When somewhere is as good as The Whitsundays,
then sampling its best is worth making an effort for. As a result, we land on
Hayman Island for a few days.
Hayman
is a 400 room five star resort on a 15km square coral fringed island at the top
of the Central Whitsundays.
Arriving is like 'Fantasy Island', except without the chap with the white
suit and eye-patch, and without the midget shouting 'Boss, ze plane, ze
plane'... In fact its nothing like that really, except the staff do line up on
the pontoon to say hello.
Due to the collapse of the national airline, Ansett, we're amongst a handful
of guests arriving that day and get upgraded to a poolside room. It overlooks a
massive saltwater lake with a central section containing a freshwater pool and
cocktail bar.
White
Cockatoos are regular (and noisy) visitors, especially at breakfast time and
just before sunset when scavenging from the islands guests is at its best.
So, sun shining and cocktails to hand, we dig in for the battle ahead.
Hayman is just right - not too ostentatious but not too understated either.
Its manmade harbour is home to number of sleek liners and numerous sea planes,
its pool complex adjoins a sandy beach and bay that reveals colourful corals at
low tide and its bushwalks take you to spectacular unspoilt vantage points. The
gardens surrounding the rooms and restaurants are delightful - numerous
fountains and cleverly positioned lights give it a permanent tranquil feel.
Taking
a bushwalk around the Island turned out to be excruciating. Not due to the
relentless sun, not due to the rough track underfoot but because due to my
wearing a new pair of deck shoes without socks. Around halfway I'd rubbed my
heels raw and understood fully why Ozzies insist on wearing knee length socks
all the time (though the skimpy shorts and singlets still defy reason). The pain
of walking was unbearable - I could barely hobble and the track was too rough to
go barefoot. Being 'bush aware' I plucked a few large Eucalypt leaves and made a
pair of leaf socks for the return journey (you could say they gave tree-mendous
re-leaf). I'm not sure what the assembled Gucci and Prada brigade thought of my
having leaves poking out of my shoes but I hear that fashion designers in Paris
are falling over themselves for the copyright.
Having
seen The Great Barrier Reef at sea level,
and extensively below, it would have been foolish to pass up the opportunity to
see a piece from the air. We took an hour long flight to nearby Hardys Reef and
a tour of Hayman in a open sided perspex bubble. This is a great way to see
sights inaccessible to boats such as the Heart reef - a lagoon locked in a heart
shaped reef formation. We enjoyed this thoroughly.
Another nice thing about Hayman was their speedboat taxi service which
transports you to nearby islands and sand spits to enable you to enjoy a 
snorkel
or soak up some rays before opening a waterproof canister they provide to call
them on a supplied radio. We visited Longford - a sand spit with corals reaching
the waters surface. Unfortunately we were not alone, and any thoughts of
Robinson Crusoe disappeared when we landed to find the footprints of Man Friday,
Thursday, Wednesday and every other day for the past month up and down the
beach.
For five star luxury on one of the World's top resorts, what would you expect
a four day bill including excessive drinking and gourmet meals to come to?
Under £500... yep, the Australian dollar is 3:1 right now.
So, what are you waiting for? See you there soon!
