Search hotels on Lord Howe Island, Australia

I loved Lord Howe Island. It is the perfect place to escape the city, reconnect with nature and have some great adventures. Balls Pyramid was spectacular, the snorkelling was in pristine waters and the turtles were huge. I loved the amazing number and variety of birds. I would score LHI as 10 out of 10!

Activities on Lord Howe include cycling (transport), bushwalking, snorkelling, fishing, diving and eating. Most of these are weather dependent, with wind almost always present. For an island dependent on tourism the locals are ambivalent at best to tourists. Reef N Beyond (Galapagos shark encounter) were an engaging tour operator, who provided an informative and fun tour. Lord Howe Environment Tours (Mount Gower; Ultimate snorkelling) provided a minimal service (left and returned on time; limited engagement; aim appeared to be to finish the activity with minimal engagement and in the shortest time). All food on the island is expensive…with cost not being equivalent to quality! The brewery provided great beer and pizza. The snorkelling from the beach was easy and good. In summary, an expensive place to visit, with weather dependent activities, little else to do in bad weather and at best an ambivalent local community. A unique island experience but the activities provided could be better experienced (price and operators) else where in the world.

LHI is a tropical wonderland. Coral and fish are amazing. Short or long, easy and difficult walks, hikes are available. LHI is very much into recycling. It is a very clean island. Book dinner only, any night. Book tours and activities if you can before you go. If not, the boatsheds are open, but I suggest booking the moment you arrive on the island. Definitely hire a bike. Good way to get around. The eateries and restaurants are superb and top notch. Be prepared for a mixture of weather (sun, rain and wind). Most things you can hire for water activities. Most places take credit card payments.