This was a spontaneous weekend getaway for us, and by spontaneous I literally mean booking everything the night before and deciding to meet at the airport the very next morning, leaving everything behind and just jumping on the plane. We really were looking for some serious R&R and desperately felt the need to disconnect for a moment from the social media world and reconnect with each other.
It was an incredibly perfect idea!
We decided on Townsville, in Far North Queensland which is about a two and half hour flight from Sydney. We were craving tropical heat and minimal chaos.
Townsville has some serious pros over its more well-known neighbours when it comes to tropical holidays – there’s more sunshine and less rain (literally, 320 days of sunshine every year- fact!), you don’t have to compete with thousands of tourists, the dining scene is pretty incred, and there’s that unmistakable North Queensland laid-back charm that will have you relaxed in no time.
It was an incredibly perfect idea!
We decided on Townsville, in Far North Queensland which is about a two and half hour flight from Sydney. We were craving tropical heat and minimal chaos.
Townsville has some serious pros over its more well-known neighbours when it comes to tropical holidays – there’s more sunshine and less rain (literally, 320 days of sunshine every year- fact!), you don’t have to compete with thousands of tourists, the dining scene is pretty incred, and there’s that unmistakable North Queensland laid-back charm that will have you relaxed in no time.
Here’s how to get the most out of a weekend in Townsville.
We spent our stay at The Ville Resort and Casino. This place had some serious Palm Springs vibes. White washed backdrops, palm trees, sunshine, serenity, swim-up pool bar - if you know me, you know this is right up my alley so no surprises that I was completely smitten with this establishment and settled right in!
We spent our stay at The Ville Resort and Casino. This place had some serious Palm Springs vibes. White washed backdrops, palm trees, sunshine, serenity, swim-up pool bar - if you know me, you know this is right up my alley so no surprises that I was completely smitten with this establishment and settled right in!
We dined at Miss Songs, this incredible restaurant was a highlight of our stay! We decided on the banquet because we couldn't quite make up our minds on what to choose from the menu, and I'm so glad we did because we got to taste so many amazing dishes. The dumplings were like little pockets of magic. *Drools*
Quaterback deserves a mention too, cheeky little place for a meal and a few drinks out on the terrace on a balmy summers night.
The Palm House for brekkie was the perfect place to indulge and absorb every second of our slow mornings while we pondered whether we would lay by the pool first or visit the day spa.
If you want to step out of the hotel and explore a little on your stay, I suggest you take the ferry to Magnetic Island (the ferry terminal is a convenient 10 minute walk (or 6 minute run, as we discovered after we almost missed the ferry) - from the hotel). About a 20 min ride across ocean and we ended up in Arthur bay, a little hike later and we found ourselves in a secluded cove with crystal clear waters.
I had no expectations that I would be remotely interested in visiting Townsville, but I really enjoyed it, it was a perfect little getaway and recommend you visit this city halfway between the popular Airlie Beach and Cairns in your travels around Australia.
