48 hours in Townsville, from the breakwater

Friday: arrive and get wet

• 2pm · Check in

  Check-in is at 2pm. Arrive earlier and the room may be ready; if not, reception will hold your bags.

• 3pm · Pool

  The pool is open until 7pm and the swim-up Splash Bar until 6pm. Use the light while it lasts.

• 7pm · Dinner

  Friday is a buffet night at The Palm House (5.30pm to 9pm, bookings essential). For something quieter, Miss Songs opens at 5pm every day.

Saturday: hill, then island

• 6.30am · Castle Hill

  The council describes 360-degree views of the Coral Sea, Magnetic Island and the city, several walking tracks, a car park, toilets, drinking fountains and shaded seating. A trail finished in 2021 links the hill to the city centre.

• 8.30am · Breakfast

  Weekend breakfast at The Palm House runs 7am to 11am.

• 10am · Across to the island

  Walk to the Breakwater terminal and take SeaLink across: about 20 minutes, with 17 trips a day. Pack a stinger suit if you plan to swim between November and May.

• Afternoon · Bays and trails

  Over 20 bays and beaches and plenty of walking trails. More than half the island is national park.

• Evening · Back on the wall

  Quarterdeck on Level 3 is open until late. Saturday is also The Palm House's last dinner of the week.

Sunday: the Strand, slowly

• 8am · Bikes out

  Borrow one of the hotel's free bicycles and ride the 2.2 km of the Strand.

• 9am · Swim

  Lifeguards start at 9am. The Rockpool at the northern end is open on Sundays (it closes on Wednesdays for cleaning).

• 10am · Check out

  Check-out is at 10am. Leave your bags at reception and keep exploring; ask about late check-out, which may cost extra.

• Late morning · Indoors

  Queensland Museum Tropics, with its HMS Pandora displays, and the Maritime Museum on Ross Creek are indoor options from the hotel's own list.

If the weather turns

The gym opens 5am to 10pm, the day spa on site takes bookings, and the museums are close by. The hotel advertises more than 300 days of sunshine a year, but storms do roll through: its own New Year's Eve page says the fireworks go ahead unless thunderstorms make them unsafe.

Things that trip people up

• No buffet dinner Sunday to Tuesday

  The Palm House serves dinner Wednesday to Saturday only.

• Weekday lunch at Miss Songs

  Walk-in only, noon to 2pm.

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the Strand

  The Water Park closes on Tuesdays and the Rockpool on Wednesdays, with holiday exceptions.

• Public holidays

  Food and drink usually carry a 15% surcharge.

A longer list of closed days is in the journal: the closed-days calendar.

Ask about a Friday-to-Sunday stay