Located in Horseshoe Bay, this holiday home is by the sea. Maritime Museum of Townsville and Perc Tucker Regional Gallery are cultural highlights, and some of the area's landmarks include National Trust Heritage Centre and Jezzine Barracks. Bungalow Bay Koala Village and ReefHQ are also worth visiting.
Magnetic Island National Park - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
Horseshoe Bay Lagoon Conservation Park - 11 min walk - 1.0 km
Horseshoe Bay Beach - 16 min walk - 1.4 km
Magnetic Island National Park - 16 min walk - 1.4 km
Horseshoe Bay Markets - 2 min drive - 2.6 km
Getting around
Townsville Station - 60 min drive
Townsville, QLD (TSV) - 71 min drive
Restaurants
Granite - 6 min drive
Sandi's on Magnetic Island - 14 min walk
Marlin Bar Tavern - 15 min walk
Ric's Woodfire Pizza - 7 min drive
Noodies On The Beach - 17 min walk
Frequently asked questions
Is The Ponderosa Holiday House pet-friendly?
Yes, pets are allowed at this property.
How much does it cost to stay at The Ponderosa Holiday House?
As of 26 Oct 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The Ponderosa Holiday House on 26 Jan 2027 start from £487, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at The Ponderosa Holiday House?
On-site parking is available at the property.
What time is check-in at The Ponderosa Holiday House?
Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.
What time is check-out at The Ponderosa Holiday House?
Checkout is at 10:00 AM.
Where is The Ponderosa Holiday House located?
Situated by the sea, this holiday home is within a 10-minute walk of Magnetic Island National Park, Bungalow Bay Koala Village and Horseshoe Bay Lagoon Conservation Park. Horseshoe Bay Beach and Magnetic Island National Park are also within 15 minutes.
Reviews
9.2
Wonderful
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Excellent for our requirements. Perfect for our 4 legged family members.
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 2 Oct 2024
Hi Rachael, we hope you enjoyed your stay on our beautiful Island. If you wish to return to Magnetic Island in the future, please contact us direct to "Book & Save". Kind regards Tracey
House was nice and clean,
The pool was great, a hit with the teenagers.
The only downside to our trip was the rain but that cant be helped. Was still a lovely getaway.
Will definitely book again in the future
Property clean and comfortable. Good size rooms.This is not a criticism but advice to future travellers. I am 78 and I was unable to get into the pool as there are no rails to assist. The family reported it was really nice. If you have a car larger than an xtrail it will be difficult as the driveway is quite narrow. The ac in the main bedroom does not work properly and takes forever to cool the room. Also be aware that the shower ( great pressure by the way) is over the spar bath, quite an exercise getting in and out. There is a hand rail to assist for which I was grateful . We were happy with the house and will consider having another holiday there next year.
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 26 Feb 2026
Thank you for your review Kaye,
A wonderful new bathroom will be installed in May 2026 with a walk-in shower.
We have been staying at Ponderosa for many years. The house is very pleasant and roomy for our family of five. Our dog comes along with us. The yard is a good size for him to explore. The house is well looked after and always very clean upon arrival. Cindy has always been fantastic to deal with and very helpful. Thank you once again.
Great house for a family with a dog looking for a beach getaway.
Tiled, easy to keep clean and good services with everything stated in the advertisment working well.
Yard is fenced and it is ideal for dogs.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2022
Verified review
4/10 Poor
Chloe W.
6 Dec 2021
Liked: Communication, location
Disliked: Cleanliness, check-in
Dirty pool, aircon broken, and one roll of toilet paper
Very disappointed that the pool was dirty, was full of dirt and the water had white floated throughout, was clearly not cleaned. Had one roll of toilet paper and ran out first 12 hours at night without a shop close by, the aircon in one room was broken which made sleeping very hard, there was an ant nest in the bathroom, and the property managers sent us to the incorrect address and we knocked at a private residence house.
Overall, not impressed and would like partial refund for not being able to use the pool.
Our family of 5 (plus dog) have stayed in this house a couple of times. It is a very pleasant house with plenty of room for our 3 boys and a great yard for our dog. Cindy is the most helpful Property Manager and it is a pleasure to deal with Cindy. We will definitely return.
The Ponderosa is a relaxed easy care house to stay in. Being pet friendly is fantastic, with a secure fence. The house is walking distance from the beach, and the skate park. No dishwasher does make it a little extra work for families, and a better shower and new mattresses would be great. However, as always, we appreciate being able to take our dogs, and to have a pool to swim in for the kids.
The house is in a beautiful location, short walk to Horseshoe Bay! We loved pool and fantastic out door furniture. Would definitely book this house again
Nice simple stay easy walking distance from horse shoe bay, koala village horse range(next door) and even fort walks.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Verified review
6/10 Okay
Jeremy C.
30 Jan 2019
Great location and all the facilities you need for an enjoyable stay. Just a few “rough edges”.
First trip to Magnetic Island and loved it. What a fantastic location and so happy to be able to take our dogs on holiday with us.
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2019
Verified review
8/10 Good
Andrew B.
20 Aug 2018
Great
Pet friendly
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018
Verified review
10/10 Excellent
Jan F.
16 Aug 2018
Great pet-friendly property within walking distance of everything
Aside from a few minor issues addressed promptly and enthusiastically by the property managers our stay was faultless and enjoyable. Had a great time with the pooch and would not hesitate to recommend this property for a fun and easy holiday.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2018
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Jess U.
13 Dec 2016
Love this house!
This is our second time staying at the Ponderosa, for a good reason. The location is stunning in Horseshoe Bay, not too close that you can hear all the backpackers but close enough to walk to the beach.
The house itself has everything you need for a getaway - decent kitchen (although a better stove/pans would be great!), laundry facilities, spacious bedrooms, a verandah to watch the sunrise and a clean pool area. The best part for us - they accept dogs! The yard is fully enclosed so we could take him with us with a decent amount of space for him to play, can't get much better than that for canine lovers.