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Plantation Resort ... all of the apartments' living areas lead on to spacious balconies overlooking the sea.

Rainbow Beach ... looking towards Double Island Point.

The Plantation Resort's pool ... right in the heart of the comlex.

Rainbow Beach Hotel ... flows seamlessly from the resort.

Waterview Bistro at Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort ... glorious views sap the breath.

POSTED: 06 JULY 2009

Rainbow Beach ... Ann Rickard takes a short drive north of her base in Noosa and finds plenty of changes.

There’s been quite a renaissance at Rainbow Beach, and if it has been a while since you last visited, be prepared for a pleasant shock.

This relaxed small town has developed an enchanting Raffles-style look, with not one but two new gorgeous, all-white colonial-Queenslander buildings.

The Plantation Resort, right on the beachfront, is glamour enough for such a small town, but the new Rainbow Beach Hotel, incorporated into the resort, has brought a new sense of allure to the town, and no doubt along with it ... the smart set.

The main street still has its small bakery, modest cafes, information centre and appealing gift shops, and the beloved caravan park is still there, but if ever a town has had new life given to it, it is Rainbow Beach.

And it is a trio of Noosa guys who are responsible for this revival — Alastair Bayles, Lyndon Simmons and his brother Mark Simmons.

The three obviously believe passionately in the future of Rainbow Beach and, coming from rural backgrounds, have recognised the importance of environmental and conservation issues in these two new buildings.

The Plantation Resort and the Rainbow Beach Hotel — which would look perfectly at home in sophisticated Palm Cove or tropical Port Douglas — fit in perfectly at Rainbow Beach.

There is a feeling of quiet luxury about the white beachfront resort sitting so grandly amid tropical landscaped gardens. Facing the glorious north beach, The Plantation features fully self-contained two-and-three-bedroom apartments with large sitting rooms overlooked by fully equipped kitchens.

We had a three-bedroom apartment on the top floor — plenty of room for the six of us — with its own private rooftop area and barbecue. All the apartments have spacious balconies overlooking the sea ... perfect for watching the paragliders come in to land ... so even though your own rooftop adds a certain sense of extravagance, it is not necessary.

The large pool area and heated spa are set in lush landscaped gardens with plenty of sun-lounges to ensure you’ll never have to fight for one.

Sexy new boutiques are part of the resort and give it a slight multi-national atmosphere.

The ice-cream parlour in the complex — such an important asset for any seaside town — offers traditional Italian gelato made daily on site.

The Rainbow Beach Hotel flows seamlessly from the resort, and those devotees of Lyndon Simmons’ Sails Restaurant here in Noosa will love what he has done with this pub ... and money has obviously not been a concern.

Lofty spaces, a strikingly patterned ceiling, a large open fireplace and an imposing bar featuring stunning Italian marble all speak of a classy yet laidback, beachy style.

Lyndon Simmons’ passion for wine (he’s won many awards for it at Sails) will no doubt expand many a local wine palate through his glass, temperature-controlled wine room.

An entire wall in the hotel has been dedicated to a picture gallery of 100 or more of some of the 4WD wrecks on the beach. For anyone who has ever driven on the beach, it’s fascinating. For those who haven’t, it’s a photographic warning.

Out on the inviting long Raffles-style veranda running the length of the hotel we enjoyed late morning gin and tonics, and cursed our rooftop gluttony at breakfast ... which meant we were unable to indulge in some of the steaks the hotel is set to become famous for. Chef Justin Brekalo, formerly of Sails, sources his meat from local family farmers renowned for their grain-fed beef.

Other Noosa developers to believe in Rainbow Beach are Matt and Judy Collins (formerly of Cafe Jasper. and much loved by so many Noosans). They developed Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort high on the hill, home to the award-winning Waterview Bistro and kept it all coastal with lime-washed timber floors and chocolate and aqua decor

Up there, where the glorious views sap the breath, we enjoyed lychee cosmopolitans followed by a sumptuous dinner of freshly shucked oysters, prosciutto-wrapped bugs, crumbed reef fillets, and roasted free-range chicken.

Rainbow Beach might have been all about camping and fish and chips on the seashore, but now it seems gourmet wine dinners and celebrity chefs might be more on the agenda.

A patrolled beach is just a 50-metre stroll away, Inskip Point just an easy drive away, the dolphins at Tin Can Bay just down the road ... then there are the coloured sands, the bushwalking, the water sports, and, of course, Fraser Island just a ferry ride across the water.

Rainbow Beach is an easy two-hour drive north of Noosa — we even made it back in an hour and a half on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

It is all looking very swish at Rainbow Beach these days.