The Sunseeker

I arrived at the Sunseeker a little bedraggled. After five days of back-to-back bridesmaid duties that brought me to Australia, a couple of nights of R&R was very much in order. Luckily, the Sunseeker was just the place. This Eighties brick motel, reimagined for a 2020s holidaymaker, makes everything feel easy-breezy, much like the vibe of the beach town it calls home.

This wasn't my first time in Byron Bay. I visited in 2009 as part of a six-week backpacking trip up the East Coast and while my memories of that time aren’t crystal-clear (wine in a box is to blame), I can confirm it has had a significant glow-up since I last swung by. While you still see surfers wandering the streets barefoot, buskers out in force and the odd hippy herb shop, the bohemian vibe today is more natural-wine bars, expensive activewear boutiques and açaí bowls on every corner. 

My accommodation of choice had since had a glow-up, too. The aesthetics at the Sunseeker are its first talking point. From the moment you spot the old-school motel sign on the road – complete with its signature red branding – the design choices are impeccable. The library starts off the nostalgia-filled journey with Seventies-style leather sofas, raffia light fixtures and a collection of coffee-table books borrowed from your most in-the-know friend. The pool area transports you to Palm Springs in an era gone by, with its kidney shape, terracotta floor and bamboo tiki bar, not to mention the retro playlist.

In my bedroom, the concrete floors and grey walls were offset with sunshine-yellow bathroom tiles and a huge corduroy sofa. Other details, like the crystal kitchen worktop, the patent red bedside tables and the embroidered flag wallhanging, made it a room to remember – and they highlighted just how many local creatives worked to make the Sunseeker a reality. 

But it’s not a case of style over substance here. Although it is a hotel, it feels like somewhere you can really make yourself at home. Handy touches, like a laundry room and a filtered-water station and ice machine on every floor, make settling in easy. In line with everything else in Australia, nothing feels cramped. The rooms all have mini kitchens (complete with kettles and toasters) and the Sunseeker’s rooms and bungalows feature spacious living spaces, too. Clever practical touches also make the experience feel seamless – the subtle screen for keeping bugs out but a breeze in, for example..

The thoughtful product selection was also impressive. As a self-appointed tea connoisseur, I loved the selection of Mayde loose-leaf tea for a cuppa whenever you want one, and I’m still thinking about the Leif bath products – in particular the divine eucalyptus-scented shower gel. There’s no breakfast included but, considering the extensive brunch scene in Byron Bay, this actually works out well. Instead, you can get that coffee fix or keep hunger at bay until it’s time for said brunch at the coffee cart that sits out front of the hotel. 

The Sunseeker is located a little out of the main hustle and bustle, around a 25-minute walk or 10-minute drive from the main strip. I didn’t feel like I needed a car for my stay – two of Byron Bay’s best foodie spots (Roadhouse and the General Store) and Tallows Beach are within a 10-minute walk of the property, and the hotel has push bikes for hire. I relished feeling like a local, stuffing my beach towel in the front basket (Sunseeker-branded, naturally) and cycling over to my favourite beach, Wategoes. Also available to rent are electric bicylces and, of course, surfboards.

I mainly spent my time horizontal with a book but did make it to a yoga class at Creature Yoga (at the Sunseeker staff’s recommendation) and pottered around the shops in town. Eating was high on the agenda and beyond the local spots, in town I enjoyed brunch at Bayleaf, fish tacos at Chihuahua and some life-changing banoffee ice-cream at Frankie’s Gelato. 

Of course, I also made time for the hotel’s pool. As with everything at the Sunseeker, the attention to detail here is second to none: squishable day-beds, soft blue-and-white-striped towels, and a bowl of chilled watermelon slices delivered to you just when the heat is getting a little too much. The Sunseeker’s motto is ‘holiday often’ – and I certainly wouldn’t pass up a chance to take them up on it here.