Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa review, Broome, Western Australia

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This was published 7 years ago

Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa review, Broome, Western Australia

By Louise Southerden
The revamp of Cable Beach Club  Resort & Spa was finished in May 2016.

The revamp of Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa was finished in May 2016.

THE PLACE

Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa, Broome

THE LOCATION

Cable Beach Club, as it was called when it opened in 1988, was the first resort on this iconic beach, 23 kilometres of white sand lapped by an impossibly turquoise Indian Ocean, and it's still the only resort right on Cable Beach, seven kilometres from the centre of Broome in north-west Western Australia.

THE SPACE

First impressions: this place is huge. There are 234 rooms and 16 room types including studios, colonial-era bungalows, villas and suites. I need a map to find mine, and not just once, though it's a pleasant walk through the eight-hectare tropical gardens and past the two swimming pools to get there. In keeping with Broome's reputation as the most multicultural little town in Australia, the resort's public spaces, restaurants and suites feature original artworks and artifacts from all over the world, collected or commissioned by founder Lord Alistair McAlpine. Some of the most prominent are the Chinese bluestone lions flanking the resort's entrance and terracotta warrior horses throughout the grounds (these all face reception, good to know when you lose your bearings); Japanese touches include vermillion tori gates in the gardens and a spa called Chahoya (it means "pamper" in Japanese).

THE ROOM

My second-floor Garden View Studio has more character than you'd expect and was recently refurbished, part of a resort-wide revamp completed in May 2016. I love the high ceilings, polished hardwood floods and white colorbond walls echoing the corrugated roofing often seen in the Kimberley. There's also a modern black ceiling (as well as aircon), plantation shutters and French doors opening onto a private verandah that has comfy cane chairs and a shady daybed. The king-sized bed has good wall-mounted reading lights; there's also a writing desk, minibar, kettle with tea and coffee bags, and large flat-screen television. The timber-floored bathroom has a marble vanity, Japanese-style sliding glass doors, a rainwater shower and L'Occitane toiletries, but no bathrobes.

THE FOOD

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The resort's four restaurants take you around the globe: from poolside south-east Asian dining at Rambutan to the award-winning Zensai (the resort's executive chef is Japanese) while Club Restaurant offers local delicacies such as barramundi and pearl meat as well as Italian main dishes under glittering chandeliers. The Sunset Bar & Grill is the best spot in Broome for Indian Ocean sunset drinks (chances are you'll see the famous Cable Beach camels file past), but it's beautiful at other times too; I see a breaching whale from my breakfast table one morning.

STEPPING OUT

Some of Broome's iconic attractions are right on your doorstep, most notably sunset camel rides, Gantheaume Point's dinosaur footprints (at the southern end of Cable Beach) and the beach itself, which has lifeguards and lounges for rent. Blue Buddha Sanctuary, behind the resort, has yoga, tai chi and meditation sessions. The resort free shuttle bus makes two trips a day to Broome's town centre where you'll find more restaurants and cafes, pearl farm and hovercraft tours, Chinatown, an outdoor cinema and the weekend Courthouse markets. See visitbroome.com.au

THE VERDICT

Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa is a world-class resort with an out-of-town location that promises the best of both worlds: a sense of seclusion and VIP access to Broome's famous sunset beach. It's also open year-round and while the wet season can be hotter and more humid than the April-September high season, it's also quieter and the rates are lower and most days it rains only at night.

ESSENTIALS

Cable Beach Club Resort, Cable Beach Road, Cable Beach, Broome, WA 6725. Summer rates valid until March 2017 start at $199 a night for a studio. Phone 1800 199 099 or see cablebeachclub.com

HIGHLIGHT

Being right on Cable Beach is a treat: not only do you get sunset without the parking hassles, you can wander over to the beach at other times of the day.

LOWLIGHT

The resort is so big it took more than an hour to get my luggage after check-in and I got lost more than once trying to find my room.

Louise Southerden was a guest of Tourism WA and Australia's North West Tourism.

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