Your complete guide to accommodation in Cocos Keeling Islands

Lynn Gail Lynn Gail
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You’ve scoured the internet for an untrampled nature-based destination and happened upon Cocos Keeling Islands – a tropical, coconut palm-covered horseshoe of sparkling gems, 27 of them in fact, peeking out of the Indian Ocean.

With over-tourism a growing problem worldwide, Cocos Keeling, due to its size – a mere 14 square kilometres – is set to keep visitor numbers restricted. Book your beds early, accommodation is limited.

Most places to stay are a passport’s throw from the airport on West Island – one of two inhabited islands on Cocos. A short spin of your suitcase wheels will have you booked in, unpacked, and sitting by the ocean, cocktail in hand, watching waves roll in before the sun goes down.

The other – Home Island, where most Cocos Malay people live – has homestay options. There are no high-rise, five-star hotels boasting swim-up bars, so where do you lay your head after laying around on the beach all day?

If you haven’t added the Cocos Keeling Islands to your bucket list, now’s your time!

The Breakers

Suitable for:  Couples or friends travelling together.

Talking of rolling your suitcase, The Breakers self-contained bungalows are surrounded by lush greenery, a leaf’s launch from the airport.

Take your pick from twin or queen rooms fitted out with timbered trimmings, a spacious bathroom, air-conditioning and any essential item you’ll need to throw a hearty meal together after a full day’s adventuring.

The Breakers room on Cocos Keeling Islands
Nestle into lush island greenery with The Breaker’s bungalows. (Image: Rachel Claire Photography)

There’s a thatched open-air BBQ Pondok set in a private garden if you want to mix it up and socialise at champers-o’clock as the sun slips away.

The town’s one and only supermarket, visitor centre/gift shop, and a handful of restaurants are a two-minute walk from your bungalow’s balcony.

The Breakers on Cocos Keeling Islands
The Breakers is a delightful tropical stay.

Cocos Seaview Apartments

Suitable for: Couples or solo travellers.

Squirrel away in these tastefully appointed self-contained apartments . Located in a peaceful leafy cul-de-sac, think romantic retreat, rest and recharge.

The ocean is a mini-meander away – walk along the surf and beach comb with hermit crabs looking for new homes.

The community bus stop is a two-minute stroll and runs to West Island’s jetty where the ferry leaves for Home Island and Direction Island – where a silky stretch of sand was crowned Best Beach in Australia, 2017.

With over 12 years of experience, resident and owner Levi Fowler is an expert on all things Cocos. Levi will collect you from the airport and by the time you’re reclining and sipping a sundowner on your deck, you’ll have the low-down on the upside of paradise.

Levi’s akin to the local Olympian, into everything from kite surfing, and cray fishing, to health and fitness, to being passionate about the local community. So, when it comes to looking after you, he dots and crosses your holiday needs.

Cocos Seaview apartments, Cocos Keeling Island
Find everything you need in your own self-contained apartment by the sea.

Cocos Castaway

Select from four villa options. Suitable for: Couples and families.

Become a hideaway castaway in a stylish self-contained villa right in the heart of town and watch the waves roll in from your private veranda.

If doing nothing is on your agenda, the villas have uninterrupted ocean views willing you into blissful relaxation.

Feeling energised after reclining? Hire a push bike for $20 and ride along the highway. Drop into one of West Island’s deserted beaches, the year-round bath-tub warm waters are ideal for snorkelling and SUP boarding (stand-up paddle boarding).

When hunger sets in, beachside restaurant, Surfer Girl Brewery , serves up delicious tropical smoothie bowls along with one of the islands’ finest roasted coffees or try Tropika Restaurant.

Castaway on Cocos Keeling Island
Relax on your deck with ocean views.

ninetysixeast Bed & Breakfast

Suitable for: Couples or solo travellers.

This heritage-listed boutique bed and breakfast enjoys a prime beachfront location overlooking a reef rock pool on William Keeling Crescent – named after the merchant seaman who discovered the magical isles back in 1609.

The private beach-themed ensuite room has been stylishly designed with ocean lovers in mind.

Consummate hosts, Colin and Christine, will have you feeling at home within minutes of picking you up in a golf buggy from the airport. The couple includes an island-intro buggy tour, snorkelling equipment, and buggy use during the first two days of your stay.

Don’t miss brekkie. Colin and Christine serve up a scrumptious continental breakfast on the sweeping veranda. The backdrop – mesmerising rolling waves, one crashing wave after another.

It’s hard to pull yourself away, but adventure awaits on the coconut-frisked shores of the surrounding islands.

