Couran Cove Island Resort offers its guests the ultimate island getaway. Situated on the shores of South Stradbroke Island in tropical Queensland, Australia, the resort is perfect for everyone from families and couples to ecotourists, nature lovers and even businesspeople.
The resort lies merely forty minutes by ferry from the tourist hotspot that is Surfers Paradise on Queensland’s Gold Coast, which seems like a world away when staying at this resort. A stay at Couran Cove Island Resort is all about excellent food, world-class service, award-winning accommodation, peace and quiet, and adventure in the surrounding forests and ocean.
There is a wide variety in accommodation options. Visitors can opt to stay at studio apartments, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments, four-bedroom villas or, most interestingly for environment-conscious travelers, eco-cabins. Those eco-cabins are located in the surrounding Banksia forest, about a kilometer from the resort’s reception and main communal areas. Their secluded location provides even more quietness. All eco-cabins have two bedrooms and are self-catering. Facilities include a kitchen with a gas stovetop, a fridge and microwave, a living room with TV and fireplace, and a large verandah with screens to keep the bugs out.
Communal facilities and areas are absolutely extraordinary and include everything from a lap pool and a children’s pool to a mini-golf course, running tracks, beach volleyball courts and a playground. Staying active is what this resort is all about. Additionally, guests can rent a variety of equipment as well, including stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and bicycles.
This is a great place for an active vacation in nature, the surrounding forests and waters home to an abundance of native Australian wildlife. South Stradbroke Island is a sanctuary for many iconic Australian animals who live in the bushlands and can be spotted during hikes. Examples are golden swamp wallabies, echidnas, northern brown bandicoots and squirrel gliders. This is also a haven for birds, species including cockatoos, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, egrets and sea eagles. Additionally, there are also six species of turtles, fifteen snake species and seventeen species of lizards on the island. From June through October, migrating humpback whales can be spotted off the coast.
Besides all these land-based activities, Couran Cove Island Resort also offers a variety water sports. Guests can go sea kayaking, boating, swimming and fishing in the shallow estuary that is the Gold Coast Broadwater, which extends from Southport to the southern edge of Moreton Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sunbathing is possible on the 22 kilometers of beaches around the resort.
Couran Cove Island Resort’s buildings are all constructed with sustainable local materials, particularly locally produced timber and glass. The units are built to maximize natural ventilation, the interiors decorated with maize-matted flooring and pure wool. Water is heated with solar power. The design and technology used at this eco-resort result in an overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 85%, when compared with other similar island resorts.
