The Sebel Reef House Review

A well appointed and friendly place to stay in an incredible and picturesque location. Easy pickups for most activities in the area.

A very welcoming boutique hotel. Small and personal scale with every thing you need for tropic escape. The property has value beyond the room rate, it has a history as a residence and as a boutique destination for 40 years.

If you re on holiday for some rest and relax, and you consider sleeping as being a part of that, maybe consider staying somewhere else. The place is like a noisy echo chamber. You can expect to be woken by slamming doors and the cleaners extremely noisy trolley at 7am and earlier, whether you want to or not. Aside from that the staff seemed friendly and everything else was up to par.

Currently on a week stay at the Reef House, and we love it! We weren t to sure of our room when we initially arrived; as the bathroom could do with some modernising, however the charm and character of this colonial style building more than makes up for it. The gardens are beautiful and the poolside area is very inviting.

Our room overlooks the pool, with (some) sea view to the side, which is lovely and very easy to relax in. As it was my 50th birthday, they very kindly upgraded us to a large king Brigadier room with large verandah.

We love the idea of the two swimming pools: one for families and the other for those who just want to chill in peace.

The Reef House is centrally locatesd on the Esplanade, with an array of restaurants and bars to chill and watch the world go by. We hired a car for $75 a day at Palm Cove Rentals; literally across the road - we didn t even have to find a car park every day, as the HQ is directly on the side of the resort!

Best coffee and breakfast in town is Espresso, only a short walk also.

All in all a really relaxing and peaceful time away (so far). Would highly recommend all of the above to anyone thinking of holidaying in beautiful Palm Cove. If we could have selected 4.5 stars then we would have.

A very relaying place to go with more restaurants within walking distance

It is a lovely place to stay. Customer service needs some improvement, but overall good place

Great place to stay. Restaurant is excellent. Highly recommended.

An older establishment with a sense of history, a rambling layout, pleasant pools and surroundings, a very good restaurant and exemplary staff.
Our room was spacious, clean and well appointed overlooking the pool, an ideal location to enjoy the end of the day with a drink.
Palm Cove is a relaxing location with easy walks along the beach, The Reef House Hotel is centrally lcoated to take advantage of local bars and for a stroll after dinner.
We are already looking forward to a return visit a little later in the year.

A delightful seven day break in relaxed and pleasant surroundings. The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful, we loved the atmosphere of the Reef Hotel, its superb location and excellent restaurant. Happy to return, but would book larger room on another occasion. Nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Thank you.

Service could have been Alot better. Friendly, but not attentative

Wonderful birthday surprise. Fantastic staff, food , room and more.

The best staff I have had the pleasure to meet. David 58

Had a fantastic 2 night stay. Great staff very friendly. The daily activities that are advertised on Tuesday did not happen.

We could have spent our whole holiday at the resort. Staff were incredible, very helpful and really amazing service. We've had such an incredible time here. Would recommend without hesitation, and will be back!

nice place.. good food at restaurant..the foyer reminded me of walking into a second hand furniture shop.. old.. & a bit shabby.. kind of spoilt the whole experience

Location is great but the lunch we had today was cold, very small portions and they added 1 coffee & 1 hot chocolate to the bill we didn't have. But we went down the road and bought some chips which filled us up, pity we didn't go there first or Vivos Restaurant which is where we are now

Old World Charm. 5 Star Service. Relaxation at its best with the option of easy excitement when wanted.

What a beautiful place in a great location. Staff is lovely and the rooms are gorgeous.

A fantastic place to stay, dine and relax. We will be coming back.

Overall a great stay nothing really bad to share. It s been there for a long time the rooms are a bit dated. Very local to the Main Street the staff are pleasant and helpful.

We had a wonderful 5 days at Reef House, it s a shabby chic hotel, small and personal. We met some lovely staff at the hotel who wanted to make our stay a memorable one. A special mention to Karrie who was warm and welcoming right from the off! We dined at the restaurant most lunchtimes and evenings, the food was excellent although the menu was limited. Lots of little touches at this hotel which we liked.... thank you to all the staff who did well given our constant demands!

Special mention to Catherine at the Reef House. Made us feel welcome at the afternoon drinks that the Reef House puts on and responded beautifully to our request when we wanted to enjoy some locally bought cheeses back at our room. She is charming, helpful and a delight to speak with. A surprise birthday party saw her running around at the last minute getting balloons & flowers to please the guests that requested this of her. A real professional and a credit to the hospitality industry. Thanks Catherine. The Reef House is very fortunate to have you. xx

A Classic Resort Hotel.

+ Rooms are large and well ventilated
+ Nice selection of Pools (heated and a larger fresh water)
+ Staff is exceptionally helpful and informative
+ Nice cocktail social hour at 5 PM

We had a fantastic stay here recently. Really relaxed environment with beautiful surroundings. We had a number of relaxing lunches and dinners at the restaurant - the staff were great. Kids enjoyed the sorbet by the pool. The afternoon punch was a great way to meet other guests - many repeat guests. Norm offered a great insight into the hotel and also Palm Cove.

