Green Island Resort is the only accommodation on Green Island — a 6,000-year-old coral cay 45 minutes off Cairns — and one of very few Great Barrier Reef properties where you can step from your room directly onto reef-fringed sand.

About Green Island Resort

Green Island Resort opened in 1994 and remains the only resort on Green Island, a 12-hectare vegetated coral cay inside the Marine Park about 27km off Cairns. The property has 46 suites, all set among the rainforest interior of the island so they’re hidden from the day-trip beach areas, and it holds an Advanced Ecotourism Certification — earned through low-impact design, water and energy management, and an ongoing reef monitoring program.

What makes Green Island Resort unusual is that day-trippers leave each afternoon. From about 4pm onwards, the island effectively belongs to the 90-odd resort guests. The boardwalks, the snorkel beaches, the rainforest trails and the marine park observatory all become quiet, and the staff focus shifts entirely to in-house guests.

What to expect

The 46 suites are arranged across three categories — Island Suites in the rainforest interior, Reef Suites with garden views, and Island Spa Suites with private balconies and outdoor spa baths. All have king beds (or twin configuration), air conditioning, private bathroom, mini-bar and reef-focused décor.

The resort has two restaurants (Emerald for fine dining, Lite Bites and the pool bar for casual), a swim-up pool bar, full day-spa, and a guest-only beachfront swimming pool. The Marine Discovery Centre runs daily talks with marine biologists, and snorkel gear is included in your room rate — you can pick it up at reception any time.

Beyond the resort, the island has a 600-metre nature walk through pisonia and casuarina forest, glass-bottom boat tours, optional helicopter scenic flights, an underwater observatory, and Marineland Melanesia (the island’s long-running crocodile and marine sanctuary). Many of these are included with resort stays.

Getting there & practical info

Green Island Resort is reached by daily catamaran from Cairns. Both Big Cat (45 minutes) and Great Adventures (50 minutes) include resort transfers in their day-trip fares. Departures are from Reef Fleet Terminal on the Cairns Esplanade between 8:30am and 11:00am, with afternoon return options. Resort guests typically use the morning service out and any return service back.

The boat fare is included for guests in most accommodation packages — confirm at booking. There’s also a helicopter transfer option (around 10 minutes from Cairns Airport) that pairs nicely with a one-night stay.

Quick tips from our team

  • Book at least one night, not just the day trip — the empty island after 4pm is the point
  • Bring reef-safe sunscreen; the resort enforces it
  • Borrow snorkel gear from reception and walk to the eastern beach for the best coral
  • Eat dinner at Emerald restaurant for the better menu; Lite Bites is fine for lunch
  • Don't miss the Marine Discovery Centre talk — usually 4:30pm daily

When to visit

Green Island can be enjoyed year-round. Winter (June–October) is dry-season weather — comfortable air temperatures, water around 23°C, and the best visibility for snorkelling. Summer (November–April) is hotter and more humid, water at around 28°C, with stinger nets in place around the swimming area and stinger suits recommended for reef snorkelling.

Avoid the December–January and Easter peak weeks if you want the island at its quietest — the day-trip catamarans run extended schedules then. Mid-May to mid-June and late October are often the best-value off-peak windows.

Why our team rates Green Island Resort

The advantage of staying overnight on Green Island is the empty island after 4pm. The day-trip beaches are genuinely full in peak season, with several hundred visitors at once, but they clear out fast on the afternoon catamaran. By 5pm you’ll have the snorkel beaches almost to yourself, you can swim with reef fish at sunset, and the boardwalks through the cay forest are quiet enough to spot the resident birdlife (rufous night herons, white-bellied sea eagles).

This is the easiest Great Barrier Reef island to reach as an overnight stay and the only one within day-trip distance of Cairns Airport.