If you have never been to Broome before it is important to be aware that it has basically two separate areas; Broome town and Cable Beach. It is about an 8-10 minute drive between the two.
Broome Town is the centre and has a Coles supermarket, three or four streets of shops (including ‘Chinatown’), The Pearl Luggers Museum, the wonderful Sun Cinema (famous outdoor cinema) cafes, a few pubs, Mcdonalds and lots and lots of places to buy pearls.
Cable Beach has a couple of places to eat outside the resorts (Zanders and the Divers Tavern are the main two) and a few shops but the number one reason for staying here is proximity to the beach. Cable Beach really is one of Australia’s finest beaches. I love the beach for walking rather than swimming as it is sometimes closed due to crocodile or shark sightings. Call me a coward if you will but if they have to close the beach ‘sometimes’ then I stay out of the water ‘always’!
Here is my feedback on the most popular hotel and apartment offerings in both areas. I have visited all these properties, stayed at quite a few and, with one exception, I have viewed all the rooms.
Hotels and Apartments at Broome Town
Moonlight Bay Suites
This is definitely my favorite option in Broome town. Run by local Steve Anderson and his team, this property consists of 1 and 2 bedroom self-contained suites (mini-apartments basically). The Bay View Suites are particularly good with stunning views over Roebuck Bay. As the name suggests, this property is also perfect for viewing the Staircase to the Moon.
Moonlight Bay Suites is part of our wonderful free accommodation offer in Broome.
| Our Exclusive two free night offer Anyone booking a Kimberley cruise with Kimberley Travel and Cruise of 7 nights or more receives two free nights accommodation in either Broome or Darwin. (one for sole use cabins). In Broome that accommodation would be at Moonlight Bay Suites. If you wish to book an alternative hotel in Broome we can do that for you and apply a credit of $250 per night towards your stay. For example if you wish to stay at Cable Beach Club Resort then we book that for you and apply the accommodation credit of $500 total. |
Right next door to Moonlight Bay Suites is the Mangrove Hotel. The view from the gardens at the Mangrove are stunning and this is a great place to grab a drink and relax. The Ocean View Suites have panoramic views over Roebuck Bay. Be aware they do host weddings and other events here and it gets busy and perhaps noisy.
From their pictures the rooms look really nice and the feedback from customers who have stayed there is usually positive. That being said, this is literally the only Broome property who have never been able to find the time to show me their rooms on any of my numerous visits to Broome.
The Continental Hotel Broome (“The Conti”)
Formally The Mercure this is the oldest hotel we use in Broome town. This property is often popular with the coach group companies. The new owners are slowly improving the hotel (starting with the restaurant) and recommend staying in the deluxe rooms is best. The conti is walking distance to town beach – see below.
Closely situated to Moonlight Bay Suites (although further away from the town centre).
Just about opposite is Town Beach. This is a pleasant enough location although the beach here is in no one comparable to Cable Beach. There is a great cafe on the beach and it is my favourite place for breakfast in Broome town.
The lead in rooms at the Oaks are not my favourite – a bit ‘boxy’ and dark so go for the studio or even the one bedroom apartment if you can.
Hotels and Apartments at Cable Beach
There are a number of hotel resorts at Cable Beach but they are dominated by one….
The Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa
This is rightly one of Australia’s most iconic hotels. If you have only heard of one Broome hotel then it is almost certainly this one. Built in the late 1980s by British millionaire Lord McAlpine, the Cable Beach Club is built around lush, extensive gardens; so extensive that it is easy to get lost. (A quick tip if you are lost, the heads of the lion statues always face towards reception).
There are two pools (one for adults only), four restaurants and a great day spa. There are a variety of room types but for the couples the obvious choice is between the Garden View Studios, Pool View Studios, Pool Terrace Studios and Ocean Side Studios.
Pool Terrace 
Ocean Side Studio 
Pool View
A significant aspect of what you are paying for is location. As the first hotel built at Cable Beach, it is the only one built right by the beach itself. It is a 90 second walk from the entrance of the resort to Cable Beach. The restaurant and sunset bar both enjoy great views over the Indian Ocean and the sunset from both is magnificent.
