Hotels near Ballina Byron Gateway Airport - BNK, Ballina

Recommend you pass by, try a different town. Arrived after 18.00 to find all reception offices closed in almost all hotels. only telephone and internet contact . 30 minutes standing in the rain at the last hotel trying to get the key that was in a lockbox. Ended up in a kitchen / passageway with a bed no locks on the doors.

Ballina is a well kept secret however it has been discovered as an alternative to the hype and bustle of Byron Bay. Coffees are still reasonably priced and there is an absence of social media wannabes posing on the beaches. I would recommend a trip to the Seven Mile Brewery for some therapeutic tonics. You might get lucky and spot a 'celebrity' zipping past on their way to their private chartered jet. The Ballina RSL is a good spot for a value feed plus some cokes, smokes and pokes. Mike Nolan is rumoured to hang out there occasionally. Have a yarn to him if you have done any damage to the rental, he'll fix it for a cashie.

Lennox Head offers beautiful beaches, fascinating rock pools, scenic coastal walks, a variety of cafes and restaurants, a well equipped IGA food store, a variety of different accommodation and quaint little stores, all in close proximity to each other. A large Woolworths store and a few other specialty shops are in a shopping centre that is a short drive from the town centre.

We love the shopping, dolphins in the river and ocean, river, and ocean views, and whales spotting from the lookout and river when in season. We dined at Cherry St Sporties where the meals and cocktails were great value and delicious. We also ate at Taco Bell.

Very quiet place. We had trouble finding somewhere to eat as a family and later in the evening. Beaches weren't all patrolled - but it is just start of the season so that is understandable as well. We saw dolphins swimming.

Very nice town but most things closed by 8.30pm, tried to get a meal at this time on Saturday night and left hungry, all the kitchens were closed. Allow at least 30 minutes for a taxi or uber to arrive, there are not many locally. Especially allow lots of extra time if you are travelling to the airport and check-in online as they don't accept late arrivals. If you have Vodafone mobile service you will have no reception :( and cant order an Uber.