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Overview
Byron Bay isn't short on beachside hangouts, but a new arrival is raising the bar for long lunches, sun-drenched cocktails and a poolside view.
Located just behind Main Beach, Roca first opened in December 2024, serving Latin-inspired cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner among colour-drenched interiors. Now, one year after the restaurant's Byron debut, the team has expanded with a new luxe pool club next door: Roca Cabana.
Designed as an all-day destination, Roca Cabana blends Byron's relaxed coastal energy with a polished resort feel. Guests can expect expertly crafted drinks alongside fresh seafood, sandwiches, burgers and light daytime favourites from the club's Raw Bar and ceviche menu. Entry includes access to the venue's pool, which will be heated to a balmy 28 degrees in winter and comes complete with complimentary towels.
With views of Byron Bay's famous lighthouse as the backdrop, the adults-only pool club invites guests to lounge poolside with full glasses and chilled house beats. Swim, sip and soak at Roca Cabana before towelling off and heading next door for a long lunch or dinner, Latin style. Designer Chris Schneider helped conceptualise the new space. "My partner is Chilean, and during our visits there, I was inspired by the colours, textures, and warmth of South American culture. Roca Cabana blends that inspiration with Byron's own laid-back elegance," says Chris.
Terracotta hues, vibrant Spanish-blue mosaics by the pool, shimmering copper accents and rendered curves bring the concept to life. For Chris, the design was intended as a nod to the adobe architecture of South America. "The space feels both transportive and uniquely local. It's a fusion of cultures that reflects our food and our story."
Roca's Food
Roca Byron Bay has already made a name for itself as the town's only dedicated Latin American restaurant. Guests can enjoy dishes from Peru, Argentina, Chile and Brazil as Roca's Latin American flavours are fused with the best local produce on the Northern Rivers. The restaurant offers an extensive tapas menu as well as mouth-watering local meats grilled on Roca's authentic Argentinian Parilla BBQ. The grilled dishes are crafted to pair perfectly with Roca's extensive wine list, including Malbec and Carménère, directly imported from Argentina and Chile.
Roca Byron Bay also offers a curated signature cocktail menu featuring fusion drinks such as the Chimitini (imagine a dirty martini with chimichurri), or the Ginebra Maté, a refreshing cocktail made with infused Argentinian Yerba Mate, gin and elderflower. With a menu designed to share "familia" style and an authentic Argentinian Parilla BBQ, Roca Byron Bay is an East Coast destination worth making a trip for.
Why Byron Bay?
With its famous beaches and buzzing bar scene, Byron Bay might already seem well catered for, but Chris says the idea was to offer a different kind of escape. "Whether you're visiting Byron or are lucky enough to call it home, I believe everyone deserves a touch of luxury, and we wanted to create an elevated poolside experience." Just a minute's walk from Main Beach, Roca Cabana also offers a stylish fallback for those days when the surf (or the weather) doesn't quite cooperate.
Between its Latin-inspired design, poolside cocktails and seafood-driven menu, Roca Cabana adds a new kind of daytime escape to Byron Bay's social scene. Whether you're settling in for oysters and prosecco, dipping between sun loungers and the pool, or stretching a long lunch well into the afternoon, the new pool club is designed for exactly the kind of slow, sun-soaked afternoons the Northern Rivers does best.
Book your luxe pool club day out now. Roca Cabana is running events across the Easter long weekend, including back-to-back DJs all day on Thursday, April 2, Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, plus cocktail specials including $15 aperol spritz and frozen coconut margs. On Easter Monday, April 6, Roca Cabana is hosting a Long Weekend Recovery with Caesar's Cocktails by the pool. Guests can either walk in on the day or book a daybed in advance by emailing lifeguard@rocacabana.com.
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