Ninetysixeast Bed & Breakfast, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Watch the sunset from your patio at ninetysixeast Bed & Breakfast.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Cocos Bellevue Apartment

Suitable for: Couples and solo travellers.

For those seeking a serene and self-contained stay, Cocos Bellevue on West Island offers a perfect beachfront escape. With stunning views of the Indian Ocean and just steps away from the beach, these modern studios are ideal for couples or solo travellers looking to unwind in paradise. Each studio comes fully equipped with all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay, including a kitchenette and private balcony. Whether you’re here to explore the island or simply relax by the water, Cocos Bellevue provides the perfect base for your Cocos Keeling Islands adventure.

Cocos Bellevue Apartment
Cocos Bellevue on West Island offers a perfect beachfront escape.

Cocos Cottages

Suitable for: Couples and families.

Furnished from floor to ceiling with warm timber furnishings – these cosy cottages on the airport’s Air Force Road provide a home away from home. Don’t worry about noise pollution though, you’ll see more birdlife than planes with only two flights per week.

Completely self-contained, you’ll want for nothing in these spacious two-bedroom cottages. Loaded bookshelves, daybeds and cushion-covered couches top the undercover deck.

Laze back, read, journal, or see if you can identify the island’s exotic birds.

The cottages are a golf ball’s throw from West Island’s golf course . Sit and watch the serious hole-in-one shooters, or join in Scroungers Golf, a friendly nine-hole round played every Thursday afternoon where all levels are welcome.

Cocos Cottages, Cocos Keeling Islands
Wander to the beach, or over to hit a casual round of golf.

The Bird’s Nest

Suitable for: Couples or solo travellers.

With salt in your hair and sand between your toes, nestle away in the quirky Bird’s Nest after a day of island exploring or kayaking.

This self-contained pad has all the frilly furnishings for a peachy beach escape. Choose a flick from the unit’s DVD/video library and settle in for a movie night after a sunset cocktail.

As most amenities are close to West Island’s accommodation, a leisurely stroll will bring you to the central pocket-sized hub.

Check out the Visitor Centre and chat with friendly staff about what’s on. They’ll help with bookings and answer any questions about the islands.

The Bird's Nest, Cocos Keeling Island
nestle away in the quirky Bird’s Nest after a day of island exploring or kayaking.

The Tropical Nook

Suitable for: Couples or solo travellers.

This self-contained studio is hidden in a quiet cul de sac that is an easy 150-metre stroll to the beach. The owners are a small family who lives in the main house and love to share their passion and knowledge of the Cocos with travellers.

With its own private entrance, whip yourself up a seafood feast in the kitchen then lay out on your own secluded deck, surrounded by nothing but lush tropical trees and the sounds of waves rolling in.

If you can tear yourself away from the pristine surroundings, a 500-metre walk will put you in the town centre.

Tropical Nook, Cocos Keeling Island
Chill out on your private balcony, or stroll down to the beach.

Beachcombers Cottage

Suitable for: Families or groups of up to eight people.

If this beautifully furnished cottage were any closer to the waves lapping the shoreline, your bed would be a water-based one.

Skip, hop or dance across the 30-metre palm-edged garden to the palm-edged beach, where you can laze under palm trees; FYI Cocos is full of coconut palms!

Pack up the fishing gear and throw your hook out. The five-star alfresco area boasts an outdoor kitchen kitted to cook up the day’s catch. Want to entertain? The indoor kitchen would suit any aspiring MasterChef.

The owners of this stylish four-bedroom, two-bathroom home have thought of everything and more. Along with features you’d expect to see in any first-rate property, you’ll find bicycles, paddle boards, kayaks, and snorkelling equipment.

Get in quick, book this premier home and listen to waves whisper against the shore as you sleep the night away.

Beachcombers Cottage, Cocos Keeling Islands
Stay right on the water at Beachcombers Cottage.

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The Castle

Suitable for: Families or groups of up to eight people.

Not to be mistaken with the iconic 1970s-styled home from the classic Australian movie, The Castle is a three-bedroom holiday house all about the modern touches, open-flow plan, and gourmet kitchen.

Saunter into town, nip in and out of Cocos’ shops, and grab a coffee and a freshly baked sweet treat at Salty’s Bakery & Grill.

The Castle’s huge outdoor patio area has cushioned day beds ready for an afternoon’s siesta.

Later, head into town and share duty-free drinks with friendly locals at the Cocos Club’s bar as the sun sets on another perfect day.

You’ll feel like a local as you catch up on the three w’s – what to do, where to go, and who to do it with, in paradise.

