Location..location...location !

What a superb resort ! My husband, son and I spent 3 glorious nights at this establishment. We found smiling , helpful staff who did their best to be non-intrusive yet efficient. The location cant be beaten. Its only a short stroll under the flowering Pionciana trees into the small township of Airlie Beach. There is a huge variety of resturants to suit all budgets and at the time we were there ( Schoolies week ) a very lively entertainment scene. We chose only to eat at the resturant once for a buffett breakfast which was dissapointing for the $16 / head. The resturant is slightly pretentious but with such a lot of choice in Airlie we didnt feel the need to have meals there. The entertainment was one singer and keyboard which suited the venue . As we had an afternoon shuttle booked to the airport we asked if we could have a later checkout which was not a problem or at any extra cost . We could use the pool and facilities whilst they looked after our bags until the shuttle arrived. We devoured the Italian antipasto platter ($30) which was great value prior to leaving.

Highly reccomend this resort , the views, pool and location to the township cant be beaten. We chose a package deal through Virgin Blue which was a very cheap way to stay at this resort !

Great hotel

stayed here for 4 nights

stayed in a coral sea suite - the room was amazing - very spacious with lovely views

the hotel is only a 5 minute walk to the centre of airlie beach which has plenty of shops and restaurants.

if i was returning to airlie beach i would definately choose this hotel again

Great Pool and Location

Best hotel in Airlie Beach - but the standard isn't that high !!

Decent views from the rooms of the harbour.

Lovely big pool right on the ocean front.

Hotel itself is 4 star at very best ; nothing particularly special. Situated about 400 meters from the centre of the resort - probably a good thing to be just outside of all the bars etc.

Expensive and pretentious... A waste of money

Very very disappointing. Presented as an expensive 4 ½ star hotel, you expect much better. 20 mn walk from Airlie Beach, the hotel and its pool are inviting. Think twice.

Early morning you can expect to be awaken by the cleaners shouting and banging doors... Unacceptable! Do not hope for an early night: if you like live & bad karaoke style music, you will enjoy the "live entertainment" of the bar... which can be heard throughout the hotel. You will also enjoy music and shouting from the reception room (weddings, birthdays...) - even if your suite is on the other side of the hotel...

The staff is smiling, but totally unhelpful, with no knowledge of the activities offered. They will advise you to read the brochures.

The breakfast buffet offers less choice than most (cheap!) B&B we stayed in... the restaurant offers a very pretentious menu, with food badly prepared, even arriving cold...

We also had the ill luck to be given a suite with a VERy strong smell of mould... and screaming and drunk neighbours. Not the hotel fault, but I was told by the receptionist that "I could not possibly hear them". (their suite was above mine). It was not possible to have another room (simple room would have been cheaper than a suite I suppose...)

We spent 5 nights in a suite with spa. I wish we had not.

Cold, Snooty, Stay Elsewhere

So it's a 4 star hotel, but don't expect anyone to go the extra mile for you. I stayed with 3 others at the Coral Sea before debarking on a Catamaran cruise in the Whitsunday Islands. The hotel was nice, but the staff were less than accomodating. We decided to splurge on this hotel, which by the way is the most expensive in town. We stayed one night and paid a pretty penny. We were traveling with only a few pieces of luggage (backpacks) for conveinence purposes and arrived in a Taxi, and felt as if the staff treated us like second class guests from the get go. The room was nice, as was the view, but the food was highly overpriced and you have to walk into town or take a cab to enjoy other food alternatives. Similarly, the bar was overpriced and it took 15 minutes to make a simple mixed drink which was nearly unpalatable. No wonder that the restaurant was nearly empty every time we went by.

The real problem occured when we were ready to check out. As mentioned previously, we were planning on going out for 3 days on a boat cruise and we needed some place to drop our bags. I asked politely at the desk if they wouldn't mind holding a few bags until we returned. (They frequently do this for guests). As we had other reservations for the remainder of our stay they said no because we were not returning to the hotel so they could not hold the bags. I mentioned that we had just spent around 240.00 per night for our room and that it would be a great courtesy if they could hold them for us. Then the receptionist changed her story and said they didn't have physical room in the storage area. Just as she was saying that, another couple flashing lots of jewlrey and fancy luggage asked for the same courtesy and their bags were held. I confronted the woman about her inconsistencies and asked her why she would tell me the storage room was full and then take another couples luggage. She became very rude, and confrontational. We were very disappointed with the service there. I have the financial means to stay wherever I want when traveling and I would never spend my money there again.

When we returned we ended up finding a place in the "downtown" airlie beach area and they were so wonderful and I think we only paid about 50 bucks a night. I certainly expect a level of service and hospitality if I am paying a premium, and we certainly did not receive that at the Coral Sea. There are many other great alternatives in Airlie beach, and I wouldn't recommend paying the price at the Coral Sea. STAY ELSEWHERE!

Don't stay anywhere else in Airlie Beach

The Coral Sea Resort is really the only hotel worth staying at in Airlie Beach. It's close enough to be in walking distance of everything yet far enough away for a bit of peace and quite at night. The Restaurant has beautiful food, I think I personally put on 10 kilos whilst I was there piggy our on deserts every night. Our room although a little tired had the most magnificent view and was rather large (I think we were put in one of the basic rooms because it was there busiest time and completely booked out). The front reception staff were always willing to help. I really did love this hotel, the location, the staff, the location..... If you do go to Airlie Beach be prepared for a beach side town with "allot" of backpackers who party all night and sleep all day. Proserpine Airport is in the middle of a sugarcane field, literally and if you didn't know all about sugarcane before you get on the bus that takes you to Airlie Beach you will when you arrive at your hotel. Make sure that you go to Whitehaven beach in the first few days because you will want to go back, it should be one of the 10 wonders of the world. And stay away from a Restaurant called Shipwrecked (just trust me on that one)..

Best location in Airlie Beach

We choose this hotel based on positive reviews on this site and we were NOT disappointed. We spent 4 nights at the hotel during the peak time between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Our Bay View Suite had a large balcony and commanding views of the bay. Our room had ample space, and was clean and comfortable. The small kitchenette came in handy.

You cannot beat the location of the hotel. The quick 5-minute walk takes you through the Airlie Beach Lagoon into town. Some of the tours leave right from the hotel dock and others will pick you up in front. We deliberated about staying on one of the Whitsunday Islands or staying on the mainland. We're happy with our decision to stay on the mainland. Our favorite part was coming back to the hotel after a day tour to sit by the pool for a drink and to take in the awesome ocean views.

Simply the Best

We stayed in the 3 bedroom penthouse and the service that we received was second to none they even changed the inhouse movie for us. The water sports were great overall it was the best 4 nights of our holiday

Great Hotel

Arranged our wedding at this great hotel.

Everything went very smoothly, great staff, very accommodating, fantastic scenery and backdrop for photos.

Very memorable, time, and fantastic food as well.

Can't recommend high enough.

Loved Whitehaven Beach and the Torpues coloured water.

Great, Great and Fantastic. The night life in the Village Town of Airlie Beach is a must. The Airlie Beach Lagoon is huge with all Nationalities bathing in the sun. The Islands are all available via a cheap water ferry. The natural bueaty of the landscape abounds and it is all there for wildlife lovers, marine, bird and animals (Human). Accommodation staying at Coral Sea Resort was a little expensive. However, we found much fairer priced packages whilst there. My friends and I will arrange a Bareboat Charter next year and sail the area at a much slower pace allowing two weeks next time. A long drive, but, well worth it. Great, Thankyou