Thinking about staying at Fitzroy Island Resort? Read this comprehensive and honest review to prepare yourself for what to expect on this epic Far North Queensland island paradise.
Are you interested in staying at Fitzroy Island Resort? After countless trips to this tropical Cairns island, I finally got around to spending a night here! In this quick accommodation guide/review, I’ll outline everything you need to know about staying at Fitzroy Island Resort, including the facilities on offer, how to get here and how to book a great deal.
I’ve also included a bunch of my photos that I captured during my stay that I hope will inspire you to visit!
About Fitzroy Island & The Resort
Fitzroy Island is one of the closest Great Barrier Reef islands near Cairns, requiring just a quick 45-minute ferry to reach. The island towers 370 metres above sea level and is actually the tallest of the many popular islands in the region. As a result, the island is great for hiking and the fringing reef and pristine snorkelling spots make it an ideal location for snorkelling and diving as well.
The Fitzroy Island Resort is the only resort or accommodation option on the island as the rest is divided into National Park and Cairns Regional Council designations.
If you're planning a trip to Fitzroy Island, then staying at the Fitzroy Island Resort makes sense as there's just so much to do here that's hard to cover in just a short day trip. Luckily, Fitzroy Island Resort is actually one of the cheapest accommodation options near Cairns as far as resorts go.
Many people visiting Cairns decide to spend at least one night on the island as it breaks up the trip perfectly!
Booking A Stay at Fitzroy Island Resort
The resort on Fitzroy is one of the most popular places to stay in Far North Queensland. Consequently, you'd expect rooms to fill up fairly quickly. For that reason, I'd highly recommend booking a room in advance online to secure a spot on your dates.
There are several rooms and accommodation options to choose from at the Fitzroy Island Resort. Below I've listed the options in order of most expensive to cheapest. You can click the booking link to find photos and up-to-date pricing for each room.
- Penthouse
- Welcome Bay Apartment
- Beach Cabin
- Island Suite
- 2-Bedroom Suite
- Butterfly Bungalows
- Resort Studio (Double or Queen)
- Campsite
I stayed in the Island Suite which included a full kitchen, living area, bathroom, separate bedroom with ocean views and a beach-facing balcony.
Getting to Fitzroy Island (Ferry)
Of course, if you're looking to stay at Fitzroy Island Resort, you'll also need to arrange a ferry. If you book a room, you'll get an email explaining the ferry process. However, you can also book a return ferry online in advance on GetYourGuide.
Check timetable and book your ferry to Fitzroy Island from Cairns
The timings for the ferries are flexible with the option to choose one of the several daily ferry times. The ferry runs from the Cairns Reef Terminal and it's advised to get there roughly 20-30 minutes before departure.
If you're not staying on the island, then the ticket below is also the cheapest you'll find for a return transfer for day trips.
Save $$$ With a Half-Day Trip
Only got time to visit the island for a few hours?
Currently, there's a great deal you can snag with BackpackerDeals, offering cheaper half-day return ferry tickets. Use code OLLY5 to save yourself an extra $5.
My favourite Cairns island: Frankland Islands
What to Expect at Fitzroy Island Resort
After a quick 45-minute cruise from Cairns harbour, you'll be on the white-sand, reef-lined shores of Fitzroy Island. If you're staying at Fitzroy Island Resort, make your way down to the pier and walk up the steps to the resort entrance. Here, the staff will greet you and check you into your rooms.
If you're heading to the island early, then you can use the luggage rooms near the pool to store your bags before check-in.
The Room (Island Suite)
While you can get a quick run-down of the inclusions in each room in the Booking link above, I thought I'd share some photos of our room with you to show you just how epic this resort is.
As I mentioned, we stayed in the Island Suite, which was right on the doorstep of Welcome Bay. We were really surprised that the suite had a full kitchen and a separate living area. The highlight was definitely the beach-facing balcony, which overlooks the tropical gardens and white, coral shores of Welcome Bay.
Resort Facilities
1. Beachside Pool with Swim-up Bar
Easily one of the best highlights of Fitzroy Island Resort is the huge, beachside pool. You'll find it right next to the reception, complete with an island, and a swim-up bar!
It's especially spectacular at night on a warm evening in the tropics. It's really hard to fathom that you can get such a luxury experience in Australia for under $150 a night!
