Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort
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Fast facts
Check in from: | 14:00 |
|---|---|
Check out before: | 10:00 |
Pets | Pets not allowed |
More about Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort
Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort
Rainbow Ocean Palms offers apartments, which include a kitchen, spa bath, and seating and dining areas. Features at Ocean Palms Resort include an outdoor swimming pool. Located next to the ecologically diverse Great Sandy National Park.
Reviews from 
Couple
Comment: 20 Mar 2024
Stayed in: Mar 2024
Excellent Apartment at the top of steep hill
We were surprised by the size of the apartment ( very large) and how well equipped it was. We were in apartment 10 which was accessible via lift from the basement car park. It was very large and you could easily cook anything given the equipment.
As it's up a very steep hill, most people drive up/ down to the town. I imagine itd be quite a tough walk up in the heat as its very steep in places. However, this enables the views from the apartment & balcony which were excellent and also looked down onto the small pool.
We used the electric bbq a couple of nights aswell as cooking in the kitchen.
Rainbow Beach is small but has lots of cafés for mornings/lunch.
Ocean Palms was ideal for a more relaxing stay.
As it's up a very steep hill, most people drive up/ down to the town. I imagine itd be quite a tough walk up in the heat as its very steep in places. However, this enables the views from the apartment & balcony which were excellent and also looked down onto the small pool.
We used the electric bbq a couple of nights aswell as cooking in the kitchen.
Rainbow Beach is small but has lots of cafés for mornings/lunch.
Ocean Palms was ideal for a more relaxing stay.
Couple
AU
Comment: 17 May 2025
Stayed in: Apr 2025
Disappointing Second Stay — Poor Service and Misleading Accommodation
I have stayed at Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort twice in the past year. My first stay, in Unit 10, was excellent. The apartment was exactly as advertised: a one-bedroom with ocean views, clean and well-presented, and it included a fully enclosed bathroom, which I had not specifically requested. This positive experience led me to rebook for a second stay.
Unfortunately, the second stay was markedly different and deeply disappointing. I was placed in Unit 2, which did not reflect the advertised standards. The bathroom had no door separating it from the bedroom, and a window—without glass—connected the bathroom to the kitchen and dining area. This design raises serious hygiene concerns. The ocean view was also significantly obstructed by trees, and the apartment contained several locked doors, one of which I reasonably assumed might have led to an additional bathroom.
When I approached the property manager to ask whether another bathroom could be unlocked—so I wouldn’t disturb my partner during the night—I was met with a rude and unhelpful response. I was told this would incur a $50 charge. The manager then insisted that I should have checked whether the apartment had a door on the bathroom before booking, which is an unreasonable expectation. He also made irrelevant remarks about how I had booked through a third-party site and should have booked directly through the property's website—none of which had any bearing on the issue at hand.
He further distanced himself from responsibility by stating he is not the owner, not the architect, and merely the property manager—implying it was unreasonable to expect a basic feature such as an enclosed bathroom. I strongly disagree. Most reasonable people would expect a bathroom with a door and would find this setup unhygienic and inappropriate for the standard and pricing of this accommodation.
To add to the frustration, Unit 2 was priced the same as Unit 10 despite being clearly inferior in layout, amenities, and overall experience. I chose to rebook based on the quality of my first stay and did not anticipate needing to request something as fundamental as a door on a bathroom.
After reading other reviews, I can see that I’m not the only guest who has raised these concerns. I strongly urge management to listen to this feedback and make the necessary changes. I will not be returning, and I suspect many others will feel the same.
That said, Rainbow Beach and Carlo Sand Blow remain beautiful locations well worth visiting. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this resort—particularly Unit 2—due to the misrepresentation of the accommodation and the poor quality of service received.
Unfortunately, the second stay was markedly different and deeply disappointing. I was placed in Unit 2, which did not reflect the advertised standards. The bathroom had no door separating it from the bedroom, and a window—without glass—connected the bathroom to the kitchen and dining area. This design raises serious hygiene concerns. The ocean view was also significantly obstructed by trees, and the apartment contained several locked doors, one of which I reasonably assumed might have led to an additional bathroom.
When I approached the property manager to ask whether another bathroom could be unlocked—so I wouldn’t disturb my partner during the night—I was met with a rude and unhelpful response. I was told this would incur a $50 charge. The manager then insisted that I should have checked whether the apartment had a door on the bathroom before booking, which is an unreasonable expectation. He also made irrelevant remarks about how I had booked through a third-party site and should have booked directly through the property's website—none of which had any bearing on the issue at hand.