Great hotel run well. Great staff and good restaurant known in the area. Beautiful the tradition of the punch of the 17 in honor of the former general founder and former minister

Really enjoyed it last Christmas and hope to be there again

Everything was amazing. Staff are excellent and the service is so good. Relaxing atmosphere.

I stayed here a month ago, completely pre-paid 2 months in advance, was required to pay an additional $300 deposit when I arrived. I am still yet to receive the deposit return that I am owed. None of the reception staff have any idea what to do, was eventually told debit cards can take longer to process (would have used my other card if they had bothered to advise this at check out), as their management and finance departments are never available to speak to.

Emma is their only competent staff member, she was fantastic and so lovely both during the stay and when I eventually got any info in regards to deposit return, I was speaking to her.

Perfect for your stay in Palm Cove. Has everything you could possibly need. So glad we picked to stay here. Staff are very nice.

It's a charming hotel with beautiful inner court + swimming pools. The staff are friendly + the rooms are ok.

Stayed for a wedding. Nice buffet, staff seemed friendly, and the place is right on the beach. Perfect position.

Very nice resort in the heart of Palm Cove. Within walking distance to all cafes and restaurants. Rooms are spacious and comfortable and the resorts boasts a fine dingin restaurant and 2 stunning pools.

Thank you to Annabelle, Emma, and Jacky and the team for making our stay remarkable!!! It all comes down to customer service and they delivered from the moment we tried to book the holiday to the minute we got here and to this very second that we are leaving. They have been so accommodating and pleasant! The breakfast each day was filling and the two nights we had dinner was great! Korrie in the restaurant helped us decide to go to Fitzroy island. Thank you for giving us amazing service on our short stay! We truly appreciate it! We will definitely recommend to our family and friends! Thank you once again!

Wayne the GM is very accommodating. The staff are friendly, pools and facilities are great.

Everything since check in was amazing. The service, the room the amenities. Great times with the mixology classes, the 5pm social hour and lounging at the multiple pools. The bike rental was a nice way to get around town when we didn t feel like walking. Would definitely come back. Sad to be leaving.

Very average food. The potato gnocchi was very poor for the price. The seafood share starter was good. The red curry bara was ok but to busy lacked complexity for the 30plus dollars. Not a good dining experience

Our annual week at the Resort is something we look forward to immensely and our enjoyment if anything gets better with each stay. We love our designated room which is one we have requested for our many stays and Colin in Reception with his very efficient and warm manner has been able to help us out with that request. We are looked after like family in the restaurant particularly by Carrie, Alex and April who are so efficient coupled with a genuine friendliness . The setting is beautiful, food is great, room is everything we want, staff are wonderful, what more could we ask for. We hope to continue our annual pilgrimage to the Reef House for many years to come. Thanks guys! Greg and Carol

Friendly, relaxing stay. The whole place is very welcoming and the staff were wonderful. Little touches like the punch bowl every evening that gets the guests together make the you feel more like a guest in a large home rather than a paying customer. Definitely worth considering in Palm Cove.

I am coming back next Monday again, from Melbourne ,and my last stay here was so pleasurable, its beautiful , elegant not too large ,so boutique, very relaxed ,charming ,the staff are wonderful ,the amenities are fabulous ,it's restaurant is lovely, and it's in the main street, full of palm trees and across from the sea , with wonderful cafes and boutique shops ,there is an on-site tour guide also ,she is so accommodating ,there is a laid back happy hr, and a beautiful reading room , the swimming pools are lovely also ,such a relaxing place to stay in style ,l cant wait

We stayed at honeymoon. There was no need to go through the front desk at any time, and the sea was in front of me and there were many restaurants around. The restaurant in the hotel was also open and nice.

We are huge fans of this place. It is like being in a rainforest with the luxury of great accommodation and food. A must for everyone. The pool and waterfall is so lovely. We will be back!

Amazing place to stay. Rooms very spacious and had everything we needed. Team on the front desk were fantastic. Restaurant, food was satisfactory service is the biggest opportunity to improve. Lack of experience. Thanks for a great stay.

Heard good things from a group of friends before heading over to Palm Cove and my expectations were sky high. Happy to say Reef House delivered. The room was luxurious and the food was to die for. Passing on my recommendation to all my friends and family, great accommodation!

Fantastic waterfront location close to everything, cozy rooms, pleasant hotel pool, good breakfasts overlooking the ocean. Experience to try

Just arrived today. So far so good. Great staff and facilities. Another 8 days to go.

What a wonderful place! This hotel has plenty of charm and charisma, beautiful views, clean and quiet rooms, two pools and brilliant staff. I'd like to personally thank Michael, the Restaurant Manager, Cassandra, Alex and Matthew for your hard work, for your totally friendliness and for making our experience all the more memorable. The hotel really made us relax and whilst some of it needs a bit of an upgrade, I hope it doesn't ever lose it rustic, colonial charm because that's what makes this place feel very special. I highly recommend a stay here. We stayed over Christmas 2015 and it was rather rainy, with a couple of sunny days thrown in so we ate at the restaurant on site a fair bit and the food was superb. Every meal was amazing and the bread rolls - I was rather sad to leave it all behind. We will definitely be coming back here.

