Tangalooma Island Resort - reviews,open hours,photo spots,things to do | WanderBoat AI Trip Planner

Lots of potential! But they need to invest in upgrading the resort more and also lean a lot more into their history of being the primary filming location for the iconic 2002 Scooby Doo movie. This resort has wonderful customer service all around, with lots of activities to book and beautiful views, but we couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed with our stay. Of course it doesn't look like Spooky Island, but it's almost like a secret that the movie was filmed there, and almost all traces of the movie was wiped clean from the resort, besides an alleged Scooby Doo white laundry bin(?) and a themed mocktail. They don't even have a single tiki or spooky-themed bar, only one sports bar, which is such a massive disappointment. The jetty has been completely redone from wooden to concrete (not a bad thing, but of course, it looks completely different from the movie), the pool from the Sugar Ray scene is still there, but they only have two pools that are both not heated (they say one is, but an employee told me the heater has been broken for a long time and they never fixed it) and ZERO jacuzzis. The breakfast buffet is extensive but all of the food is quite lacking in options for vegans (only one mushroom burger and a side of tofu and main course of vegetables at the Asian restaurant) – we left quite hungry and everything is very overpriced on the island. Luckily their TVs were upgraded to smart TVs in the bedrooms so I could at least BUY the Scooby Doo movie and watch it on Amazon Prime, since they can't pre-load the DVD into a DVD player anymore. The rooms are upgraded, yet oddly lacking in decorations, with no art pieces of the island or anything, and they combine two twin beds to turn them into a queen ("king") bed and had some occasional tiny ants roaming the room. Also, it's important to note that the wifi is quite slow but that's the case all over Oz, and fortunately, they do offer wheelchairs at $5 per day for those who can't easily walk the long path back and forth from the jetty even to reception or further (since there's multiple companies managing different activities and professional photos). Truly, it's a beautiful island that's worth a day visit, wild dolphin feeding is so special, and snorkeling the wrecks is a MUST do (so is sand dune tobogganing or at least going out to the dunes, but that activity was too exhausting for me physically). But for being the only resort on this island (and it's also not environmentally conscious enough as it runs completely on diesel generators), they can do SO much more with it.

NovaNova

00

We booked the return ferry for a day trip, where you receive a ferry drink coupon and food voucher for the island each, and use of the facilities on the island while there. We were on the morning ferry which was good, staff nice and perky considering sun was rising as we were boarding. Was disappointed that they sent the early morning ferry with the only boat without a coffee machine, being told that one of the other two boats had one, sorry maybe on the return trip. The island itself if beautiful, and if I had been going there with just that in mind, I would have been blown away getting off and seeing the stunning white beaches away from the resort. What you can find immediately is a gift store and where to purchase photos, but not reception, hidden back behind a cafe down the way. The resort is a hodgepodge of run-down buildings and lacking in facilities, proper signage on where to go, and a closed information kiosk. I can see there are many activities to do on the island, like the ATVs, helicopter rides, snorkel the wrecks - all for prices that can be charged to a captive audience from the only resort on an island. We opted to explore some of the place by foot and took the desert walk up and over to see the desert sands. Was worth the walk in my opinion, but we like to hike. Saw a very beautiful python on the way and it was a pleasant walk. Being experienced divers, we’d brought our own gear (stowed in a locked for 2$ while we walked desert track) over and made the 50-100m swim to the wreck to snorkel along. It was quite nice and we saw some quite large Wobbegongs and lion fish, plus, we’d made it before the snorkel tour. The snorkel tour is like your standard tour, many people all splashing about, so we swam back in when they reached us and after getting kicked by someone’s fin. The tour itself seemed very short. We hadn’t even de-geared yet when they started bringing everyone in. Throughout the day, large tour groups of people started coming in and all of the seating in every eating facility had been reserved for them, even though it wasn’t in use. Some areas, their bags had just been left there for storage. I’d asked the lady at reception where we could possibly sit to eat lunch as the seating areas were all reserved. She did very nicely offer to try and get us some tables somewhere but in the end we sat in the bar and ate - which was fine and warm. For the hour that we rested and ate average food, the reserved eating area in the cafe ahead of us remained unused. Perhaps there needs to be some other way to deal with large groups than booking out the whole entirely of a seating area (for apparently no reason) as not everyone is able to go sit in a bar- thinking of the families out there with young children. We were lucky that we were a group of adults. Staff were generally nice and tried to be helpful, although quite slow at doing everything. Island time maybe? My day was very nice, but I wouldn’t say because of the resort. I would have been just as, if not more happy, to not have had the resort and packed a picnic lunch. If that’s an option for you, maybe do that instead?

