Crystalbrook Byron

The accommodation boasts a beautiful pool area with jungle views, a sauna, and kids pool. Guests enjoy a healthy breakfast, spacious rooms, friendly staff, and a peaceful location near shops and a beach.

Nice place

This is a beautiful resort, surrounded by jungle and tea-tree forest and within walking distance (about 15 mins) to one of Byron's nicest - and quietest - beaches. The rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated, with sliding doors for privacy between the bedroom and living room (I stayed for ten days with my two young kids and loved being able to close the bedroom off while they slept on the sofa bed). There are two huge balconies, both fully-enclosed by fly screens so you can enjoy the evening breeze without being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The pool area is lovely, with a dramatic outlook to the jungle's towering trees, a decent sauna, and a nice, shallow kids pool. If you want to explore there are several lovely walks to take through the forested areas. Be careful in the less well-travelled sections of the resort, however, are there are some very wonky boards and major tripping hazards. Overall, the look and feel of the resort is natural luxury. It's so rare to be immersed in nature like this - most resorts are like McMansions: fake, huge, and cheap. Crystalbrook is gorgeous. You might even see a sleepy diamond-backed python on the boardwalk (don't worry, they aren't dangerous). Room service was good - basically the same as any other hotel. Great kids options, however, and fairly quick delivery speeds. What felt "off brand" was the service. From check-in to check-out, and at almost every meal in between, the staff were fairly aloof. There were a couple of friendly breakfast staff, who took the initiative with smiles and kids packs when my two were getting wriggly, but they were the exception. Most staff seemed fairly bored and/or "too cool" to engage in a genuinely warm manner. The spa was excellent. I had the most relaxing facial of my life from a deeply caring and intuitive therapist. I will stay here again - I don't think there's a better place in the central Byron Bay area. But management should figure out why the staff don't seem super happy - it's not a good vibe for such a good hotel.