Location ,location, location what more couldn't you love

Great location! Beside restaurants, facing the beach, friendly and helpful staff (they checked us in early), spacious rooms (we had a huge patio), and a few steps from the bus stop for a 50 min ride to cairns city (which is also a great visit)!

Fantastic location. Palm Cove is wonderful and this hotel is one of the best. They do need more variety with pillows; however.

Very friendly staff. The view is wonderfull. Restaurant serves excellent food.

Staff very helpful and friendly rooms clean and comfortable I would happily recommend this place

We had our honeymoon here and it was the secluded luxury retreat that we were dreaming of. Our suite was awesome, with an open courtyard and spa.
(Being so open, we did have a few ants travelling through, but that can't be helped.
The staff were warm and friendly and there is a generousity about there layout that trusts their guests to really feel at home.

Nice secluded location with great outdoor spa. Friendly staff. Excellent lunch and dinner menu at restaurant, the best we had at Palm Cove all week.

Great style and they have perfectly captured the club atmosphere.... Had a great meal one evening.....excellent food and great service while sound of waves in earshot....great suite with all you need for a break in this lovely place

This is a really lovely hotel in a great spot. The white painted, tropical feel fits well with the setting, the pool area is very pleasant, the spa services, were great, and the happy hour is a really nice touch. Staff were extremely generous with time to help organise Barrier Reef tours. Well located across from the beach and near lots of good places to eat. The one bad taste in the mouth was the unadvertised 1% fee for using a card to pay. This is suddenly common in Australia but still not acceptable to demand extra money while a cab to the airport is waiting. Not clear why a small hotel wants to handle thousands of dollars in cash, nor why they should expect me to have a roll of hundreds on hand like a mobster.

Great venue. Does need a bit of TLC to bring it up to date but overall a lovely place

Been here twice now through a online deal. Very relaxing, especially opposite the beach.
Only thing is could do with more rubbish bins around the complex but other otherwise great.

Love this hotel, beautiful generous rooms.... excellent restaurant, right on the beach.... suits my tastes perfectly.

Great location next to beach. Tv reception not fantastic. Rooms are tiled floors. Not 5 star quality in my opinion.

Great place in the heart of Palm Cove with very friendly service. Happy to accommodate guests' requests. Variety of guest from young to old. Main pool is adult only, but everyone can use the other pool. We went with 2 little kids and will definitely be back someday.

Quiet location, restaurant food is great, room is clean spacious and very comfortable

Seafood tasting plates (hot + cold) provide good variation of mostly locally sourced choices...wine list is reasonable...beer options could be a little more adventurous.

Definitely hanging on to their old reputation. Management unfriendly and rude. After 20 years of visiting Palm Cove I will not stay here again .....

We recently visited the Reef House for a conference and found the hotel and its staff, particularly Mandy at reception to be 5 star! Her attention to detail and warm, friendly and extremely helpful manner along with the wonderful rooms and service made our stay a joy. We would certainly recommend the Reef House in the future.

Recently spent a great week at the reef house. It's one of the great hotels with a real colonial experience but lots of luxury. The food is excellent the best fine dining in Palm Cove but at a great price especially if you have an Accor hotels card and you can eat for half price

My husband and I stayed at The Reef House for 3 nights, the Staff were extremely friendly, accommodating and very helpful. It was perfect location for us as it was surrounded by all the shops, restaurants and across the road from the beach. We had a very pleasant stay overall and would definitely like to add in that the Reef House Restaurant Manager Matia really topped off our great experience by going over and beyond for us in no way we have ever experienced. Definitely would be coming back again.

Resort in stile coloniale un po' datato ma abbastanza funzionale con ampi spazi comuni e comode stanze.
Una maggiore pulizia sarebbe gradita
Non esiste poi che si richiedano 20 dollari per ogni ora di extra time oltre il check out
Gradita la piscina esterna con acqua calda

What an amazing place! They certainly know how to do hospitality well . From the moment you arrive your made to feel special. A special thanks goes to Geraldine & Jacky , you made our stay very special . This place isn't a big modern 5 star hotel & that's what makes it great. Yoga in the pool with Geraldine is a must , also meeting other guest at 5pm drinks & canapes . The food at the restaurant is awesome, we tried a few other place but the Reef House is truely devine . I'd read a few previous reviews & people were complaining about the continental breakfast, honestly some people must be hard to please. It's great & if you want a hot breakfast it can be added for a small price. Will definitely be back....Thank you Reef House !!

I only stopped by for 1 drink. Was a very fair price but I wouldn't have stayed for much longer. Staff were very curt and we're not helpful.

Welcoming staff who were friendly and helpful. Great room, quiet and relaxing, comfy bed