Can you still chill in overcrowded Byron? At this perfect spot you can

The hotel

28 Degrees Byron Bay

Check-in

One of the rooms with a private plunge pool at 28 Degrees Byron Bay.Credit: Jessie Prince

Traffic congestion, development and soaring hotel occupancy have done a real number on Byron Bay’s chilled-out reputation. Between pulsating backpacker pubs and cafe queues, can you even get an R&R fix in Byron any more? I soon have my answer.

A mini tropical oasis … a private plunge pool room at 28 Degrees Byron Bay.Credit: Jessie Prince

After being greeted in the driveway by 28 Degrees Byron Bay owner Deb Garske, we enter our room, and time slows as though suspended in honey. Earthy hues, warm lighting and plush linens are a balm for the Byron chaos. Glass doors frame a mini tropical oasis – a sun-dappled courtyard and its centrepiece plunge pool in serene shades of sage and teal. It’s been over a year since the family-owned Marvell Street complex underwent its multimillion-dollar overhaul, which took it from stylish guesthouse to luxury hotel. While the build-out doubled its footprint, the property – now comprising 12 accommodations – still has the look and feel of a small-town coastal B&B, albeit a very grown-up, high-end one.

The look

The new wing at 28 Degrees Byron Bay.Credit: Jessie Prince

Clad in white weatherboard and scattered with ferns, it has an appealing yesteryear beach-shack quality. With interior design credentials, Garske pulls no punches with decor – think Iranian tiles, custom pieces, handmade ceramics and works by NSW artists. Built-in rattan wardrobes and curvy bespoke cabinets finished with rose quartz play nicely with a soft, organic palette. Tech is integrated tastefully throughout, with solar panels, swipe-access room keys and a Tesla charger, though TVs are omitted, to help guests switch off.

The room

Earthy hues, warm lighting and plush linens are a balm for the Byron chaos.Credit: Jessie Prince

Filter coffee, a curated book selection and ample plush surfaces to flop onto? Yep, time to switch the phone to airplane mode. Our room with a private plunge pool is one of five in the new wing; one of three featuring private pools and gardens. Every detail is designed to make you slow down, from the dough-soft oversized armchair to making filter brews with the Chemex coffee maker and ground beans from Byron’s Moonshine roasters (this unhurried morning ritual is a highlight).

There’s free Wi-Fi and mini bar, and our king bed is top of the line – a Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel, described online as “the best bed available in Australia”. Yeah, with a retail price up to $18,000, we’d believe it. An ensuite features a rain shower and eco-safe Hunter amenities. A poolside resort-style umbrella and small table setting is the place for a post-dip prosecco.

Food + drink

While there’s no onsite restaurant, granola, yoghurt and fruit compote are provided (Garske prepares the maple-baked mix herself, using the real-deal Canadian stuff). And you’re spoiled for nearby dining and drinking.

Oysters are available in Kilpatrick, mornay, baked miso, Rockefeller and garlic butter crumb at Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant.Credit: Ethan Smart

A long lunch at newcomer Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant (byronbayoysterbar.com.au) is a must. Oysters appear direct from a large onsite purifying tank, filled with water from the far north coast for optimum freshness, and there are several creative hot and cold garnishes available (the hot-baked miso is a game-changer). Want to make it a blow-out meal? Pile up potato crisps with mounds of rainbow-trout tartare charged with bloody Mary vinaigrette, then savour a slab of grilled swordfish loin ringed with a moat of black caviar beurre blanc. Continue the coastal vibes at rooftop bar, Horizon (hotelmarvell.com.au), with drinks like the strawberry yuzu spritz.

Natural wine oasis Bar Heather in the Jonson Lane precinct.Credit: Danielle Smith

A 10-minute walk down the road, Bar Heather (barheather.com) does one of the most sensational chef’s menus you’ll have anywhere, complemented with a deep list of killer natural wines. Bookings essential.

Out + about

Beach Kiosk, set on the headland of Clarkes Beach.

Within a two-minute walk to town and four minutes to Main Beach, a stay at the hotel is, happily, car optional. Catch waves with Lets Go Surfing Byron Bay surf school (letsgosurfing.com.au), cap beach walks with crisp fish burgers at Beach Kiosk (beachbyronbay.com.au), linger over aperitivi in dopamine-decor surrounds at modern Italian spot Pixie (pixiebyronbay.com.au), or order a spiced Smoking Camel mescal cocktail at the late-night bar of the same name (thesmokingcamel.com).

The verdict

With a cracking location, your own private pool and five-star levels of comfort and seclusion, 28 Degrees Byron Bay really is the ultimate hideaway in one of NSW’s buzziest tourist towns.

Essentials

From $650 a night, $750 for a room with a private plunge pool. Pool room 1 features a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. 12 Marvell St, Byron Bay NSW. Phone: [phone]. See 28byronbay.com.au

Our rating out of five

★★★★½

Highlight

Dipping sunburnt feet into a private pool is priceless, as is the de-stressing ritual of making filter coffee each morning and savouring it by the pool.

Lowlight

The property doesn’t have a reception area – you need a swipe pass to enter, which makes checking in a tad confusing, though it’s a problem swiftly fixed with a phone call.

The writer stayed as a guest of 28 Degrees Byron Bay.