Crystalbrook Byron

I decided I would like to make Crystalbrook Byron my summer weekend breakfast and late afternoon place of relax. I walked up to the Bar (no signage to indicate where to go) and stood by the bar whilst I was ignored. I interrupted the so busy bar person (too busy to acknowledge me- there was nobody else at the bar) and politely asked for a margarita. Rather than ask how I would like my margarita the person demanded I show him where I would be sitting. There were only 2 other people in the bar/lounge/restaurant, and it was only about quarter to five. You can't sit there he very abruptly said as I need those seats for dinner. I gestured to some other empty seats, but the person was so impolite I left - nobody bothered to apologise or to explain. If I ever become rich and famous and need somewhere to hold a media conference or house my entourage it will never ever in a million years be a Crystalbrook anywhere in the World.

The signage to the rooms was vague or altogether missing. There was a leaking water bottle in the fridge. The door to the room was squeaking and falling apart, with exposed, rusty screws. The location and surroundings are nice, I guess 🤷‍♂️. Not much more to say.

The location is superb, reception friendly on arrival, the apartment was pretty good apart from the resident cockroach, but it is in a rainforest. Pool was great. However the restaurant doesn’t operate on a Monday, which isn’t clear when you book & we were looking forward to locally sourced food. There is bar food, but the service left something to be desired. My husband wanted a cocktail & was told they didn’t do them on Mondays but they would ‘make you one even though we’re not obliged to.’ The Margarita when it arrived had one huge lump of ice in the middle with little actual cocktail. Had a Nespresso machine in the room but the mugs don’t fit under it - so he went to reception to ask for a cup & was told he couldn’t have one as the restaurant needed them all. Fortunately another staff member overheard & went off to get one. Just rather spoilt what could have been a really good experience. The service doesn’t match the hype.

We arrived just after midnight following an exhausting and long drive to be welcomed by friendly and no fuss night staff, who quickly got us checked in then whisked away to our apartment by buggy. We quickly settled in to our Rainforest apartment. The hotel is set in 45 acres of natural habitat, with boardwalks crisscrossing. The whole place exudes calm and relaxation. On a walk around came across a brown snake and a wallaby, neither seemingly disturbed by my presence. There is a fairly lengthy walk down to the beach, but the reward is worth it, great sand, views and The Coral Sea. Back at the hotel there is a lovely pool and poolside, with the complimentary bush turkey, spa and sauna. We had dinner at the hotel and could not fault the food or drink. We stayed for two nights but would have loved to stay for a lot longer.

Crystalbrook is a delight. I wanted three nights in a place where I could be comfortable doing nothing. Nothing meaning I could leave my wife shopping in Bryon and I could sauna, swim, dine, relax, write, draw… all in the tranquil facilities of this hotel. I chose Crystalbrook two months before our stay that if it was fine weather then great, but if raining (and it poured the whole time we were here) I would still feel like I’ve had the best time. I said to the staff on my way out, this was the fulfilment of a holiday about nothing. If I wanted something I could have found it but I chose nothing and it found me.

We stayed here for a week as a treat to ourselves over the New Year period. We booked pretty last minute and got the last available room which was a downstairs disabled access room. From check in every staff member was great, smiley and helpful (with the exception of a surly waiter in the restaurant on our first night, who seemed fairly senior which was disappointing). The pool area is fantastic - comfortable loungers, beautiful clean and heated pool. The afternoon treats of cool towels were much appreciated on the days they were provided (not every day). Poolside sunscreen and iced water freely available. Pool menu yummy, limited but enough for a week. The room was lovely, clean and spacious. Great shower (though ours collected water on the stainless steel floor which wasn’t easily visible and I slipped one evening - be careful!). Super comfortable bed, handy kitchenette with nice glassware. Loved the Byron Bay cookies provided. The walk to the beach is easy, takes about 10 mins max from the pool area through a lovely rainforest board walk. Beautiful beach with lots of dogs! (But dog free area just further down). Fab free shuttle service into town - last shuttle in is 6pm with no return after that but saves the taxi fare one way :) The restaurant was ok. It’s a lovely setting but we just felt the food wasn’t as good as the price tag and only ate there once during the week. There are lots of fantastic options in town. We would definitely return here for a relaxing holiday. Not cheap but on balance I think it’s worth it.

Upon arrival, we were very impressed by the reception area and the whole venue. But when you stay there and look more into the details, I have to damit, the place is quite rund down and definitely not worth the money. By staying in more than 25 Hotels, Motels and Apartments wach year, I have rarely discovered a place where the price value is such a miss like here. The room looks quite nice but needs more proper cleaning and attention to details. The pool has some cracked tiles which are very dangerous but the sauna is really a safety problem by having loose wood bars and splinters. Staff at reception was just ignoring these concerns which is even more alerting. Furthermore, staff in the restaurant was kind, but at the bar very unattentive and took ages to take an order. You could so so many with this lovely venue, but with this, I will not return and just can recommend to look for elsewhere accomodation in the area. We had so much looked forward to especially the Crystalbrook at Byron Bay but were so heavily disappointed.

We loved our stay at Crystalbrook Byron. Always such a lovely getaway. Lovely vibe, great amenities and friendly staff. We look forward to staying again

The service when owned by Byron at Byron was much better. Under Crystalbrook, the service has declined significantly and despite the amazing location and environment we will not be returning. The pool area has furniture that’s dirty, old and clearly needs updating - the photos are deceiving. The service was below average and unsatisfactory for a place that considers itself to be 5 star. Only few staff members working in the restaurant and spa were lovely and we really appreciated them. The pool area needs a lot of work - food and drinks took so long to arrive I’ve had to cancel orders. The dishes are not cleared regularly so birds were attacking the tables and chairs trying to eat leftovers. I’m really disappointed and hope that management will make improvements accordingly.