He further distanced himself from responsibility by stating he is not the owner, not the architect, and merely the property manager—implying it was unreasonable to expect a basic feature such as an enclosed bathroom. I strongly disagree. Most reasonable people would expect a bathroom with a door and would find this setup unhygienic and inappropriate for the standard and pricing of this accommodation.
To add to the frustration, Unit 2 was priced the same as Unit 10 despite being clearly inferior in layout, amenities, and overall experience. I chose to rebook based on the quality of my first stay and did not anticipate needing to request something as fundamental as a door on a bathroom.
After reading other reviews, I can see that I’m not the only guest who has raised these concerns. I strongly urge management to listen to this feedback and make the necessary changes. I will not be returning, and I suspect many others will feel the same.
That said, Rainbow Beach and Carlo Sand Blow remain beautiful locations well worth visiting. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this resort—particularly Unit 2—due to the misrepresentation of the accommodation and the poor quality of service received.
Couple
Comment: 17 Jan 2025
Stayed in: Jan 2025
Beware…..
What we booked - a superior King apartment with, according to the website, ‘stunning ocean views towards K’gari’.
What we got - a view of trees, with little ocean to be seen.
On realising this I immediately went back to reception to speak to one of the owners, who had checked us in. The response? ‘They’ don’t like me cutting the trees down, so there’s nothing I can do. I showed him a picture of the stunning ocean view promised on the website, and explained that we had cancelled a booking elsewhere to come here. A shrug, and a repeat of the fact there’s nothing he can do. I asked if we could be moved. No, fully booked. Silence then ensued, with no apology or alternative solution forthcoming. Eventually I asked if anyone was leaving during our stay, and it transpired they were. He agreed to move us to a higher apartment for our last 2 nights.
I was quite upset by the whole situation, and wrote to his partner who I had corresponded with during the booking process. I explained that this trip (a month travelling up and down the east coast) had been a year in the planning for a special birthday, with a theme of ‘rooms with a view’. This was our longest stay, and given the website promises, due to be the highlight of the trip. To be faced with rows of trees with barely a sea view was such a disappointment, I asked if our money would be refunded if we left the following day.
It is generous to describe the reply as brusque. It said (and I am only summarising very slightly) Sorry you’re not happy, normal cancellation terms apply so no refund, and anyway you’ve been upgraded free of charge for 2 nights. So we stayed, made the best of it, and duly packed up all, our bags to move for the last 2 nights. The new room was what I had hoped for from the beginning, with beautiful views, and at least gave us some enjoyment before we left.
It is interesting that the original room (no 2) also features in a detailed recent review on Booking.com, complaining about the same issue. What is promised and delivered here are 2 completely different things.
Ultimately though, the thing with hospitality is that regardless of issues you might have, it’s the way those responsible leave you feeling. In this case it was abundantly clear that our year of planning the trip of a lifetime, the hundreds of dollars per night spent on a room that didn’t deliver on its promise, and our subsequent unhappiness, upset and disappointment were of no absolutely consequence to the owners of Rainbow Ocean Palms whatsoever.
What we got - a view of trees, with little ocean to be seen.
On realising this I immediately went back to reception to speak to one of the owners, who had checked us in. The response? ‘They’ don’t like me cutting the trees down, so there’s nothing I can do. I showed him a picture of the stunning ocean view promised on the website, and explained that we had cancelled a booking elsewhere to come here. A shrug, and a repeat of the fact there’s nothing he can do. I asked if we could be moved. No, fully booked. Silence then ensued, with no apology or alternative solution forthcoming. Eventually I asked if anyone was leaving during our stay, and it transpired they were. He agreed to move us to a higher apartment for our last 2 nights.
I was quite upset by the whole situation, and wrote to his partner who I had corresponded with during the booking process. I explained that this trip (a month travelling up and down the east coast) had been a year in the planning for a special birthday, with a theme of ‘rooms with a view’. This was our longest stay, and given the website promises, due to be the highlight of the trip. To be faced with rows of trees with barely a sea view was such a disappointment, I asked if our money would be refunded if we left the following day.
It is generous to describe the reply as brusque. It said (and I am only summarising very slightly) Sorry you’re not happy, normal cancellation terms apply so no refund, and anyway you’ve been upgraded free of charge for 2 nights. So we stayed, made the best of it, and duly packed up all, our bags to move for the last 2 nights. The new room was what I had hoped for from the beginning, with beautiful views, and at least gave us some enjoyment before we left.
It is interesting that the original room (no 2) also features in a detailed recent review on Booking.com, complaining about the same issue. What is promised and delivered here are 2 completely different things.