The Castle, Cocos Keeling Islands
Spread out on the generous-sized deck.

Cocos Escape

Suitable for: Couples, or solo travellers.

Escape life’s stresses and slide into seclusion at this end of West Island property.

White and bright and not a dot in sight, Cocos Escape is a clean, modern open-plan home boasting lagoon views across a beckoning ocean.

The holiday home has been designed for natural cooling with louvres and ceiling fans dotted throughout.

Amble twenty metres from your patio and plunge into the lagoon to spot the islands’ majestic turtles gliding through calm clear waters.

Take your pick from the deluxe two-bedroom option – suitable for up to four guests, or the self-contained one-bedroom studio apartment furnished for the solo traveller or couple.

Cocos Escape, Cocos Keeling Island
Escape life’s stresses at this secluded West Island property.

My Island Home

Suitable for: Two couples, or small families.

Relive your childhood in this hexagonal-designed pad; it has all the feels of grandma’s home. Games, books, videos, and nesting nooks feature in the bohemian two-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage that is My Island Home .

Retreat to the deck’s comfy couches and listen to the birds sing-song in the adjacent park.

Like everything on the islands, nothing is far away, whichever way you turn you’ll be taking holiday snaps before five minutes tick past on your smartwatch.

After a day of island hopping, the breeze through the property’s palm trees swishes you into slumber.

My Island Home, Cocos Keeling Islands
Listen to the birds sing-song in the adjacent park.

Oceania House

Suitable for: History buffs.

For a stay that blends history with island charm, Oceania House on Home Island is an option. Once the stately home of the Clunies-Ross family, the dynasty that ruled the Cocos Keeling Islands for more than a century, this heritage mansion offers guests a unique glimpse into the island’s colonial past. Today, it serves as a guesthouse, with rooms that overlook lush gardens and the azure waters of the lagoon. Staying here feels like stepping back in time, surrounded by antique furnishings and stories of a bygone era.

Oceania House on Home Island on Cocos Keeling Islands
Oceania House is a stay that blends history with island charm. (Image: Maui Pandocopy)
Lynn Gail
Lynn Gail is a travel writer and photographer who supplies both Australian and international travel magazines with features she hopes take readers on immersive journeys. An intrepid traveller, she’s most at home sitting alongside indigenous cultures, learning age-old belief systems. With her photography, Lynn aims to capture an essence of her subjects through making a connection.
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From coast to bush: these are Gippsland’s best hikes

    Michael Turtle Michael Turtle
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    Video credit: Tourism Australia

    From coast to mountains, hiking in Gippsland offers a stunning array of landscapes, with trails that take you deep into the region’s heritage.

    I step out onto the sand and it cries out underfoot. Kweek! I take another step and there’s another little yelp. Screet! Picking up the pace, the sounds follow me like my shadow, all the way down to the water. It’s obvious how this spot got its name – Squeaky Beach – from the rounded grains of quartz that make the distinctive sounds under pressure.

    For many, Wilsons Promontory National Park is the gateway to Gippsland , and the best way to explore it is by walking its network of hiking trails, from coastal gems such as Squeaky Beach through to the bushland, among the wildlife. But it’s still just a taste of what you’ll find on foot in the region.

    Venture a bit further into Gippsland and you’ll discover the lakes, the rainforest, and the alpine peaks, each changing with the season and offering summer strolls or winter walks. Just like that squeaky sand, each step along these trails has something to tell you: perhaps a story about an ancient spirit or a pioneering search for fortune.

    The best coastal hikes in Gippsland

    sunset at Wilsons Promontory National Park
    Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling wilderness with many coastal bushland trails. (Image: Mark Watson)

    Wilsons Promontory National Park (or ‘The Prom’, as you’ll end up calling it) is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne, but you might ditch the car when you arrive, with much of the park’s 50,000 hectares accessible only by foot. From the inky water of Tidal River (dyed dark purple by abundant tea trees), I like the easy walks along the coast, among lichen-laden granite boulders, to golden beaches and bays.

    a couple on Mount Oberon
    Panoramic views from the summit of Mount Oberon. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

    The trail to the panoramic views at the summit of Mount Oberon is a bit harder, up steep timber and granite steps, but it’s a popular 6.8-kilometre return. The more remote hikes are found through the open banksia and stringybark woodland of the park’s north, or along the multi-day Southern Circuit , which ranges from about 35 to 52 kilometres, with sunrises and sunsets, kangaroos and cockatoos, and maybe even whales.

    a golden sand beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park
    Walk ‘The Prom’s’ golden sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Australia/Time Out Australia)

