Recently we were invited to stay at Hotel X in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. The hotel hosted our stay at their gorgeous hotel and our day trip to Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island so we could experience the facilities and the Family Island Staycation package they offer.
And we are SO GLAD they did. Now we can share our experience with you guys to inspire you when you are thinking about your next family holiday. It was a wonderful weekend, creating adventurous memories with our kids! We loved it.
Keep reading to find out why!
Hotel X is well located in the Valley
There is so much to love about this hotel.
Hotel X is about the unexpected, the uninhibited and the undeniably indulgent. It is not just gorgeously lush and well located, but our family was well catered for with our *non-standard* configuration (3 kids) and the staff are just so helpful and kind.
If you are a family that knows the Valley at all, you will know that the Judith Wright Centre has just had a huge make-over. And if you know The Judy, then you will know that it is right in the thick of all the great restaurants and entertainment of the area. Well, just 100 metres away on Brunswick St is the gorgeous Hotel X. It is literally a 2 minute walk to the theatre and 8 minute walk to the centre of Chinatown.
If you are keen to check out the Howard Smith Wharves, then they are only a short 9 minute drive or 12 minute walk away too! See… in the thick of everything!
Address: 458 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Website: Hotel X website
The Rooms at Hotel X
The hotel has 146 rooms from king bed standard, to king bed 2 x singles (twin) all the way up to king bed one bedroom suites. If you want to replicate our rooms that host 2 adults + 3 kids, we had 1 x king room and 1 x twin room. They call them ‘interconnecting’, but they are not connecting in the same way most hotel rooms are (via a door between the rooms).
They are actually at the end of the hallway on each floor and have a third door that sections off your part of the hallway from the rest of the floor so you have two bedroom doors that you you can leave open as the third door is closed and needs your keys to unlock.
I did a Facebook live here so you can see what I mean and see the gorgeous rooms and amenities! We had room 413 and 414.
Families Tip: The doors to the bathroom are see-through. You can see the kids on the toilet and they can see you… just so you know! 😉
Facilities at Hotel X
Just like the rooms, the facilities are lush! The kids loved the pool (although on our visit, in June, it was a bit too cold to swim – the pool is not heated!). The adults loved the restaurants and bars….
Iris rooftop bar and restaurant
A Mediterranean Rooftop in the clouds, inspired by the coast from Beirut to Barcelona. Here you can sit back and relax while taking in the sights of the stunning Brisbane City Skyline, Fortitude Valley, New Farm and beyond. We grabbed a cocktail and took it out to sit in the warm winter sunshine at the rooftop pool!
Hotel X rooftop pool
We certainly made the most of the beautiful blue skies and sunshine and soaked up the Vitamin D – and panoramic city views! The kids were busting to take a dip, but it was a bit too cool this time. We did love the sun lounges and the views though!
Bisou Bisou French Restaurant
We enjoyed breakfast in the morning at the Bisou Bisou (it means kiss kiss). There is a huge range of options from sweet to savory and we enjoyed the ‘make it your own’ section of the menu where you could order eggs any way you liked with any number of inclusions! (I had huge mushrooms with my eggs one morning and and spinach the other!). Miss 10 had to have the French toast with strawberries.
The menu is curated by Head Chef Anthony Donaldson, and the restaurants is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Family island staycation packages
Hotel X offers two options for families to enjoy the delights of Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island. You can create memories that will last forever with this amazing day trip across the bay! We took option two but you can check out both packages here.
Here is what our Saturday looked like.
Option Two: Ultimate Island Adventure
Inclusions:
- Interconnecting Rooms at Hotel X
- Breakfast at Bisou Bisou
- Car transfer from hotel to Wharf in Hotel X car
- Return scenic catamaran cruise across Moreton Bay Marine Park, from Brisbane to Tangalooma
- Day pass access to the resort – 1 x tea, coffee, or soft-drink per guest on morning boat transfer
- Boat ride from Tangalooma beachfront out to the Tangalooma Wrecks
- Guided Snorkel Tour through the Tangalooma Wrecks
- Snorkel Equipment: Wetsuits, Fins, Mask, Snorkel, Life Jacket (if required), Pool noodles (for flotation), and prescription masks
- Lunch* ($20 Adult / $15 Child food voucher valid at any open food outlet.) Resort access pass allowing use of resort facilities including two swimming pools, restaurants and bars (as time permits)
Because we booked this in March but didn’t travel until June, it was a bit colder than we anticipated so we swapped the guided snorkel tour through the wrecks for a glass bottom boat tour where we got to see (many) sea turtles and feed the fish! Because the fish get fed here every day, there were SO MANY waiting for the boat and there were so eager to eat the pellets we offered them. The kids loved it!
The tour was with Tanga Tours on Moreton Island and I highly recommend this. We are thinking we need to go back and snorkel through the wrecks though… it looked like so much fun! (Braver souls than us were out there snorkeling while we cruised past on the boat!)
The day trip included lunch and the kids enjoyed playing pool in the resorts common room where the restaurant was.
After lunch we added another activity to our day…
ATV quad bike group ride
How cool does this look!!?
The kids and Steve went out for a ride on the all terrain vehicles. Our kids are aged 10, 12 & 14. The minimum age to ride on a single ATV is 10 years old. From ages 6 and up, you can ride in tandem (ie the little one can ride behind an adult as a passenger!) The group ride takes you across the beach and up through the dedicated ATV tracks on the island. It takes around 45 minutes and the kids LOVED IT!
What else is there to do at Tangalooma?
Soooo much!! There are a bunch of free activities:
- pelican feeding and sea bird talk
- island explorer tour
- bush tucker eco walk
- dolphins video
- kookaburra feeding
- bush walking
- swimming (beach and pool)
- live music
The range of paid activities are huge too. There are activities both on and off the water and a full whats on guide will be given to you before you board the boat to go across to the island so you can plan your day.
For all the current information about the activities on the island see here. To read about another time we tested our Tangalooma day trips, click here.
Families Tip: Take the early boat over the the island!! There is so much to do there that you will want to squeeze in as much as possible.
What else do I need to know?
This hotel is lush! And they have thought of families too!
They offer a nanny service through a company called Coastal Babysitters who come to your room to entertain and care for the kids if the adults need to go out without the kids. We didn’t use this service, so I cant comment on it, but it is available if you need it!
Sounds amazing – how do I book?
Book your family island staycation with Hotel X! Take advantage of their all-inclusive package including breakfast, Hotel X private transfers, Tangalooma day packages and more! Book now here.
Disclaimer: Hotel X hosted our stay over the weekend and arranged our day trip to Tangalooma. The information above, as always, is an honest evaluation of our stay and reflects our individual experience.
This article was featured in Issue 47 of our printed magazine, published August 2021.
