Are you sick of the cold and all the rain? Aussie travellers are looking to follow the sun and we’re doing it with gusto. Booking.com has noted a surge in searches for sunseeker getaways this year compared to last, both at home and aboard. If you haven’t treated yourself yet, here’s a selection of sunseeker getaway destinations that tick all the right boxes. They’re sunny most of the year round and you don’t have to endure arduous long-haul flights to get there.
1) The Coral Coast, WA
The rising star of Australian tourism is the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef on West Australia’s gorgeous Coral Coast. With more than 1000km of shoreline between Cervantes and Exmouth, this is where you can immerse yourself in unspoiled nature. The stars of the marine show are the giant but gentle whale sharks. You can sail or swim alongside them with numerous tour operators in Exmouth and Coral Bay. Expect so see turtles, sea lions, manta rays, dolphins and lots more too.
Be tickled pink at the Hutt Lagoon, Australia’s spectacular “Pink Lake”, between Geraldton and Kalbarri. There are great splashes of colour inland too at this time of the year when WA’s wildflowers are in blossom. Not to be missed are ‘the Pinnacles’, striking limestone structures in Nambung National Park, just 20km south of Cervantes. More at australiascoralcoast.com and westernaustralia.com
Best places to stay on the Coral Coast
Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort. This plush 4.5-star property is the only resort on the beach in Exmouth, at Sunrise Beach, and its swimming pools are just as enticing. Accommodation options comprise rooms, one- and two-bedroom apartments and two prime pavilions. Sate your appetite and thirst in style at Mantarays Dining & Bar.
Exmouth Escape Resort. Also 4.5-star, the resort has one- and two-bedroom apartments and a three-bedroom deluxe villa, a swimming pool and seafood restaurant. It’s close to the local beaches and the town centre’s top attractions such as the Ningaloo Aquarium and Discovery Centre.
Port Gregory Caravan Park is the nearest accommodation to Pink Lake, aka the Hutt Lagoon. The lake is just 500m away in one direction, the seaside 500m in the other direction. Handy!
Kalbarri Murchison View Apartments. The grand Murchison River flows into the sea at Kalbarri, and these apartments opposite the estuary are so handy for the popular Chinaman’s Beach.
River Retreats Kalbarri. A stylish romantic adults-only getaway offering peaceful seclusion, serene outlooks and a swimming pool.
2) The Cook Islands
Close your eyes and conjure up an image of your dream tropical island paradise: it will look like The Cook Islands. Turquoise seas, gleaming white beaches, alluring atolls and clusters of palm forests. There are 15 main islands and atolls, split into the northern and southern groups, so you’re spoilt for choice.
It only takes 32km to do full circuit of the main island, Rarotonga, where you can snorkel and swim with turtles in the Avaavaroa Passage, cruise on the Koka Lagoon, and admire the lush lily ponds of the Maire Nui Gardens. The night show and buffet at Rarotonga’s top cultural attraction, Te Vara Nui Village, is a feast for the senses.
From Rarotonga you can visit Aitutaki island’s stunning lagoon on a day tour, but the scenery is so stunning it would be pity not to have a romantic night or two at secluded resorts such as Pacific Resort Aitutaki or Tamanu Beach Resort. More at cookislands.travel
Best places to stay in The Cook Islands
The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Lagoonarium. Paradise amid palm trees, the 4-star resort looks out over the Aroa Lagoon Marine Reserve, offering some of the best snorkelling in The Cook Islands.
Manuia Beach Resort. A favourite among senior travellers, this small adults-only boutique hotel sits on the sunset coast of Rarotonga, with both ocean-facing and tropical garden views. The infinity pool overlooks the lagoon
Little Polynesian Resort on Rarotonga’s southern shores has an infinity pool and white sandy beach where you can snorkel and kayak out into the lagoon. The five-star resort is very handy for the Maire Nui Gardens.
3) The Tweed, NSW
The Gold Coast is a popular getaway destination but its southern neighbour, The Tweed, has lots to offer too. A Tweed River & Rainforest Cruise makes a good introduction to the region, and Kingscliff is our go-to coastal hub for its beach, cafes and crafts. Nature lovers will enjoy Wollumbin National Park and its Lyrebird track, and the Northern Rivers Rail Trail. The latter is best done on a guided e-bike evening tour so that you can marvel at the 500m-long Glow Worm Tunnel at Burringbar.
