Sensory experience on Hamilton Island

THIS Whitsunday island will seduce you with the ultimate in indulgences, writes Angela Saurine

qualia view

ARRIVING at the luxurious qualia resort on Hamilton Island via helicopter is one of those life moments you know you won't forget in a hurry.

After a morning flightseeing tour to the Great Barrier Reef, our pilot Scotty offers to drop us straight off at our accommodation instead of returning to the base.

It's just the way things are done in these parts.

We touch down on a grassy helipad at the side of the retreat, where we are picked up by a golf buggy and driven to the Long Pavilion.

There, we are handed a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne to sip as we check in.

Sitting on a lounge overlooking a long, thin infinity-edge pool and the Whitsunday islands beyond, it doesn't take long to relax.

In Latin, qualia means "a collection of deeper sensory experiences".

The resort is made up of 60 architect-designed pavilions nestled in with the environment.

The main entrance to the exclusive resort is through Jurassic Park-like doors that give a fortress impression.

Surrounded by gum trees and palms, I feel a little as if I am in a treehouse in my pavilion, which is built of timber and stone.

It has shiny floorboards and full-length louvre windows looking out to a small, deserted beach on Whitsunday Island opposite.

Glass bi-fold doors open on to a timber deck with a small infinity plunge pool, day lounge and two sun lounges.

The bedroom is divided from the lounge room, where a flat-screen TV sits on a pole, by frosted-glass sliding doors with a timber trim.

The double bed faces the window, so the view is the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning.

The bathroom, which is nearly as big as the bedroom, has a freestanding bath beside the window and separate vanities on each wall.

Qualia is the kind of place you could happily spend a few days lounging around in long, summery dresses, and it would feel much longer.

It's not a cheap holiday, but it is the type of place you might splash out on for a special occasion, such as a honeymoon, 50th birthday or anniversary - or to treat yourself and regroup after a break-up or divorce.

Activities on offer include yoga, jet-ski tours, sunset cruises and talk and taste classes on topics such as wine and cheese, sake and sashimi or champagne and oysters.

Our one-hour helicopter flight took us to Hardy Reef, which is home to the famous heart-shaped reef about 30 nautical miles northeast of the island.

It is a great way to get a perspective on the Whitsundays, which consist of 74 tropical islands off Queensland.

We fly over shallow turquoise water and coves dotted with white sailboats and misty islands covered with thick vegetation, many of which are national parks.

Some are large while some look only a few metres in length.

I'd first seen the heart reef in the photo exhibition Earth From the Air in London several years earlier. As we approach, we see a long, white line against the deep blue ocean where waves are crashing at the start of the reef.

The heart looks smaller than it seems in photos, but it is extraordinary that a reef has been formed in the shape of a heart and it fills me with wonder.

On the way back, we fly over Hell Inlet, where a boat has been stuck for two months after the tide went out, and the long stretch of white sand that is Whitehaven Beach, which is often voted the best in Australia.

Almost halfway between Brisbane and Cairns, Hamilton Island is owned by the Oatley family, best known for the wine Wild Oats and the boat of the same name that competes in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race each year. Wild Oats wine and the newer Robert Oatley Signature Series are served at restaurants throughout the island.

The island is an interesting mix, served by budget airlines and dotted with multimillion-dollar architect-designed homes on leasehold land.

Golf buggies are the preferred mode of transport on the island, and you see them zipping around everywhere you go.

We decide to go exploring and head to One Tree Hill lookout, which has views over the lush green surrounding islands. There is a tiny island in the distance and a few larger ones which are shrouded by morning mist that blows off to reveal a bright blue sky.

But for really impressive views of the Whitsundays, catch a ferry to Hamilton Island golf course on neighbouring Dent Island.

From the 13th hole, which is the highest point at 130m above sea level, you have 360-degree views of the surrounding islands as well as Airlie Beach on the mainland.

You can see Long Island, Whitsunday Island, Hamilton Island and Pentecost Island, which was named by Captain Cook.

Designed by Australian golfer and five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson, the 6km course takes up about 40 per cent of the island.

While I enjoy checking out the views, I am not much of a golfer and instead opt for a spa treatment back on Hamilton Island at the Wumurdaylin spa.

The spa offers several indigenous spa rituals such as the LI'TYA Susu Dew, which means "sea spray", a rhythmic body massage inspired by traditional Aboriginal techniques.

You can also indulge in body wrap cocoon treatments, such as the fruit monsoon body wrap which includes a combination of guava, peach and raspberry in a clay cocoon.

I choose the most tropical treatment on offer. My body is covered in a gooey sandy mixture to exfoliate and about 10 towels are used to wrap me up. It feels extremely snug and somewhat comforting.

Jenelle puts a treatment through my hair and gently massages my head and I feel myself letting out long, slow sighs. Afterwards I wash off in the rain shower before returning to my room.

Not everyone who goes to Hamilton Island can afford to stay at qualia, but there are plenty of other options.

There are three main hotels on the islands, as well as 90 holiday homes and apartments.

The Reef View Hotel is one of only two high rises on the island and is a bit of a blight on the horizon.

But it's designed with all rooms facing the ocean and the views from the 19-storey hotel are hard to beat.

Opened in 1990, the Reef View has a large waterfall in the lobby and boasts the tallest high-speed external observation lifts in Australia, which are also cyclone-resistant.

Across the road, The Beach Club Hotel is a stylish resort on the main beach with marine decor.

Its restaurant overlooks an infinity-edge pool, where you can sit and watch people do laps at breakfast.

But, aside from qualia, my pick would be the Palm Bungalows. There are 49 bungalows, many of which are recently refurbished. Surrounded by palm trees and close to the main pool, the tranquil bungalows are a good option for couples or families.

They have a slick design with full-length sliding doors that open on to a small balcony with a hammock.

The writer was a guest of Virgin Australia and Hamilton Island Resort.

Go2 - HAMILTON ISLAND

Getting there: Virgin Australia flies to Hamilton Island. The airline introduced business class this year, so the luxury experience can begin before you even arrive. See virginaustralia.com

Staying there: Leeward pavilions at qualia, which are oriented to the southwest with views over Dent Passage, cost from $975 a night in low season and $1175 a night in high season.

Windward pavilions, which have private infinity plunge pools and views of Whitsunday Island and the Coral Sea, cost $1525 in low season and $1825 in high season. Prices include breakfast daily, all non-alcoholic beverages, use of a golf buggy, transfers around the island, use of non-motorised watercraft and a sunset cruise on the cruiser Atomic. Ph 9433 3333 or see qualia.com.au

When to go: April to August has the best weather, with temperatures usually around 24C to 26C. The wet season runs from December to March.

More: hamiltonisland.com.au
 

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