Heart Hotel and Gallery Whitsundays

The location is hard to beat, right by the lagoon and all the restaurants. We’ve stayed in a few places in Airlie Beach, and this is the best spot. The lobby was very clean, and the room was just the right size for us. We did hear some noise on Friday and Saturday nights, but it wasn’t bad and didn’t bother us. The staff were great, especially Kath, who helped with every enquiry and kept us informed when the cyclone hit. We’ll choose this hotel every time from now on.

I stayed January 6 to 8 in a Designer Queen Room for work. Booking.com showed a sitting chair in the listing, but room 102 had none. There wasn’t even space for a suitcase, let alone somewhere to work on my laptop. The room wasn’t clean enough to feel comfortable. The shower base felt greasy underfoot, and the carpets, curtains, and duna looked like they had dry blood on them. I’ve attached pictures. The balcony was so cramped it felt like a window ledge, not somewhere to sit. At $794, this was an insane price for a horribly small, dirty room. The location is ideal, but not at that price or with that level of cleanliness and lack of space. I’ll find somewhere else next time. I’ve stayed at many places in Airlie, and none were this small. Check the pictures of the filthy room we had.

Kathryn at reception was genuinely friendly, and the air conditioning and overhead fan worked well. The bed was comfortable too, and the location was handy for the lagoon pool, Woolies, and restaurants. Noise was the big downside. The hotel is opposite two nightclubs, and the soundproofing only helped a little. It did nothing to block the bass, which went on until 2. There’s no acoustic barrier between the bathroom and bedroom either. There wasn’t a way to ask for things like a do not disturb sign. The fire alarm also went off twice at 7 in the morning. They were false alarms, but nobody was on duty then to check that everyone had got out.

The location by the water was perfect, and the rooms were clean. Check-in was easy, and the front desk helpfully arranged a taxi to the airport at a great rate. We only stayed one night, but I wish we’d known about this place earlier so we could have stayed here for the rest of the trip.