is located directly on the Cairns waterfront beside the Cairns Marlin Marina. Here you will find hotel rooms, self-catering apartments and one, two and three-b bedroom self-contained apartments. All take advantage of spectacular views and provide an ideal base for exploring Cairns City and boat tours to the Great Barrier Reef.
Great Barrier Reef Accommodation: Package Deals
Often the very best Great Barrier Reef accommodation specials are package deals. Here, we’ve collected various best accommodation package deals in the Cairns Great Barrier Reef region!
See our tour packages to make the best of your stay in North Queensland.
Reef and Island Getaway
Our favourite package deal for accommodation on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has got to be the unbeatable ‘Reef and Island Getaway’ resort package. Combining the best of an overnight liveaboard reef tour with a relaxing stay at the tropical paradise of Green Island Resort.
During your liveaboard stay, you’ll see the unrivalled beauty of the spectacular ‘outer’ Great Barrier Reefs, experiencing first-hand the picture-post-card images you conjure when thinking of the Great Barrier Reef.
Then you’ll enjoy a stay at Green Island Resort on the ‘inner’ reef close to the beautiful Australian coastline.
Choose how long you want to stay at the Green Island Resort and onboard Reef Encounter.