When the owners host their wedding reception on the hotel’s front lawn, that’s a sign it’s a special spot. Once the site of a fisherman’s home overlooking a mangrove forest, highlighter blue ocean and a giant, Western Australian sky, Moonlight Bay Suites have been a Broome landmark since 1996.

But gone is the terracotta paint job: the 50-room, four-star property has had a $4 million dollar scrub up – its first complete refurbishment - transforming its self-contained suites and the grounds where confetti was thrown 18 years ago. The result is a clean and comfortable apartment-style option perfect for families wanting to sprawl, or couples keen to pop to the pool with minimal footsteps.

Location

If you’re not right on Cable Beach in Broome (and for now, only one resort is; others are further back), you want to be perched on Roebuck Bay. Why? It’s close to this outback pearling town’s civic heart, and ringside to one of nature’s true wonders. Known as Staircase to the Moon, it’s when the full moon’s reflection spills across the bay’s ribbed mudflats, creating a stairway apparition as it rises. The event occurs on cloudless nights between March and October. Aptly named Moonlight Bay Suites is one of the best places to savour it, particularly if you’re in one of the bay view apartments. Just imagine being on the balcony for that.

Arrival

Guests flying in make their own way to the property, but a hotel transfer desk at Broome airport offers $15 trips ($25 return) per person, with no need to pre-book. The hotel’s street view is underwhelming, accessed via a bitumen driveway and carpark. It’s when you reach the front lawn and look back that the hotel looms large, with broad A-frame peaks, cross-beam balconies and a row of palms. The double-storey blocks of one and two-bedroom apartments have been freshly painted in soft grey. 

Check in

Roll in your bags from 2pm, or there’s the option of 24 hour check-in. Friendly staff hand out property maps and swipe cards (some rooms still use keys). Find a book swap library in the lobby, a small lounge area and a cold drinks and icy pole fridge. The arresting ocean outlook is hidden until you reach the accommodation.

The room

There’s no place for carpets in a tropical spot like Broome, so while my apartment’s all-tile interiors feel sterile at first, they’re suited to the environment. Every room has been newly tiled with clay-hued, terrazzo-look squares. A couch, two-tone tub armchairs and plush dinner table seats - all sage - fill the clean, air-conditioned living area.

The open plan space includes a full kitchen with dishwasher, big fridge, oven and induction stovetop. I particularly love the work nook, complete with wall mounted flat-screen and PC-friendly connection cords. The two slumber zones are split by a remodelled bathroom that swapped out the 90s era triangular spa bath for a huge shower, lengthy vanity and washer-dryer. There’s also a clever drop-down king single mattress hidden in a cabinet beneath the television.

The pool

At 28m, it’s the largest pool in Broome township, and one of deepest. According to the owners, it took three days to empty the 380,000 litre pool, which includes a circular spa and waterfall, for the recent renovations. Huge shade sails keep the rays off most of it, while banana loungers and frangipani pots encircle the rim. Two free-use, push-button barbeques stand by the pool, one under a small gazebo and the other on the manicured lawn overlooking Roebuck Bay. Perfect for a budget-friendly cook up in a multi-million-dollar location.

Eating and drinking

There’s no on-site restaurant in the hotel, but no matter, Matso’s Broome microbrewery is diagonally across the road. Owned by the same crowd, it will deliver to your hotel room door for a $10 courier fee. Go for the roasted cauliflower soft shell tacos, the steak and the miso eggplant bowl. In peak season, buzzy Italian pop up restaurant Johnny Sausage is directly next door at the Mangrove Hotel. (Note: Matso's is currently closed for renovations and will be open in April, 2025.) Picture: Matso's

What’s hot

You can keep using the pool, gym and barbeque facilities after the 10am check out, on the day of your departure.

What’s not

The absence of mats, rugs and soft touches – perhaps appropriate for a hot destination – create a stark, functional vibe in the larger apartments.

The verdict: 8/10

Smart, no fuss apartments with all new interiors in a walkable, central Broome location. 

Rooms start at $440 a night during high season and $250 during low season.

The writer was a guest of Moonlight Bay Suites.