For the price this "rainforest retreat" was very poorly maintained. Outdated furniture, poor lighting, not working TV, in general a very great contrast with the accommodation in the main pavilion of Castaways. We knew beforehand that this seperate accommodation was cheaper and for that reason more simple and older, but the contrast was far greater than reflected in the price difference. We have stayed in several different hotels during our trip from Cairns to Mackay, but Castaways rainforest accommodation was by far the worst we have come across for the price we paid. Simple accommodation does not mean that attention to the furnishing if the room can get totally neglected. The only positive was the good quality of the bed. The reception staff if Castaways was extremely short in their service, not accommodating at all when we mentioned the not working TV and asked for a plug for the bathroom sink. A very large contrast to our experience with reception staff in all the other seven hotels and resorts we stayed during these holidays!

Proximity to the beach and the view from our room was excellent.

Fair for the price. Handy to town.

Hotel very tired service non existent, restaurant you pay 5 Star prices for RSL type food

Great except bed too hard!

Had 2 nights stay

Rooms rundown

Nice little place to stay

Only stayed one night but very enjoyable, nice room nice meal and excellent views.

We stayed 2 nights, have been here before. Position is as good as you can get, right on beach front. Staff very good and friendly also easy short walk up to some really good places to eat, dinner or breakfast. Room was pretty good and comfortable. The hotel was starting to have a few renovations done while we were there, and it does need it. We are well aware of what tropical climates can do to a hotel in this climate and this place needs some work. Staff work with what they have and do a good job. The owners of some of these hotels need to spend the money instead of always just taking it in. Very good staff and position.

Thank you Castaways. A great break away from busy life. And a great wedding venue.

Very over priced for a very old property,

Brilliant, thank you. A gorgeous view, a nice pool and you upgraded our room for free which was nice. All the staff were very helpful too. I only wish we could have stayed longer.

The property is amazing. Direct access and view to the ocean and walking distance to town. The rooms however are very tired and need a complete overhaul. Reception staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The poor restaurant staff are extremely understaffed and at times run off their feet. Unfortunately whilst we were there they were undergoing renovations to the restaurant and bar area which wasn’t pleasant when trying to have a nice relaxing breakfast. We opted to eat out after this experience. Pool areas are lovely and so is the outdoor seating areas.

Perfect location by the sea. Quiet and peaceful. Clean and comfortable. Just a short walk to cafes and shops.

After booking online I got a text telling me that the restaurant was closed for the duration of our stay. Then another text saying that if we arrived after 6 we would use their late check in system. We arrived at 5.40 and were greeted by locked doors anyway. Found our room in a breeze block building 2 blocks away from the resort. Once negotiated carparking (not easy in a medium sized car) we could barely squeeze into the motel door. Room was a good size, old furnishings with comfortable bed but there was a pizza crust behind the bedside table and a 2" cockroach greeted us welcome (welcome to the tropics!). The back of our room opened to a stunning little rainforest garden with a gazebo and swimming pool. Tea and coffee with milk, wine glasses all provided. It was a quiet night so we slept well. Shower adequate, no bodywash but shampoo and conditioner and bar soap provided. Bathroom was clean.

The rooms are in need of a refresh ... rusty fittings in the bathroom, poorly installed air-conditioning unit with gaps into the ceiling, very mouldy floor coverings on external verandahs. For the price that is charged it just doesn't match the quality of what you get!

The receptionist was very nice and the property was straight on the beach. The windows of the hotel room were dirty and green algae growing from the outside of the window. The water system in the bathroom was noisy.

Stayed in a room remote to the main hotel. Cannot complain too much. Clean and comfortable, is dated by layout and those things you can't change when renovating. Ok nothing special.

There are not many seaside options in remote rural areas. This hotel is already a very good choice locally. It's not far from the town center. There are a few restaurants and bars to choose from. The natural environment is beautiful, quiet and safe.

Tidy room, nice bathroom

Absolutely loved it! We stumbled upon this gem and loved the tranquility, pool and beach right in front of our room!

Very tired and a bit grubby

The staff was excellent- friendly and helpful. The room was very clean. These were the positives - on the flip-side: take careful note of the cancellation policy!!! I tried to negotiate a postponement because of cyclone Jasper 6 days prior but the hotel wouldn't budge. Not the hotel's fault that we decided to proceed but once there it was a disappointing experience. The hotel is very run-down and to give them credit, they are in the midst of renovations but we were put in a room with the scaffolding right at the window. The roads were cut off meaning no-one could get in or out and they couldn't find us a better room??? The booking process was painful - provide details already provided again, receive a code, email confirmation to the receptionist right there and then it took 3 goes with the credit card :-( The restaurant was very handy and the food was tasty but we ordered cocktails, entrees, main meals and a bottle of wine and received it in a disjointed order: entrees with main meal 2 minutes later (no parmesan and truffle chips as per the menu - just plain chips), wine and lastly the cocktails. Unfortunately, because of the cyclone we had to stay an extra 2 nights but couldn't stay in the same room because it was allocated to other travellers. Again, the roads were flooded and no-one could get in or out. How were these travellers going to get to the hotel??? By boat maybe or by helicopter maybe.

Had a beautiful stay at Castaways

The advertised price was not what we were charged. Expedia said 94 and we paid $130. We were sent to our rooms luggage in hand to another building at least 500m away. No help with luggage no offer to use the dollies which were abundant but we didn’t see until later. The only other downside was a lack of lounge chairs on the beach. that would have been a nice feature. other than thatit was awsome

Shower pan badly designed and floods bathroom, water also passing into living area as well. Room ok, hotel nice. Checkout Staff couldn't care less about shower leaking hence i think they already know there was a problem. Not impressed.

Dennis and his team at Buko restaurant were super helpful Lovely food and Great Ambience

Great location

Nice overnight stay. Room was very clean and comfortable . The restaurant, bar & pool area were excellent. Location to the beach and local town was within an easy walk.

It was the greatest place for a short stop..

Beautiful pool and great dining options. Excellent location right on the beach. Staff were all friendly and helpful. Beds were very comfortable. Also was very quiet in the room. Stunning views from room of the beach. I believe all rooms have a similar view. Rooms are getting dated need a refresh. Ants in shower and leaky shower. Walls could use a repaint.