The island resort perfect for a socially-distant holiday

This Whitsunday island has been inundated with locals wanting to take advantage of great deals in their own backyard

ANOTHER Whitsunday island is gearing up to bring travellers back to the region and are encouraging locals to enjoy their own backyard, with a deal so good there will be no excuse.

Palm Bay Resort on Long Island announced early this week that they would reopen their doors to tourists from June 26.

Opening before some of the large resort island players, such as Daydream Island, Palm Bay Resort general manager Caroline Murray said it felt amazing to invite people back.

"We've been waiting and waiting for this day to come around," she said.

"There's a lot of staff retraining to do and we were a little apprehensive at first as there is so much legislation in place but we're very excited to have people back.

"I've been inundated since the announcement and just yesterday received 38 bookings."

ESCAPE: Jeremy Drake, Airlie Beach - Palm Bay Resort, Long Island Reef. Picture: Tourism Whitsundays

Ms Murray said the Australian-owned resort, which underwent more than $750,000 in upgrades since Cyclone Debbie, was a perfect place to take a socially-distant holiday.

She said the island was ideal for vacationers who may be anxious about the potentially larger crowd numbers at other Whitsunday locations.

The resort has a maximum occupancy of 60 people at a time when fully-booked and is self-catered so "you'll never have to see another person, if you don't want to".

The team from PALM Bay Resort, which scooped gold in the Standard Accommodation category, in the 2019 Whitsunday Tourism Awards.

"We have tonnes of spaces where you can social isolate without having to come across anyone - there's private bungalows, a sundeck, pavilion, sunset bar, bushwalks, kayaks - you can do heaps without being crammed in with anyone else," she said.

"We're self catered so people bring their own food or it comes from the mainland, but we can do things like wood-fired pizzas if they want so they can really relax."

ESCAPE: Jeremy Drake, Airlie Beach - Palm Bay Resort, Long Island Reef. Picture: Tourism Whitsundays

Ms Murray said the resort was offering a 50% discount on all room types for travel between June 26 and July 31, with many local Whitsunday residents taking advantage of the discount.

"People want to get out, they want to see something different and the deal has really perked their ears," she said.

"We don't have the marketing budget that the big islands do, so we rely heavily on word of mouth and we will treat our locals with the best service out so they tell their friends to come back to us.

"You can eat what you want, do what you want and just relax for a while - all while you support an Australian-owned business and the Whitsunday economy at the same time."

Bookings can be made by phoning 1300 655 126.

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