For a scenic drive, head to Murwillumbah, where the Margaret Olley Art Centre at the Tweed Regional Gallery pays homage to one of Australia’s top artists. More at visitthetweed.com.au
Best places to stay in The Tweed
For seclusion, try four-star Mantra on Salt Beach, where it’s easy to gravitate between the beach itself and the resort’s photogenic swimming pool, or its five-star neighbouring sister, Peppers Resort and Spa Kingscliff.
Oaks Casuarina Santai Resort blends contemporary and traditional Balinese designs, with a palm-fringed grand pool and onsite wellness spa.
The Imperial Hotel in Murwillumbah for a blast of the town’s colourful art deco past.
4) The Philippines
There’s no shortage of stunning scenery in The Philippines, a country made up of more than 7600 islands, many boasting verdant, mountainous interiors. No wonder, then, that Brad Pitt, Madonna, Beyoncé and Angelina Jolie and many other celebs have holidayed there. Getting there will soon become easier for Aussies: from November Jetstar is starting three weekly flights from Perth to Manila, and three weekly flights between Brisbane and Cebu City, the ‘Queen City of the South’.
Amid the bustle of the capital, Manila, there’s Spanish colonial-era serenity at Intramuros, the historic walled district whose landmarks include Fort Santiago and Manila Cathedral. Further north, the UNESCO World Heritage Historic City of Vigan has one of the best-preserved Spanish colonial towns in Asia. Don’t miss the cobblestoned Calle Crisologo, which is lined with Spanish-era colonial houses.
In Cebu City, visit Fort San Pedro, the first Spanish fort established in the Philippines, and the adjoining National Museum of the Philippines. Cebu Province is renowned for its stunning beaches and the rainforests and waterfalls of its mountainous interiors: Mantayupan Falls in Barili is the most photogenic. More at philippinetourism.co
Best places to stay in the Philippines
The Farm at San Benito is an eco-luxury wellness resort nestled in 48 hectares of jungle 90km south of Manila.
Luljetta’s Place Hanging Gardens and Spa has a mountainside infinity pool and elevated views over Antipolo and Laguna de Bay.
Badian Island Wellness Resort is a top pick among many beach resorts in Cebu province.
Crimson Resort and Spa on Mactan Island is an elegant hideaway with infinity pools and lush gardens, just 17km from Cebu City.
Hotel Luna in Vigan is just one corner away from the photogenic Calle Crisologo and other top sites in the World Heritage precinct.
5) Litchfield National Park, NT
This is the best time of the year to visit the Northern Territory, where the dry season lasts until October. Litchfield National Park boasts much of the stunning scenery that the NT is famous for, and it’s an easy drive from Darwin. Here you’ll find some stunning spots for picnics and swimming … Wangi Falls, Florence Falls, Tjaetaba Falls, Tolmer Falls, Sandy Creek Falls and Buley Rockhole. A remarkable feature of the park is its collection of Magnetic Termite Mounds – some of them the largest in the NT, reaching seven metres in height.
No one knows the land better than the local first nations people, so Northern Territory Indigenous Tours’ small-group Indigenous Litchfield Spectacular day tour or Kurrindju 4WD Litchfield Adventure run by former park rangers will bring it all nature’s wonders to life. More at northernterritory.com
Best places to stay near Litchfield NP
Batchelor is the closest town to the National Park. We like:
Pandanus on Litchfield is a four-star resort with air-conditioned family rooms, an outdoor swimming pool and a shared lounge and terrace.
Batchelor Holiday Park has family rooms with air-conditioning and garden views, a saltwater swimming pool and sun terrace.
Litchfield Tropical Stay at Rum Jungle near Batchelor has an adults-only guest house with air-conditioning, kitchenette, and private bathroom, swimming pool and barbecue facilities.
This article originally appeared in the August 2025 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Pick up the latest issue at your local newsagent or subscribe so you never miss a new issue.
