GT guide to Byron Bay

Harvest Cafe

The verandah-wrapped Harvest café wedged between the beaches and the hinterland of Byron Bay is as garden-to-plate as can be, with produce coming from the kitchen plot next door and a farm down the road. Roast garden squash arrives in a lemon risotto generously topped with melting Taleggio – for simply harvested food, it’s indulgent.

The Villas of Byron

Discreetly tucked away in the centre of town is the Balinese-style retreat The Villas of Byron, a set of six high-walled luxury villas designed with relaxation and rejuvenation in mind. Step through the ornately carved double wooden doors, and past the standing Buddha, into your personal hideaway surrounded by landscaped tropical gardens with outdoor rain showers and a pebble rake to create your own Zen moments.

Atlantic Byron Bay

Describing a place as central and tucked away might seem like an oxymoron, but Atlantic Byron Bay manages to be just that. The Caribbean plantation-inspired property is a relaxed stroll from Main Beach via a raft of boutiques (and what we think is some of Byron’s best coffee, at Bayleaf). Yet step beyond the palm-fringed boundary and the bustle of Byron seems miles away. The feeling of escape begins along paths winding through lush gardens, past daybeds, hanging chairs and old-school Adirondacks.

The Byron at Byron

For road-trippers, Byron Bay’s quicker pace can be a shock after the small-town mood of the rest of northern NSW. Sure, everyone’s barefoot and beautiful, but the town itself is far busier than it once was. Make sure you get in early to secure a room and a massage at The Byron at Byron, located within the subtropical rainforest at Tallow Beach.

Byron Beach Café

The Byron Beach Café at Clarke’s Beach has gradually moved from all-day breakfast territory to something slicker, including dinner on the deck in summer.

Byron View Farm

Byron View Farm commands some of the hinterland’s very best views with simultaneous vistas of the Byron Bay lighthouse, Lennox Head, Mount Warning and the Gold Coast in the distance.

Town

Don’t leave the bay without a visit to Town in Bangalow, run by husband and wife team Karl and Katrina Kanetani. Downtown is the casual downstairs café; Uptown is the first-floor fine-diner. The emphasis at both is on local produce, simple flavours and Katrina’s winning way with pastry.

Emerald Valley Villa

Located in the hinterland of Byron Bay, at the crest of a dramatically twisting road, Emerald Valley Villa resembles a sumptuous retreat in Ubud. Teak furniture, marble floors, thatched cabanas and stone friezes depicting Hindu deities, evoke the kind of exotic headiness that typically requires an international flight. The fact that such splendour comes in an eco-sensitive package makes it even more appealing, as judicious travellers search for ways to pamper themselves and preserve the environment at the same time.

Beach Hotel

Thankfully little has changed at the Beach Hotel since changing hands – the surf movies are still screening and the original Crocodile Dundee hat still adorns the bar. A new dining menu highlighting local New South Wales and Queensland produce, and of course the view, make it worth revisiting this old favourite.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

It’s a short hop from Clarke’s Beach to the beginning of the Headland Walk via Wategos Beach. Climb the steps to the Cape Byron lighthouse for almost guaranteed sightings of dolphins and whales (during migration season).