THE BYRON AT BYRON
77-97 Broken Head Road, Byron Bay, NSW, 2481
+61 2 6639 2000
When you’re asked at check-in if you’d prefer to walk to your room or be taken in the golf cart, we firmly recommend you opt to stretch your legs and take the long way around.
To do otherwise would be to miss the whole point of this 455 acre hideaway. That is, it’s okay to get a little lost, especially when the scenery is this good.
Byron Bay is a town that is fiercely protective of its special aura, chasing away many applications for larger-scale tourist resorts for fear of over saturation and environmental ruin.
Therefore it’s testament to the careful eye of hoteliers John and Lyn Parche that The Byron at Byron has stayed true to its eco and sustainable vision. Even after a decade of service. The complex still occupies only 10% of its 45 acres of lovingly restored rainforest.
In fact, the Byron at Byron’s only major pavilion is the restaurant, yoga studio and swimming pool, with the open design feeling so at ease with the environment you’ll spy birds passing through during check-in.
The rest of the 92 1-bedroom suites are hidden, nestled into the thick forest and separated into groupings (we like to call them teams. Go team Cyprus!). You might spy your neighbours on the boardwalk but once you shut that door, it’s like your own little private treehouse.
The enclosed balconies at the entrance and rear of the deluxe spa suites go a long way to making you feel at one with the wildlife. For that reason, don’t even dream of using the TV; a wine and a keen eye is all you need to enjoy the living soap opera taking place between the bush turkeys and sweet faced wallabies scampering through the surrounding rainforest.
We almost feel like the TV’s are included as a little bit of a wink. An obligatory nod to standard hotel accessories when this is definitely not your average hotel. If you do get bored of all the relaxation, Tallow Beach is accessible straight from the resort (just follow the signs). The fun of jungle walking to the surf won’t be lost on Australians, used to having most of our beaches surrounded by concrete car parks (70s Australian town planning has a lot to answer for).
Sunrise on Tallow is also a pretty special time killer before the complimentary 8am daily yoga at the resort’s main pavilion.
Once you’ve reached peak zen and feel like indulging a little, the resort’s restaurant, headed up by the multi-awarded talents of chef Gavin Hughes, is on hand to take things up a notch. A champion of local produce, Hughes’ menu showcases the best of Northern NSW surf and turf but executed with European-Asian bent. Epitomising the approach with dishes such as the braised Milly Hill lamb shanks, served with Middle Eastern spices, saffron, vanilla, cumin and Israeli couscous. Or, the Freckles fish of the day with miso broth, clams and baby bok choy.
Though the one item that feels utterly local through and through is the pork belly (served with ginger braised carrots and pommes Parisienne). Sourced from Bangalow, a hinterland town as famous for its free range pork as it is for its idyllic old-world charm, this very traditional slice of meat feels revered on God-like levels in Byron. You’ll find variations on it at almost every restaurant in town but variations be damned, we feel like a good pork belly is all about tradition. Something that Hughes seems to fully recognise and executes with finesse. His is crispy and soft in all the right places, not too thick but with enough girth to feel utterly sated by the end. It’s a less is more approach that feels very true the resort as whole.
The best part? You can walk off your meal in the rainforest, guided by lamp light as you try to find your room.
Follow The Byron at Byron on Instagram at @thebyronatbryon
We’re also on Instagram @citizensoftheworld and @dominicloneragan and@meghanloneragan
