Bask & Stow is a small but perfectly formed five-suite idyll set on a quiet side street, 10 minutes from the heart of the Byron Bay action.
Planes
Brisbane Airport is 175 kilometres north of Bask & Stow, a two-hour drive along the coast. You can also fly into Ballina Airport (30 minutes away) and Gold Coast Airport (50 minutes away) via connections from Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney.
Automobiles
Self-drive is by far the fastest and most convenient way of getting to Bask & Stow from Brisbane Airport. Rental cars are readily available from all the usual suspects and there’s some free off-street parking at the hotel.
Worth getting out of bed for
It should come as little surprise that Byron Bay is such a popular getaway for burned-out Brisbanites and Sydneysiders. After all, the place practically screams mindfulness from every bush-clad headland, surf-kissed shoreline and chakra-tuned street corner. Yoga is big business here. You can do it on the beach, in practitioners’ homes and in lush, purpose-built studios from the cape to the hinterland.
The Bay (as the locals call it) is also heaven for walkers of every ability. Take a casual coastal stroll from The Pass over verdant cliffs to the sweeping sands of Wategos Beach, grabbing those essential selfies at the postcard Fisherman’s Lookout and pledging your love to your better half by adding a padlock (whaddya mean you forgot to pack one?) to the wire fence overlooking the bay. The one-hour loop via Milne Track to Tallow Beach ticks off a brace of Cape Byron must-dos: it includes a walk through the brush-covered Aboriginal headlands of Arakwal National Park, where you can spot (or more likely smell) threatened plant species like stinking cryptocarya and encounter critters including flying foxes and migratory birds; it also takes you to one of the cape’s more secluded beach spots: Tallow Beach’s Cosy Corner.
But it's the Cape Byron Lighthouse Trail that promises the greatest bragging rights. This moderately challenging (read: mostly uphill) 1.7-mile route takes you to Australia’s most easterly point, with panoramic ocean views that stretch to infinity and beyond, as well as offering the tantalising possibility of some humpback-whale-watching. Take a guided tour of the lighthouse and hear terrific tales of seafaring derring-do in its Maritime Museum, set in what used to be – pre-automation – the lighthouse keeper’s office.
And if all this sounds a little too… active, you can always just while away your days lounging idly on the Bay’s extraordinary beaches, partake of a spot of light snorkelling, or sample the best of Byron Bay’s local produce at the Cape Byron Distillery and Byron Farmers’ Market.
Local restaurants
A couple of blocks from the beach, No Bones is a fashion-forward vegan joint that aims to make a difference ‘one Brussel sprout at a time’. Amen to that. The vibrancy of the restaurant’s colour palette – painted blue-and-orange murals, glossy terracotta surfaces and arty prints – is well matched to a menu that includes earthy shiitake paté with truffle and Cognac, fresh Caprese salad with black garlic, and handmade pasta carbonara with organic oyster mushrooms, bac’n and ‘no bones’ yolk.
Head into the Northern Rivers Hinterland, where Harvest earns its name with an imaginative menu of seasonal dishes using ingredients from local artisanal producers, the restaurant’s own edible garden, and foraged Australian ingredients. We’re talking Bay lobster crudo with betel leaf and spiced shellfish mayo, barbecueoctopus with garden chimichurri, devilishly tender pork cheek, and just plain devilish desserts including macadamia slice with milk sorbet and chocolate ganache tart with bay-leaf cream. Yum.
Local cafés
Byron Bay’s legendary café culture means you never have to look far for a top-drawer ristretto or cold brew. Just a few doors up from Bask & Stow, the Top Shop is something of a hilltop institution, drawing a varied crowd that runs the gamut from hipsters to harassed young parents with kids. This former 1950s milk bar is a prime spot for quick and easy breakfasts and lazy brunches. We’re talking granola bowls, porridge, chorizo and egg rolls and a burger menu that could kill even the most biblical hangover stone dead. Grab an espresso and a seat on the porch by the pink Marzocco coffee machine for the win.
A little further afield on the edge of town, the Folk Coffee Shop is a bit of a well-kept secret, unfrequented by tourists. In-the-know locals love it for its rustic set-up, vegetarian and plant-based soul food, including breakfast burritos and avocado on sourdough, and Highwire Blend coffee from Dukes of Melbourne.
Local bars
Casa Luna’s trendy Med-Mex vibe is writ large in its hedonistic late-night DJ sets and ubiquitous prickly cacti that risk skewering the unwary (or unsteady) bar-goer. The cocktail list in this chi-chi downtown Byron joint is nothing short of art. Freshen up with a Cactus Garden, a fragrant mix of gin, pear liqueur, lime, thyme, basil and cucumber; brave a Cali Spice with its double hit of chilli-infused mezcal and tequila with mandarin, lime and agave; or go all in with a punchy West Indies Espresso: rum, banana liqueur, Kahlua and coffee. That’ll wake you up alright.
Byron Bay views don’t get much better than at Hotel Marvell’s rooftop cocktail bar, where the opportunity to rub shoulders with the local and international in-crowd is almost as tantalising as those East Coast sunsets, all flamboyant pink and bruised purple skies. The cocktail list is equally vibrant, with signature mixes that include a gin-soaked Kyoto Geisha and tropical, vodka-laced Marvelltini.