In the high season (May, June, July, August) the nightly rate for the Garden View Studio at the Cable Beach Club starts at $627 per night. For a Pool View Studio $671 per night and for my favourite option, the Oceanside studio $744 per night. And no, that does not include breakfast!
My view; staying at Cable Beach Club may be an essential investment in your Broome experience – it really is such an icon. But the pricing is not for the faint hearted! The kicker may be the requirement during high season that you stay a minimum of three nights.
There are other great properties in the Cable Beach area but remember, the Cable Beach Club is the only hotel right by the beach.
Kimberley Sands Resort
Formerly the Pinctada, this hotel has undergone a few changes in management and ownership in the last few years and to be honest has generated a few customer service issues in the recent past. The property is centred on a lovely swimming pool and is a short walk to the beach. There is a range of room types here starting at a Courtyard Suite.
The Pearle of Cable Beach
This is a beautiful property set in quiet, lush surroundings. Basically the Pearle offers one, two and three bedroom apartment complexes with private plunge pools. But one of the bedrooms can be a standalone hotel room as it has its own entrance. But be careful with this option- the hotel room option is quite small and is attached to the main apartment. Travellers with young children may not like the separate entrance
Bali Hai
As the name suggests this is a Bali themed resort at Cable Beach – a relatively short walk to the beach. Broome has a history of interaction with Asia so this theme seems very apt. Surrounded by beautiful lush tropical gardens the resort offers self-contained Bali style villas usually with private outdoor Mandi bathrooms, a wonderful swimming pool and an expansive and reasonably priced spa. It is a really good option at Cable Beach. But if I had to voice one reservation – might be due a bit of a re-fresh!
Mantra Frangipani
Another good alternative at Cable Beach is the Frangipani, now part of the Mantra group which was recently purchased by the Accor group. This property features a variety of self-contained 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments with large bedrooms, fully equipped kitchens and (like the Bali Hai) outdoor showers. It’s a bit further away from the beach area although there is a bus stop out the front. You may want to consider having a car when staying here.
Seashells Broome
This is probably the second closest Cable Beach property to the beach itself – about 300m so less than a five minute walk. Again a lovely range of 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments with extensive facilities. Great option for longer stays.
Not to be confused with the Oaks Broome in town this property was formerly the Sanctuary Resort. Overall I’m a fan of this hotel. It has a massive (really massive) pool (and two other smaller pools) set amongst lovely gardens. It has generous room sizes (well maybe not the Studios which are the lead in rooms but the apartments are great). The restaurant (which I think is separately run) is a really nice place to enjoy a drink and snack overlooking the pool although reports of the meal quality are mixed. It is a 10 minute walk to the beach but the reliable Broome bus service has a stop right outside. And plenty of parking if you have a car.
One of the reasons I like Oaks Cable Beach Resort is that in general it’s reasonably priced for a 4* property in Broome and Cable Beach.
Where to book your Broome accommodation
Well of course for starters we can book this accommodation for you and if you are taking advantage of our two free night offer then we do need to book the accommodation for you.
Otherwise there are plenty of options to book hotels in Australia nowadays. The big US owned online accommodation engines such as Expedia, Booking.com and Wotif are all very popular. Booking hotels via these platforms is incredibly straight-forward and the information they supply about room types and facilities is extensive. And all these platforms allow you to read the reviews of previous guests as well.
Most hotels say they want you to book directly with them, either by phone or using their own website. So it’s good theory that you use the search engines but then book directly with the specific hotel. Trouble is that in practice this theory seems hit and miss. In my experience hotel staff often prefer you book via a third party. The exception is smaller, family owned properties where the owner/manager is likely to answer the phone.
One booking engine that has less profile that the others in Australia is Agoda and we have found more and more of our passengers are using them.
Click HERE to see my recommendation for hotels and resorts in Darwin.
About Jenny
I’m an expert in small ship cruising in the Kimberley and have completed four cruises on different vessels along this spectacular coastline. With a family I now work part-time so if you would like to have a chat with me about Kimberley cruising at a time that suits you book in a call here and I will call you then.
Cruises in the Kimberley are not ‘one size fits all’ scenario; there are different ships and itineraries each offering their own special elements. If you would like some general information to start your research then download my free guide to Kimberley cruising here. I have also written some really interesting blogs (if I do say so myself) click here to have read.
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