Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bar; outdoor pool; Jacuzzi; watersports; tour desk; massage; coin-op laundry; dry cleaning/laundry service.
Inroom: Ceiling fan, fridge, coffeemaker, no phone.
Whitsunday Wilderness Lodge
This resort was designed to show off
the Whitsundays' natural beauty. Tucked in a cove under towering hoop pines
and palms, it is an environmentally sensitive lodge on a national-park island for
people who want to explore the wilderness in basic comfort, but without the
crowds, noisy watersports, or artificial atmosphere of a resort. It's also a great
place to meet other travelers. A maximum 16 guests stay in simple but smart
cabins facing the sea, each with a double and single bed, modern bathrooms,
and a private deck facing the sea. Solar power rules, so there is no air-condi-
tioning, TV, hair dryer, iron, or other appliances. There is one public phone.
Social life centers on an open-sided gazebo by the beach, equipped with a natu-
ral-history library and CDs, where everyone dines together at slab tables under
the Milky Way on fabulous buffet-style campfire meals. Access is only by a short
but stunning helicopter flight from Hamilton Island.
Daily excursions include sailing away on the lodge's gleaming 10.2m (33-ft.)
catamaran, a seaplane flight to the Outer Reef and Whitehaven Beach, sea
kayaking the mangroves to spot giant green sea turtles (which are common
around the lodge), snorkeling the fringing reef on uninhabited islands, or bush-
walking to a magical milkwood grove no one else knows about. Or you may pre-
fer to just laze in the hammocks, or head off with a free sea kayak and snorkel
gear. The beach is more tidal flat than sand, but clean and firm enough to sun-
bathe on. Wildlife abounds, including Myrtle, the lodge's pet kangaroo. Those
who stay on this 1,215-hectare (3,001-acre) island consider it a plus that no fer-
ries or cruise boats call and that the lodge is inaccessible to day-trippers.
Paradise Bay, Long Island (16km/10 miles SE of Shute Harbour), Whitsunday Islands (P.O. Box 842, Airlie
Beach, QLD 4802)
&
07/4946 9777.
Fax 07/4946 9777. www.southlongisland.com. 10 units (all with
shower only). A$5,980 (US$3,887) double for 5 nights (minimum stay). A$800 (US$520) double extra nights.
Rates include all meals, helicopter transfers from Hamilton Island Airport, daily excursions, and equipment.
Rates decrease with longer stays. On “Beachcomber Weeks,” held several times a year, there's a 50% dis-
count on 6-night rates—in exchange for helping clean up the island's shores for an hour a day. MC, V. No
children under 15. In room: No phone.
EXPENSIVE
Daydream Island Resort
After a A$40 million (US$26 million)
refurbishment, one of the Whitsunday's oldest resorts has emerged as one of
Australia's most extensive and modern spa resorts. The 16 therapy rooms at the
Rejuvenation Spa have some of the most sophisticated equipment in the coun-
try and since reopening in September 2001 the resort has found a new clientele
while retaining many of the features—such as the outdoor cinema and kids'
club—which have always made it popular with families. The state-of-the-art
Daydream Rejuvenation Spa has an in-house naturopath and a range of com-
puterized health analyses using equipment and tests usually only found in clin-
ics in Europe and the United States, such as iridology and measurement of
vitamin and mineral imbalances and antioxidant levels. The “village” at the
southern end of the island, a short stroll along the boardwalk from the resort,
has shops, cafes, a pool and bar, water activities center, and a tavern serving
bistro-style meals. A rainforest walk stretches almost the entire length of the
kilometer-long island, and other activities include snorkeling, sailboarding, jet-
skiing, parasailing, coral viewing, reef fishing, diving and dive school, tennis,
volleyball, badminton and croquet, and mini golf. The resort's makeover
Kids
