Basq House: the next big hotel in Byron Bay
You either love or loathe the hip and hippie NSW beach town, but this new addition to the accommodation inventory could sway the nay-sayers.
There are essentially two kinds of people – those who love Byron Bay and those who don’t. I’m definitely in the former camp because, quite simply, what’s not to love? It’s relaxed, it has an abundance of natural beauty and an equally impressive range of shops and restaurants.
My husband however, is of a different mind. The casual attitude to road rules, particularly by pedestrians, is about all that’s informed this opinion, which I set out to change in the course of a midweek vacation.
It gets off to a ripping start with our accommodation. Basq House opened in June and could be the best thing to happen to Byron Bay since Chris Hemsworth. The brainchild of Melbourne-based owners and pals Matt Walsh and Shane Wilkinson, the boutique property is more house than hotel in a welcome departure from the typical five-star establishment.
To say designers Matt Dalby and Leo Terrando nailed the brief is an understatement; they have deftly woven an eclectic mix of art, light fittings and furniture and added a slightly Moroccan vibe. Walsh says they wanted to create somewhere people felt calm and at home. “We just wanted to create some really good communal spaces where people can come and read and kick back.”
Located an easy stroll three blocks from the beach, staff in hip khaki boiler suits glide about the ground floor greeting guests with an aura of unflappability. There are surfboards and bicycles available for use, a small bar and complimentary coffee station with fresh breakfast pastries and, the star of the show, a temperature-controlled magnesium pool. Bordered by canopy daybeds and sun lounges shaded by coral pink umbrellas, it is a striking centrepiece for the hotel’s 32 guestrooms. Towels and sunscreen are provided along with a range of snacks such as apples, dried fruit and pretzels, to accompany drinks available for purchase from the bar.
During my stay, it’s well patronised by guests, with barely a sun lounge to spare by 9.30am, and for good reason. Magnesium pools lay claim to a mind-boggling array of health benefits, including improved sleep and softer skin and hair, enhanced skin elasticity, stronger bones and pain relief.
Fancy something to read while lounging poolside? Look no further than the adjacent library, where a thoughtful selection of books awaits, ranging from bestsellers and Australian classics to travel and self-help tomes and biographies. Also available are boardgames such as Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit and Cluedo to play in the communal area or to take back to your room.
And on that note, let’s head to mine, a Town Room with a balcony that overlooks Marvell Street. Other accommodation options might offer views over the pool or Fletcher Lane. With its bare white walls, open-sided bathroom (toiletries are from The White Company) and timber accents, it has a modern and airy beach ambience. Sensual curves and a besser block partition on the balcony add retro touches, aided by ochre hues and mustard-coloured robes. The king bed is blissful and the pillows of notably high quality. The well-stocked minibar includes a small bottle of Louis Roederer champagne for $90, pre-mixed Jasmine Negroni and assorted snacks.
While my husband bags the last free sun lounge and a Dan Brown novel from the library, I tackle the 3km walk to the town’s most famous landmark, Byron Bay lighthouse. It’s a gentle uphill incline for most of the way and entirely worth the mild exertion. On this spectacular spring day, whales are breaching in the bay while birds sing encouragement from the treetops to the procession of lighthouse visitors.
Back in town, it’s lunchtime and in the heart of Byron village the choices are many – bakeries, coffee shops and pretty much every cuisine under the sun, all within a few blocks. Having smashed out my 10,000 steps, we opt to drive to Byron Bay institution Raes on Wategos, where we’ve somehow managed to jag a same-day lunch reservation, albeit at 2.15pm. Expectations are high, in line with the prices (at $95 for two courses), but the exquisite array of seafood dishes doesn’t disappoint – nor does the view over a windswept Wategos Beach.
Raes might have the reputation and five-star menu, but for atmosphere it’s hard to beat the Northern Hotel, particularly on trivia night. Not to be confused with the better known Byron Bay Beach Hotel on the waterfront, what the Northern lacks in style it makes up for with charm and $15 schnitzel. An obliging local gives up his table and trivia sheet for us in an otherwise packed function room and my mission to convince my doubting husband of Byron’s appeal is all but complete. There’s a bit of a wobble when he orders a sarsaparilla, bamboozling the young bartender, but the camaraderie of the trivia and sensational hot chips help to get him over the line.
By the time we sit down for pesto crumpets the next morning at the bustling Combi Byron Bay, he’s even talking about a return trip. Perhaps by then construction of a “wellness bathhouse” in the basement of Basq House will be complete. Walsh says the plan is for guests to “disappear down to a quite seductive and private area” with hot magnesium pools, cold baths, a sauna, steam room and showers.
“We think there’s a real gap in the market in town for that sort of hot-cold therapy,” he says.
As for the prospects of another Basq House – in Byron Bay or elsewhere – Walsh laughs. “Once you’ve been through a development in Byron Bay, it takes a little while to get your breath back,” he says. “I tell you, not soon.”
In the Know
Basq House is in Fletcher Parade, Byron Bay, about two hours’ drive from Brisbane, or 30 minutes from Ballina Airport. There is secure undercover parking onsite for $20 a day; taxis from the airport cost $60-$80. Rooms from $360 a night for two. Walking or cycling is the best way to explore Byron; Basq House provides bicycles free of charge.
Robyn Ironside was a guest of Basq House.
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