Why Raes Guesthouses is Byron Bay’s ultimate luxe wellness escape

The famous Byron Bay hotel has opened new accommodation and we were among the first guests to stay. Here is our review.

CHRISTINE McCABE

Raes Guesthouses is just down the road from Raes Wategos.

4 min read

5:00AMFebruary 27, 2025.

Updated 7:52AMFebruary 27, 2025

The newly opened Raes Guesthouses is situated less than a minute’s stroll from famous parent hotel Raes and the lovely Wategos Beach, a ravishing crescent of sand tucked below the Byron Bay lighthouse. Coolangatta airport is less than an hour away. Transfers are available, but if you’re staying a few days, I suggest renting a car.

First impressions

A pair of white, shingle-roofed buildings, lapped by tropical greenery, sit on a rise just far enough above the road to be at arm’s length from the beach bustle. The original Raes, turning 30 this year, claims an enviable beachfront address, and a roll call of famous guests. Someone from Bridgerton was in-house during my stay, minus the frocks and wigs presumably. However, Raes’s prime position also means plenty of beach crowds milling around the coffee van and terrace bar.

The stunning interiors of Raes Guesthouses at Byron Bay, NSW.

The moment I climb the stairs to the new Guesthouses lounge and collapse on to a chunky bamboo sofa, all that hubbub fades away. A warm sea breeze ruffles palms as I sip on a welcome pineapple juice infused with tea. This is Raes minus the killer views but also minus the crowds, and many Raes regulars are appreciating this new level of quiet and privacy. With its own kitchen, lounge, staff and two lap pools (one for each building), Raes Guesthouses operates separately but with ready access to the facilities of the parent hotel.

Design

There are 11 suites across the two buildings that until quite recently operated as the Tuscan-style Victoria’s Hotel. The old lodgings were gutted – with columns and archways restored and cool travertine floors retained – and in less than six months transformed under the guidance of Tamsin Johnson, who decorated the original Raes. In guestrooms, Johnson has gone for a sunlit Mediterranean palette. She describes “Spanish Hollywood and Balearic” influences; I’m thinking Amalfi Coast circa 1960. Whatever, the mood is pure holiday, with crumpled linen, cane chairs and sky-blue or pistachio-green bathtubs. The charming young team waiting tables, driving transfers, cleaning rooms could be extras from The White Lotus: smiling, tanned, wearing on-point white linen pants and matching Ts.

The terrace of Room 13 at Raes Guesthouses, Byron Bay.

Accommodation

Each room is differently arranged; some have ocean glimpses, others with large terraces, but all share a similar barefoot luxury. Room 13 at the front of the main building has a spacious terrace with pitched timber ceiling and two stylish loungers. The king bed is especially comfy, and the overall mood very Byron, starting with a funky soundtrack (on/off and volume control by the bed). The chic bathroom features full-size Aesop unguents, a blue bathtub and basin, even a blue loo. The minibar is elevated (in influencer parlance). Crisps and chocolates are artisanal, the nuts have been “activated”, which sounds alarming. It can all be washed down with “probiotic water” or, better yet, a pre-mixed negroni or Old Fashioned. There’s also a wellness selection, with products to improve sleep or bronze skin. Turn-down treats take the form of a pot of herbal tea.

If you can’t be bothered wrangling the coffee pod machine, room service is lightning fast. I take breakfast every morning on my gorgeous terrace while watching surfers wheel down the hill on e-bikes, boards tucked under arms. Coffee, fruit, juice and a health shot arrive two minutes after I hang up from room service. The main follows, after a leisurely pause. Try the frittata with smoked scamorza (an Italian cheese) and crispy n’duja.

One of two pools at Raes Guesthouses at Byron Bay, NSW.

Dining

Executive chef Jason Saxby oversees the Guesthouses kitchen, offering meals in the lounge, by the pool or in your room. A small, enticing menu is perfect for a casual lunch or dinner, featuring dishes such as prawn cocktail, swordfish katsu sando, anchovy crostini (yum) and yellowfin tuna crudo. There’s also pasta and steak if you’re very peckish. But be sure to stroll down to Raes for a meal in the hotel’s famous two-hatted restaurant (bookings essential). Looking across the lawn to the sea through large open windows, Raes Dining Room is casually elegant and the view divine. I’m tucking into oysters with kombucha and pandanus and delicious Australia Bay lobster (or bug) with spicy hand-rolled fregola pasta. Outside, families are picnicking on the sand, children chasing bolshie bush turkeys. When dessert rolls around – a show-stopping Iced Vo Vo with vanilla bean semifreddo and Davidson plum jam served in an old Arnott’s biscuit tin – surfers are catching last waves in the dusk.

A bedroom at Raes Guesthouses.

Bathroom of Room 13 is very inviting.

Wellness

Raes’s small day spa works with cult Australian brand Rationale. Ask for the lovely Natalie, and I highly recommend the Relax & Restore massage/cleanse. In-room treatments are also available for Guesthouses residents. Even sans spa, wellness comes easily here. Take a morning ocean swim (water temperature perfect) before a doze on the sand in the shade of a pandanus tree. The kitchen will pack a healthy picnic on request. Then hike to the lighthouse or ask guest services to whistle up an e-bike and head into town for a vegan gelato at Frankies.

The Bar

A quiet Aperol Spritz by the lap pool or in the lounge is the perfect way to round out the day. If you prefer more of a scene, pop down to Raes’s al fresco Cellar Bar.

The famous restaurant down the road at Raes on Wategoes, Byron Bay.

Likes

Peace and quiet. Wonderfully attentive and a highly personal level of service from the young international team, all smitten by Byron and enthusiastic ambassadors for this gorgeous slice of Oz.