2. Restaurants
Fitzroy Island Resort has its own restaurant named Zephyr's. You'll find this adjacent to the reception area and it's open for breakfast and dinner. Also, visitors will find another restaurant/bar just a little further up the beach. This one is called Foxy's and offers slightly cheaper, "bar-food" style meals. Foxy's is open for lunch and dinner and also serves cocktails and drinks.
Note: you'll need to book a table if you plan to dine at Zephyr's for breakfast or dinner at least a few hours before as it's very popular with guests.
3. FISH: Dive Centre
Fitzroy Island Resort has its very own, newly revamped scuba diving centre named FISH, found next to the pool entrance. I was given the privilege of photographing their new tours and dive courses during my visit. This allowed me to get a deep dive on everything they had to offer and even get to go diving in their brand-new scuba gear.
Since Fitzroy Island is located right on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, it's a great place to go scuba diving or snorkelling. You'll find healthy corals and abundant sea life here. But, the best sites like Shark Fin Rock are more easily accessed via boat.
So, if you're planning to visit the island on a day trip or stay the night at Fitzroy Island Resort, go see the friendly staff at the dive centre to learn about their guided snorkel and dive tours and their PADI licensed scuba courses.
4. Kids Play Area
For busy parents looking to unwind for a few hours, the Fitzroy Island resort offers kid's activities and minding. You'll find the play centres right next to FISH.
5. Fitzroy Island General Store
The only shop/kiosk on the island is found beside Foxy's bar. This little shop is run by the resort and sells small snacks and a few souvenirs. I found the prices to be a little steep and the selection a little narrow, but I'm certainly not expecting much more from a small island. You can consider this more of a quick stop-in for light snacks.
If you're planning to stay at Fitzroy Island Resort and you booked a suite or apartment with a kitchen, then I'd recommend bringing some food with you from the mainland rather than relying on the general store. Otherwise, the two restaurants will easily have you covered for meals.
6. Gear Hire
Fitzroy Island is one of my favourite Great Barrier Reef Islands for adventure and activities. Make sure to head down to FISH for cheap gear rental including hire of:
- Snorkels, fins and masks
- Stand-up paddle-boards
- Kayaks
- Dome-bottom boards
Comparison: Fitzroy Island vs Green Island
Things to do on Fitzroy Island When Staying Overnight
By now, I bet you're pretty pumped to visit Fitzroy Island and perhaps even stay at Fitzroy Island Resort! If you're planning a trip, make sure to check out my full travel guide to the island which covers all of the best things to do and a bunch more photos to get you inspired for your trip.
However, if you're in a hurry and only have a few hours to spend, some activities that you don't want to miss include:
- The Fitzroy Island summit hike
- Glass-bottom boat tour (with FISH)
- Snorkelling/scuba diving at Shark Fin Rock or White Rock
- Visit Nudey Beach
Related:
Cairns Itinerary: How to Spend 5 Days in FNQ
Review: Should You Stay on Fitzroy Island?
I think it's fairly clear now that I'm a big fan of the Fitzroy Island Resort. For travellers like myself who are used to guest houses and cheap hostels, I find it refreshing to be able to experience a few nights of first-class Aussie luxury hospitality without it costing as much as a 3-month backpacking trip in South East Asia!
I'm super impressed with the resort and can honestly find little to fault. In fact, I'd say that anyone coming to visit Cairns should consider spending at least a night here, especially if you're looking to head out to one of the Great Barrier Reef islands anyway!
So, with that concludes this quick but useful accommodation guide to Fitzroy Island Resort near Cairns. While you're here, make sure to check out some of my other travel and adventure articles from Far North Queensland like my list of best things to do in Cairns, my Cairns hiking guide or this epic list of waterfalls near Cairns!
Pete and Al
Tuesday 7th of December 2021
That was funny seeing your room view. I’m guessing that was from 114, same room we ended up in late October. We originally booked a studio and I reckon your review might not have been quite so glowing if you found yourselves in a room with a view of a fire hose, fire extinguisher and stairwell. It was awful. We called it the cave. We worked out there anything up to 15 studio rooms with exactly the same non-view. We upgraded to the island suite. We loved Fitzroy and will go back but only to stay in an ocean facing room. Other things people have to be aware of - alcohol is silly expensive considering how close the resort is to Cairns and you cannot byo. Food choices are limited but are good quality. Finally, everything closes so bloody early!!