The first thing you’ll notice as you arrive at The Sunseeker Byron Bay – aside from their playful reminder to ‘holiday often‘ – is the ’80s brick frontage and retro interior that gives the impression you might’ve stepped back in time.
The Sunseeker is luxe-vintage motel nostalgia reimagined (in every way) into a boutique hotel experience for the modern traveller. The confidently striking design elements are a perfect reflection of The Sunseeker ethos: considering sustainability and style at every stage in the reinvention of what it means to be a motel.
We stayed at The Sunseeker for a very special 24 hours, and are here to share how to do it best (although we suspect it’s impossible to do The Sunseeker badly).
Redefining eco-luxe
Since opening at the beginning of 2021, The Sunseeker has quickly earned its reputation for its sustainable and conscious approach to beachside luxury. A collaborative project that celebrates a love of design and local creatives, The Sunseeker is a truly genre-defining space. The motel offers a playful collection of rooms, bungalows and poolside lounging alongside light-filled communal spaces.
Solar panels, sustainable design methods and repurposed materials underpin the owners’ desire to revitalise the hotel in the most conscious way possible. Dark local timbers, poolside palm trees, classic pink and orange hues all nod to a love of mid-century Californian design while the use of local sustainable building material embraces the future we all need.
Check in & go slow
Arrive around 3pm, and check in with a warmly smiling staff member wearing a Sunseeker t-shirt that you’ll want to purchase, to keep the laid back vibes alive long after your stay.
Drop your bags in one of the recently renovated bungalows or rooms, all carefully curated with bold design elements and high-end features – the laid-back luxury ethos evident in everything from the statement corduroy sofas to the botanical bath products.
Pull back the bifold doors that open up onto a palm-flanked garden, and make your way along the boardwalk to the mineral swimming pool, which forms an organic reniform of turquoise beneath the trees.
Eat & drink
For a pre-dinner tipple, make your way to the poolside bar to soak in the afternoon with a cocktail or a glass of biodynamic wine.
For dinner, book a table at Oma, which is the latest restaurant from the team at Three Blue Ducks. Oma offers a locally sourced, seasonal menu with a wine list boasting 50 natural wines. If you’d rather stay in your room (and we wouldn’t blame you), you can pre-order a gourmet hamper, which will arrive stocked with your choice of home-cooked food (everything from eggplant parmigiana to fillet steak) and organic goodies (options range from gluten free cheese boards to vegan rocky road).
Pour a handcrafted cocktail from the carefully curated minibar and play The Sunseeker Sounds – a playlist put together specifically for the space by the team at Playlister.fm – through the in-room speaker system. If you’re still hungry after dinner, raid the mini bar for handmade chocolate or vegan cookies, and then take a shower in the brightly tiled bathroom before collapsing into crisp white bed sheets.
Wake up to a cup of loose leaf Mayde Tea, and open the doors to the sounds of the Byron birds. If you haven’t ordered breakfast to your room (local sourdough crumpets or a big breakfast kit complete with organic eggs and Bangalow bacon), grab a coffee and a pastry from the coffee cart or take the four minute walk inland to The Roadhouse – a local’s favourite serving adaptogenic elixirs and quinoa-based breakfast bowls (as well as AllPress coffee and scrambled eggs on truffle-infused toast).
Things to do
Walk or cycle into town, and spend the morning surfing at the pass or exploring the path that leads up to the Cape Byron lighthouse. The Sunseeker’s fleet of guest bicycles and surf boards is yet to launch, but plans are in the works.
Stop by at The General Store for a vegan poke bowl or some waffle fries, and settle into a sofa in The Sunseeker’s library – a boldly designed space lined with over 100 books curated by Lora Ward of Good Publishings.
When you’re ready to leave, reflect on the tagline that stands in loud red font on the steps of the building: holiday often.
To learn more about The Sunseeker story and book your stay, visit their website thesunseeker.com.au
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