    You might also see whales on the George Bass Coastal Walk , even closer to Melbourne on the western edge of Gippsland. This dramatic seven-kilometre trail along the clifftops takes in sweeping views of the wild ocean, occasionally dipping down from grassy green hills to coastal gullies and a secluded beach. It also now links into the Bass Coast Rail Trail for an extra 14 kilometres.

    the George Bass Coastal Walk
    George Bass Coastal Walk trails for seven kilometres along clifftops. (Image: Visit Victoria/Time Out Australia)

    Over at the eastern edge of Gippsland, in Croajingolong National Park, you can wander along the lakeshores beneath koalas and around goannas (I keep my distance since one chased me here!). For those who are even more adventurous, the park is also the starting point for the 100-kilometre Wilderness Coast Walk , usually done over seven days.

    the Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland
    Wander along the lakeshores in Croajingolong National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    The best bush hikes in Gippsland

    the Baw Baw National Park
    The alpine heath of Baw Baw National Park. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

    Deep in the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine at Walhalla, mining guide Richard tells me how this small town in the mountains east of Melbourne boomed when prospectors found gold here in 1862. These days, you’ll find most of the town’s treasure – its heritage – above ground, with the Walhalla Tramline Walk a wonderful way to explore it.

    Just seven kilometres long, the walk takes you through decades of Gold Rush history, following the original rail trail from lush bushland to the mining sites, and through the charming village of just 20 residents with its wooden cottages and old shopfronts adorned with turn-of-the-century advertising posters. Blazing a trail where trailblazers once opened up the region, this is also the starting point for the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

    Nearby, Baw Baw National Park has walks through gnarled snow gums and alpine heaths that show off the colourful wildflowers in summer and the pristine carpet of white in winter. Several trails are perfect for snowshoes, including a 45-minute route from St Gwinear up to vast views across the Latrobe Valley.

    Further up into the mountains, the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk is an easy 2.2-kilometre path that serenades you with the sound of flowing water as you pass mossy rocks and tree ferns en route to two sets of waterfalls cascading over boulders in the remote wilderness.

    The best cultural hikes in Gippsland

    the Mitchell River National Park, Gippsland
    Hike the Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

    Across a pool in a natural sandstone amphitheatre, deep within a cave behind a waterfall, it’s said the Nargun has its lair. A fierce creature, half human and half stone, that abducts children and can’t be harmed by boomerangs or spears, the story of the Nargun has been told around the campfires of the local Gunaikurnai people for generations.

    As a culturally significant place for women, hikers are asked not to go into the Den of Nargun, but a 3.4-kilometre loop walk leads you through a rainforest gully to the entrance where you can feel the powerful atmosphere here in Mitchell River National Park , along Victoria’s largest remaining wild and free-flowing waterway.

    the bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park
    Bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

    The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail , a series of important traditional Gunaikurnai sites through central Gippsland. Another location is Victoria’s largest cave system, Buchan Caves Reserve, with trails to important archaeological sites of human artefacts up to 18,000 years old. The FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk includes the naturally sculpted white limestone steps of the 400-metre-long Federal Cave, while the Granite Pools Walk goes among tall timber and moss-covered gullies.

    the ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park
    The ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park. (Image: Josie Withers)

    Also important to the Gunaikurnai people is Tarra-Bulga National Park , known for its ancient myrtle beeches and enormous mountain ash trees. Just 40 minutes return, the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk offers a taste of this verdant landscape, while the Grand Strzelecki Track takes you deep into the lost world of forest giants on an epic 100-kilometre trail rich with tradition.

    A traveller’s checklist

    Staying there

    the WildernessRetreats in The Prom
    Wilderness Retreats in The Prom. (Image: Christian Pearson)

    Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory offers glamping-style tents with luxurious queen beds. Star Hotel is a reconstruction of a Gold Rush-era hotel from 1863 in the heart of heritage Walhalla. Caves House is a historic three-bedroom house with views over the Buchan River.

    Eating there

    the Carrajung Estate, Gippsland
    Enjoy a post-hike lunch at Carrajung Estate. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

    Kilcunda General Store serves great coffee and meals of local produce at the George Bass Coastal Walk. Alpine Trout Farm is located near Toorongo Falls in Noojee. Fish for your own lunch and barbecue it with the provided cookware.

    Carrajung Estate is a short drive from Tarra-Bulga National Park. The winery’s restaurant offers a seasonal menu of regional ingredients and you can stay at The Lodge.

    a seafood feast at Carrajung Estate, Gippsland
    The table is set for a seafood feast at the estate.

    Video credit: Tourism Australia