A few months ago I was lucky enough to be invited to a wedding held in Byron Bay. I have never been before and have always been extremely curious about the place. Every person I know who has been tells me 'Oh Byron. Exquisite. Relaxing. Wish I was back there.' while their eyes roll back in their head and they fall into a state of depression.
I am not a beachy person, I don't really like the heat, and large congregations of fire swirling hippies have never appealed so I always wondered if I would fall victim to the Byron Bay Bug.
Turns out I did, even to the point where I found myself falling into states of depression afterwards while scouring realestate.com for any nearby affordable properties where I could start a life of organic self sustained solitude.
Besides spending time on our little holiday attending the wedding festivities over a few days, we also went on a few walks along the coast, snorkeled with loggerhead turtles (which was amazing as not long ago I saw loggerheads laying eggs in Yakushima), drove to surrounding towns and sat on our balcony drinking local beer between dips in the beach.
Byron is just an entire town of relaxation. Our days there just seemed perfect; sunny, balmy weather, beautiful beaches, great beer, great food, friendly people, dolphins surfing the waves, buskers on the beach, organic coffee and lush green landscapes.
We stayed at a gorgeous little boutique spot right across from the beach and a short stroll from the centre of town. It was an ideal location, we spent most nights sitting on the balcony looking across to the beach eating local food & drinking Stone & Wood beer.
Snorkelling with Loggerhead Turtles, Byron Bay.
Julian Rocks where they take you to snorkel, Byron Bay.
Cape Byron Lighthouse, Byron Bay.
Byron Bay Beach Bure
Balcony on our Byron Bay Beach Bure
Byron Bay Beach Bure
Hotel: Byron Bay Beach Bure
Byron Dive Centre for Snorkel Trips: www.byronbaydivecentre.com.au
Nice! Were these Loggerhead sea turtles friendly to you? In Japan, we find them quite aggressive compared to Green sea turtles and Hawksbill sea turtles.
ReplyDeleteThe accommodation you stayed looks wonderful.
If you like swimming with sea turtles, we highly recommend Tokashiku Beach of Tokashiki Island. There are always many sea turtles just 20m off the beach at any time on any day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ippei-janine/sets/72157630694194858/
We also saw three different species of sea turtles in a few hours.
They didn't seem aggressive but also didn't pay much attention to us! Thanks so much for your recommendation, Tokashiku Island looks incredible. What hotel did you stay in for that amazing view? I can't wait to go back to Japan again - you are extremely lucky to be able to visit all those wonderful places, it is a beautiful part of the world.
DeleteNo problem, thank YOU for sharing your experiences.
DeleteRegarding your question, there is only one hotel at Tokashiku Beach on Tokashiki Island. http://www.tokashiku.com/
It's a basic hotel but the view is wonderful and staff are very friendly. Above all, being able to swim with sea turtles at any time is priceless. Usually people who go to Tokashiki Island stay around Aharen Beach, which is also beautiful with more clear water.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ippei-janine/sets/72157610453624595/