The Sunseeker Byron Bay

This modern take on the classic roadside motel has a bold retro aesthetic and is located on Bangalow Road, 5 minutes from the Byron Bay township. A thoughtful renovation has elevated The Sunseeker to a design destination for the modern traveller and a much-loved holiday haven for young families. Theme and style decisions were driven by motel entrepreneurs Jess and Dave Frid and their collection of like-minded creative friends — a group of local makers, artists and designers. The red-brick façade — relatively untouched during renovations — reveals a tropical playground of designer digs and chic surf shacks bordering a lagoon-style pool, fire pit and tiki bar.

There are 12 motel-style rooms with striking interiors, 6 freestanding bungalows, a 2-storey 3 bedroom house and a cool cabana bar beside the original kidney-shaped pebblecrete pool. The motel rooms are spacious, each with a patio or balcony, and are swathed in Byron-esque style with sandy-feet-friendly polished concrete floors, neutral palettes with pops-of-colour and beautiful bamboo bedding.