When choosing a place to stay in the Whitsundays, there aren’t many choices for budget-friendly accommodation. This tropical paradise is known for its luxury resorts and hotels, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any options for somewhere more affordable.
Families looking to visit Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands may want to choose Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort as their base if they are looking to save some pennies.
Although a cheaper option as a place to stay, it has a lot to offer!
The Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort would have to be one of the best resort holiday parks we stayed at during our Aussie road trip.
It’s so good your kids probably won’t want to leave the grounds, which is not good as Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands have so many amazing things to explore, our favourite being Whitehaven Beach.
If you’re thinking of staying at the Big4, then here is our honest review based on our stay there!
About Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort
Although the Big 4 Adventure Whitsundays Park is located about 6km out of town, it’s an easy drive in, or the public bus stops right outside the door to take you into Airlie Beach.
All the tours that we joined picked us up from there too, which was a bonus, especially since we were without a car during our stay here.
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This caravan park is on a huge block of land, which means way more amenities and facilities for the family to enjoy.
It doesn’t have a simple resort pool, oh no, the Big4 has a MEGA waterslide park for young families to enjoy.
There is also a playground, a Kid’s Club with toddler time for younger travelers and a sensory room, tennis courts, golf courses, private BBQ facilities, a common grassed area, and lots of different accommodation options.
They are always doing updates and upgrades based upon feedback from those who stay here.
Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort is just a 7 minute drive out of Airlie Beach Main Street, a 6 minute drive to Abell Point Marina and Whitsunday Art Gallery.
Why is the Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort Good for Families?
If you’re wondering whether the Big4 is right for you, here are some of the perks we discovered on our visit…
Wii dancing
If you ask me, I’d say the Wii dancing event was the highlight.
We arrived home from dinner to make the last fifteen minutes, which thankfully kept getting extended.
It was meant to be for the kids, luckily a kid still lives in all of us. I couldn’t stop myself from dancing like no one was watching with my two girls.
They gave me gigantic bear hugs after it was finished, I know they loved that I joined them so much. It was so much fun. And now a Wii is on my Santa Claus list.
This is just one of the cool activities the Big4 Airlie Beach has happening every day. We were there during school holidays so the schedule was a little fuller.
Airlie Beach Whitsunday Resort Kids Club
Both Kalyra and Savannah attended a Kids Club session for their age groups. They loved getting time to spend with other kids and do art and craft.
Of course, this gives mummy and daddy some much-needed time out!
Go Kart Hire
Did you know Go Karts are a serious workout?
We hired these pedal karts out a few times. The girls loved the freedom of zipping around the holiday park on their own.
They’d often holler for me to come ride with one of them. But it was hard work!
Big screen movies
Every second evening was movie night on the big screen at the onsite outdoor cinema.
The girls were usually pretty exhausted from our day’s activities so didn’t quite make a movie, but your kids will love watching a flick on the big screen under the stars.
Pancake breakfast by the pool
We loved the Thursday morning free pancake breakfast by the pool at the Whitsunday Resort. Come early with your plate as there will be a line up.
Airlie Beach camping doesn’t get much better!
Big 4 Whitsundays Pool and Slide
The outdoor pool was huge and had a water slide park, which our girls loved.
Even heated the water was still a little too cool for me, but kids don’t care.
The girls dragged us down there almost every day. There’s a small wading area for the little ones.
Jumping pillows
No Big 4 is complete without them, and I really liked how at the Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort had two jumping pillows for different age groups.
Savannah usually gets slammed on these because of the big kids.
Now she had the freedom to enjoy jumping on one that was for her age group only. I’ve not seen age restrictions set up like this before. Big thumbs up.
Airlie Beach Camping Mini golf
Another favourite activity of the girls was the 18-hole mini golf.
They amazed us with our talents, especially little Savannah who hit a couple of hole-in-ones.
They have an organized competition for families on one afternoon. Nothing too serious, just a chance for families to come together and play a round of mini golf.
Own private animal park
There is 3.5 acres of land dedicated to the Big4 animal park, where you can get up close and personal with the park’s very own wildlife.
You can pet the park’s baby calf, sheep, lambs and goats.
Kayaking
We love kayaking and standup paddle boarding, so the ability to rent kayaks and paddle around Airlie Beach was a highlight for us.
Lush landscape
We loved how our Airlie Beach accommodation was surrounded by a lush mini rainforest of palms, it felt like our own tranquil retreat.
Every day we would wake up to the fragrant shrubs filling our noses and the site of lizards sitting on the rock gardens, it was one of the most stunning sites we’ve ever camped in.
You also have your own accessible parking space.
Accommodation at Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort
There are a range of accommodation options at Big4, including self-contained studios up to 3-bedroom cabins.
We stayed in a deluxe studio cabin, which was fabulous, but a little small for what we’d prefer as a family of four for an extended stay.
There are bigger cabins available, and of course plenty of powered camping and caravan sites.
If you choose one of the three bedroom villas, you have your own slice of heaven, which features a full kitchen with a dishwasher, fridge, microwave, oven, two bathrooms, a main bedroom with a queen bed and ensuite with shower, and second bedroom with a king bed and third bedroom with single bunks. Plus it’s backed by a tranquil garden setting.
And of course, we enjoyed an afternoon beer, or two, on the deck.
The whole complex has free wi-fi, including in the rooms.
