Bryon Bay. - By Francesca Webster

A glimpse at Raes on Wategos.

TRAVEL GUIDE

Bryon Bay.
- By Francesca Webster
- Francesca Webster shares her simple pleasures of Byron Bay and chats to MC about life as the General Manager at one of Australia’s finest luxury hotels – Raes on Wategos.

— Your typical workday.

I start my day at 6.30am with either pilates at Hustl or the Lighthouse walk followed by a swim. My morning coffee is at the Roadhouse and by coffee I mean ginger & turmeric shot followed by a Dirty Mushroom Latte which is unashamedly very Byron Bay.  At 8.30am I catch up with Laure, our Guest Experience Manager and my right-hand woman to find out any pertinent information about the guests in house. I check-in on guests during breakfast and introduce myself to those I haven’t met then write all welcome cards for new guests arriving that day.  At 10am I communicate the movements of our guests with housekeeping followed by a debrief with our Head Chef, Guest Experience Manager and Restaurant Manager. We go through sales forecasts, labour costs, maintenance requirements, upcoming events and any special guests or restaurant bookings to note. All guest feedback we receive is discussed thoroughly whether positive or negative.  At around 11am I speak with Jordy our Managing Director about long term projects and we have lots of exciting projects for Raes on the horizon, beyond Wategos Beach, that we are excited to announce in the coming months.  Following this at about 11.45am we have a pre-lunch service briefing within Raes Dining Room front of house staff and by 2pm I would have inspected the guest rooms ready for the new arrivals. At around 5pm we are having our pre-dinner service briefing with staff and my workday soon ends.

Francesca Webster. (@francescajw)

— Your favourite thing about living in Byron Bay?

That within a 15-minute drive you can be on the shores of crystal clear coastline, or up to the expansive hinterland. Also, it’s an incredibly supportive community for those newly moving here or taking a chance with a lifestyle change / business venture.

Raes Day Spa.

— Your Byron Bay go-to spots.

Food and Drink – Folk for brunch, Combi for smoothies, Roadhouse for coffee. For Cocktails go to Raes Cellar Bar and any celebratory dinner at Raes Dinning of course. For a more low-key dinner go to the Roady, that is always our go-to. 

Secluded and discrete swimming - Whites Beach. 

Self-care and relaxation - Raes Spa is the best for result based facials and full-body relaxation so it is my easy go-to for when I’m in need of TLC. Hustl is the best pilates studio in town that I frequent 4 – 5 times a week. It rotates between core bases strength training, and cardio cross-training. Also Nimbus & Co. for a weekly sweat. 

Shopping - Byron Bay needs a My Chameleon standalone desperately. For homewares Tigmi Trading, Bisque Traders & Newrybar Merchants are the best spots.

If passing through – The lighthouse walk starting at Clarkes Beach, along the boardwalk above The Pass, down through Wategos, past the lighthouse and back through the Tallows track / trail. At sunrise it is even better.