Castaways Beach Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Queensland

Having been impressed by our previous visit, we were excited to return to this restaurant. However, our second visit was nothing short of disappointing.

For a venue within a 4-star hotel, we expected the food and service to match the premium prices. Unfortunately, they fell far short of expectations.

From the moment we arrived, we noticed a lack of attention to detail. Despite having a reservation for three people, we were presented with a table for two. Even though the restaurant had only a few occupied tables, the service was disjointed and lacked professionalism.

Ordering at the counter and bar felt more like a casual eatery than a refined dining experience.

To make matters worse, the staff seemed uninformed about the provenance of their meat and were unsure about product availability—a major issue for a venue at this level.

The wine service was particularly underwhelming. There was no presentation of the wine, and the staff’s knowledge of the selections was minimal. We felt unimpressed and questioned the value of the experience.

Basic expectations like providing table water and steak knives without needing to ask were overlooked, further diminishing the experience.

While I understand that paying more for better food, service, and ambiance is reasonable, this restaurant has become overpriced for what it offers. It no longer reflects the standards you would expect from a 4-star hotel.

Overall, it was a very disappointing experience, and we will not...

This dining experience was the worst we have experienced EVER. From the moment we sat down and ordered to when we paid the bill. Firstly, the menu was not as advertised on their website. Greatly reduced. We almost left at that point and should have. We ordered all our drinks, entrees and mains. 45 mins later not even our water had turned up. When we asked, our drinks order had not been put through. We then checked that the same thing hadn't happened with our food order. Entrees turned up after an hour. They were fine. Then there was a long wait till mains. My seared tuna was inedible. I don't usually complain but it was so hard and dry I couldn't eat it. The Asian salad was shaved carrot. I had to ask for more nam jim dressing as it was non existent. Left most of it. My husbands steak was average. Definitely weren't going to try dessert. Then to top it all off, we were charged for quite a few items that weren't ours. I refused to pay for my meal that was inedible. It was a comedy of errors from start to finish. However, thumbs up for the position overlooking the beach. At least they couldn't ruin that WE WILL...

This is a mixed review- on the positives, it was nice to get a takeaway coffee and walk out on the beach. We stayed upstairs for a few days and the room service was appalling. My order of a mocktail and hot snack hadn’t arrived after 40 minutes and I was unable to get through on the phone to chase it up. I had to go back down in person - I saw the receptionist enjoying a cold drink as I walked through the foyer and then saw the chef gazing out to the ocean snacking on something. There was a bit of a scurry as it was clear my order had been totally missed. Then when it finally came to our room, the hot food wasn’t covered, it was brought up in an open bowl, not to mention Covid or germs but also not hot anymore! The mocktail was 95% ice. Very disappointing after waiting an hour. It was good that there was a one vegan option for main course on the dinner menu but sadly no vegan options for entree or dessert, unbelievable. The staff generally seemed unprofessional and sort of clumsy. Denis was the only person who was consistently professional and helpful...