Christiana MacAskillChristiana MacAskill

00

Great Island for getaway. Many activities available for all ages. We ordered the back and forth ferry transfer service which was great. Dropped our bags at Holt Street Wharf before boarding and our luggages would be delivered right outside our room. On check-out day, put our luggages outside room door, they'd be transported all the way back to Holt Street Wharf. We really appreciated the porters hard work. Our room was on second floor with balcony, it's all good accept for ant problems. They came and went during our two night stay. We just ignored them, didn't bother to report due to possibly chemical spray. >> Dolphin feeding During our 2 night stay on Moreton Island, we picked to feed dolphins on Monday night instead of Sunday night. So glad we did. While there's no guarantee how many wild dolphins would show up every night, that didn't stop people from joining this event. With that said, there were over hundred people took part both night meaning long queue for sure. Sunday night, only one dolphin arrived. To make sure not overfeeding, staff had to well plan how many fishes could be offered to it. They divided the big crowd into small groups, each group would be given one fish, a staff would then lead that group to feed it to the dolphin. Whole process might last for 15 seconds. Was it worth the long wait? It's totally up to you. We could see disappointment everywhere but also understood rules had to be enforced to protect wild life. Our turn was on Monday night, similar long queue and wait. Luckily there were 5 dolphins showed up. We were so excited but two of us were also given just one fish for the feeding. To me, I'd say the close encounter with wild dolphin was magical and worth all the wait. >> ATV Quad Bike Practice would be offered before setting out on our adventure. So much fun. Must try. >> Snorkeling Staff friendly and helpful. Saw different species of fishes at ship whack site. Price included everything needed. Only complaint was some wetsuits were tore up and some with broken zippers. Overall we enjoyed our time on Moreton Island. Just be mindful of the limited choices of restaurants and prices could be a bit high.

Cat HKCat HK

00

Bloody awesome spot, done a snorkeling trip over the ship wrecks. Great little getaway spot with a lot of things to do, highly recommend a day trip or even a proper stay here. Beautiful clear water, beautiful white beach’s, plenty of bars and plenty of rays of sunshine ☀️

Lachlan OLachlan O

20

We stayed at the resort for 3 nights and had a great time. The resort ferry docks right in front of the resort and your luggage is delivered to your room and on departure they collect it from your room and you pick it up when you arrive back in Brisbane. It's a great service. We loved the resort, the staff were friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean with an amazing view, facilities were great and the organised tours were fun! They have photographers at most tours and you can buy a package deal with all of your holiday pics. There's lots of opportunities to learn about the local wildlife and history of Moreton Island. The dolphin feeding in the evening was a magical experience which they do every night but be prepared to get wet up to your waist, especially in the colder months. The ship wrecks are a short walk along the beach from the resort. It probably takes about 30 mins at a casual pace. The only thing we struggled with at the resort was the food. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't amazing either. Overall it was an awesome experience. We'll definitely be back 🤩

DianneDianne

10

Amazing place to stay, relax and unwind. Pristine views and beautiful sunsets. Make sure you have a seat along the water with some nibbles and a beer to watch the sunset. Rooms and staff are always great and friendly so be kind and patient back.

Travis McAllanTravis McAllan

00