This Palm Cove Hotel Has Been Named the Best Place to Stay in the South Pacific (and Australia) for 2024

Already home to the best beach in the world for 2024, Palm Cove in Queensland's north now also boasts the best hotel in the South Pacific — and also Australia — for this year. The first accolade arrived back in March, when the Sunshine State locale near Cairns topped Condé Nast Traveller's beach list. The second has just dropped via Tripadvisor, as part of its Best of the Best Hotels ranking in its 2024 Travellers' Choice Awards.

The celebrated hotel: The Reef House Adults Retreat Palm Cove, which takes over the top spot on both the South Pacific and Aussie Tripadvisor lists after coming second to Pinetrees Lodge on Lord Howe Island in 2023. That said, while it earned plenty of local love, it didn't make the global 25, which Pinetrees Lodge managed last year.

The Reef House Adults Retreat Palm Cove

The Reef House was applauded for its beach access, onsite pools, calming atmosphere and well-appointed rooms, if you're now thinking of heading north for your next getaway. Queensland is also home to the second-best hotel in both the South Pacific and Australia, with that honour going to Emporium Hotel South Bank in Brisbane.

It's been a big year or so for showering the Sunshine State with affection, with Brisbane named one of the best places to go in 2024 by The New York Times, travel guide Frommer's also selecting the city as one of 2024's best spots to visit, TIME putting it on its world's greatest places list for 2023, and the World's Best 50 Hotels picking The Calile as its only Australian and Oceanic entry in its inaugural countdown in 2023.

Emporium Hotel South Bank

On Tripadvisor's South Pacific rankings for 2024, Australian hotels scored six of the top ten spots, including MACq 01 Hotel  in Hobart in third place, Next Hotel Melbourne in fifth, Quest Orange in sixth and Zagame's House in Melbourne at tenth. They had company from two Fijian places to stay — Tokoriki Island Resort in fourth place and Six Senses Fiji at ninth — as well as the seventh-ranked Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts and eighth-placed Sojourn Apartment Hotel Riddiford in Wellington in New Zealand.

The Aussie-only list filled its top six positions with the local hotels named above, then found a spot for Pinetrees Lodge this year, plus Element on Coolum Beach, Terminus Apartment Hotel in Newcastle and The Tasman in Hobart to round out the top ten. The full top 25 spans accommodation in Tamworth, Sydney, South Perth, Adelaide, Echuca and Canberra, too.

MACq 01 Hotel

Globally, the best place to stay is Hotel Colline de France in Gramado, Brazil — with OBLU SELECT Lobigili in Malé, Maldives coming in second; La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa in Hoi An, Vietnam sitting in third; Adiwana Suweta in Bali, Indonesia taking out fourth; and Iberostar Grand Packard in La Habana, Cuba notching up fifth spot. From there, it's back to the Maldives via Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa on Fasmendhoo Island, then to La Siesta Classic Ma May in Hanoi in Vietnam, Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya in Mexico, Padma Resort Ubud in Bali and finally Sofitel Mexico City Reforma back in Mexico.

Next time that you're planning a vacation or a staycation, you've clearly got options. Tripadvisor's rankings are based on reviews on its platform, with its hotel lists joining its beach picks for 2024, which were announced in February. Manly Beach in Sydney was the only Aussie spot in the top ten, coming in seventh place.

Hotel Colline de France in Brazil

Top Ten Hotels in the World 2024:

1. Hotel Colline de France — Gramado, Brazil
2. OBLU SELECT Lobigili — Malé, Maldives
3. La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa — Hoi An, Vietnam
4. Adiwana Suweta — Bali, Indonesia
5. Iberostar Grand Packard — La Habana, Cuba
6. Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa — Fasmendhoo Island, Maldives
7. La Siesta Classic Ma May — Hanoi, Vietnam
8. Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya — Akumal, Mexico
9. Padma Resort Ubud — Bali, Indonesia
10. Sofitel Mexico City Reforma — Mexico City, Mexico

The Reef House Adults Retreat Palm Cove

Top Ten Hotels in the South Pacific 2024:

1. The Reef House Adults Retreat Palm Cove — Palm Cove, Australia
2. Emporium Hotel South Bank — Brisbane, Australia
3. MACq 01 Hotel — Hobart, Australia
4. Tokoriki Island Resort — Tokoriki Island, Fiji
5. Next Hotel Melbourne — Melbourne, Australia
6. Quest Orange — Orange, Australia
7. Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts — Bora Bora, French Polynesia
8. Sojourn Apartment Hotel Riddiford — Wellington, New Zealand
9. Six Senses Fiji — Malolo Island, Fiji
10. Zagame's House — Melbourne, Australia

Emporium Hotel South Bank

Top 25 Hotels in Australia 2024:

1. The Reef House Adults Retreat Palm Cove — Palm Cove, Qld
2. Emporium Hotel South Bank — Brisbane, NSW
3. MACq 01 Hotel — Hobart, Tas
4. Next Hotel Melbourne — Melbourne, Vic
5. Quest Orange — Orange, NSW
6. Zagame's House — Melbourne, Vic
7. Pinetrees Lodge — Lord Howe Island, NSW
8. Element on Coolum Beach — Coolum Beach, Qld
9. Terminus Apartment Hotel — Newcastle, NSW
10. The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel — Hobart, Tas
11. Goonoo Goonoo Station — Tamworth, NSW
12. Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Chippendale — Sydney, NSW
13. The Henry Jones Art Hotel — Hobart, Tas
14. Treasury On Collins — Melbourne, Vic
15. Quest South Perth Foreshore — South Perth, WA
16. Majestic M Suites — North Adelaide, SA
17. Quest Echuca — Echuca, Vic
18. Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury — Adelaide, SA
19. Alcyone Hotel Residences — Brisbane, Qld
20. Vibe Hotel Hobart — Hobart, Tas
21. Little National Hotel Sydney — Sydney, NSW
22. Lancemore Crossley St — Melbourne, Vic
23. East Hotel — Canberra, ACT
24. Deco Hotel Canberra — Canberra, ACT
25. Park Hyatt Melbourne — Melbourne, Vic

Tokoriki Island Resort

For more information about Tripadvisor's 2024 Travellers' Choice Awards, head to the service's website.

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