Ultimately though, the thing with hospitality is that regardless of issues you might have, it’s the way those responsible leave you feeling. In this case it was abundantly clear that our year of planning the trip of a lifetime, the hundreds of dollars per night spent on a room that didn’t deliver on its promise, and our subsequent unhappiness, upset and disappointment were of no absolutely consequence to the owners of Rainbow Ocean Palms whatsoever.
Family traveller
Comment: 30 Dec 2023
Stayed in: Nov 2023
Run down establishment, unqualified management.
Apartment 6. Stay 22/12/23 - 27/12/23.
Lovely views, boasting a combination of bushland and ocean. The apartment itself was a huge disappointment. Floors sticky and sandy, had to vacuum and mop myself as we have a 11 month baby. Extremely tired apartment, furniture very outdated and decor well past used by. Kitchen and bathrooms well overdue for renovations. Single drawer dishwasher, too small for family size apartment . Microwave was dirty, melted cheese inside. Crokery well overdue for replacement. I have seen better condition items at the local tip. Found drug paraphernalia in cubboard obove fridge. Managers response (Michael) was the cleaners must have missed that. No apology from Manager, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said what do you want me to do! Beds are comfortable but no duvet covers, instead duvet is placed between 2 bed sheets. Balcony dirty and sandy. Apartment 6 has all hard floors, not a single rug in the property. Main bathroom toilet leaks every time it's flushed. Shower rose was split, spraying water everywhere when turned on. This bathroom was unusable. Only 1 small towel rail in each bathroom. Exhaust fans very dusty and full of lint. Lounge TV tiny, 32". No bedroom TV. Wifi availability but super slow speeds. Not all windows had roller blinds and glass doors to balcony only had a sheer curtain, not very private from adjacent apartments. The infinity pool was often clowdy, not once was the pool vacuumed during our stay. We were a family travelling with 4 other families and their rooms were much nicer in terms of furniture, decor, and overall condition and cleanliness (Particularly apartments 11,14) We all paid the same rates, however for a lower standard room you would expect a lower rate. In all fairness, Management is extremely poor as everything wrong with this place is a reflection of their inability to maintain a certain standard of hospitality, room conditions and guest relations.
Lovely views, boasting a combination of bushland and ocean. The apartment itself was a huge disappointment. Floors sticky and sandy, had to vacuum and mop myself as we have a 11 month baby. Extremely tired apartment, furniture very outdated and decor well past used by. Kitchen and bathrooms well overdue for renovations. Single drawer dishwasher, too small for family size apartment . Microwave was dirty, melted cheese inside. Crokery well overdue for replacement. I have seen better condition items at the local tip. Found drug paraphernalia in cubboard obove fridge. Managers response (Michael) was the cleaners must have missed that. No apology from Manager, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said what do you want me to do! Beds are comfortable but no duvet covers, instead duvet is placed between 2 bed sheets. Balcony dirty and sandy. Apartment 6 has all hard floors, not a single rug in the property. Main bathroom toilet leaks every time it's flushed. Shower rose was split, spraying water everywhere when turned on. This bathroom was unusable. Only 1 small towel rail in each bathroom. Exhaust fans very dusty and full of lint. Lounge TV tiny, 32". No bedroom TV. Wifi availability but super slow speeds. Not all windows had roller blinds and glass doors to balcony only had a sheer curtain, not very private from adjacent apartments. The infinity pool was often clowdy, not once was the pool vacuumed during our stay. We were a family travelling with 4 other families and their rooms were much nicer in terms of furniture, decor, and overall condition and cleanliness (Particularly apartments 11,14) We all paid the same rates, however for a lower standard room you would expect a lower rate. In all fairness, Management is extremely poor as everything wrong with this place is a reflection of their inability to maintain a certain standard of hospitality, room conditions and guest relations.
Family traveller
Comment: 11 Aug 2023
Stayed in: Aug 2023
Amazing views, out of town, quiet location
Stunning views. This place is at the top of a very steep hill which means the views are amazing but not great for walking to and from town. It was quiet and relaxing.
The rooms are nice but are in need of an upgrade. Mold on the blinds and water damage is a little off putting, but overall worth the effort to get there.
The rooms are nice but are in need of an upgrade. Mold on the blinds and water damage is a little off putting, but overall worth the effort to get there.
Excellent location
103-105 Cooloola Drive, Rainbow Beach, 4581, Australia|0.92 km from city centre
Check in and check out
Check in from:
14:00
Check out before:
10:00
Good to know
Pets not allowed
Please contact the hotel for details about adding extra beds.
Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort: FAQs
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