Peninsula Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach's northern approach narrows to a point shaped like a dolphin's fin, and Peninsula stands on it, alongside the marina at Coral Sea. The apartment blocks face open water on one side and moored yachts on the other. It is a rare stretch of shoreline for the town. The building holds two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments and penthouses, the penthouses set on the top floor with mezzanine bedrooms above the living space. Every unit opens onto its own balcony, and the outlook runs across the marina toward the northern Whitsunday islands. From the higher penthouses the view opens further still, taking in the water and the hills behind town. You can watch turtles surface near the seawall in the late afternoon, guests report, without leaving the balcony. A foreshore path runs from the property around the water into central Airlie Beach, flat the whole way and an easy walk past restaurants and bars. A taxi covers the same ground in three minutes. Cannonvale, with its larger shops, lies a short drive in the other direction. The location works well as a base for reef and island trips rather than a stay aboard, with tour and charter bookings arranged through reception. Car parking is secured on site. The whole complex operates as a non-smoking property, and it does not take schoolies, buck's or hen's groups.