Time travelling on Lizard Island

AT Lizard Island Resort, out of mobile phone reach, there is little to distract you from the 24 white beaches and the fringing Great Barrier Reef.

The Pavilion is the resort's top suite and has its own plunge ...

THERE are no wet-edge pools here on Lizard Island (well, there's a small one attached to a private suite, but that's another story), no overwater bungalows, no bathtubs with a view and no cinema-sized flat screen televisions. That's not to say Lizard Island isn't a luxury resort; it's just that it isn't like every other island retreat around the world.

Attracting the world's big-spending holidaymakers is a competitive business, and it leads to a somewhat understandable sameness in five-star resort design, in the same way as a cookie-cutter approach rules in hotel design in general. Admittedly, it's a sameness that is very luxurious, extremely comfortable and, therefore, friendly and welcoming. But the fact that Lizard Island resort hasn't been designed within an inch of its life is key to its charm.

Since the resort opened in 1975, it has attracted well-heeled visitors from around the world primarily because of its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. At 240km north of Cairns, Lizard Island is the northernmost island resort in Queensland. The island is a protected National Park (Lizard Island Resort is the only accommodation on the island apart from a research station operated by the Australian Museum and a campsite) and together with its smaller nearby neighbours - Palfrey, South (Newt) and Seabird islands - forms a 10m-deep fringing reef. That means there is plenty of excellent snorkelling right at your doorstep, which is undoubtedly what attracts visitors to this resort over many others near the Great Barrier Reef.

Formerly owned by Voyages Hotels & Resorts, the resort was acquired in 2009 by Delaware North, a food and hospitality company based in Buffalo, New York. (Delaware North also operates the reef's Wilson and Heron islands as well as El Questro Wilderness Park in the Kimberley in Western Australia.) After acquiring the resort, Delaware North set about finding a new general manager and it looked no further than the person who probably knows the ins and outs of this island better than anyone. Robyn Pontynen first worked at Lizard Island when it was owned by Qantas and left in 2002 to run Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains of NSW. During Pontynen's previous time here the island was acquired from Qantas by P&O Australian Resorts and in 2000 underwent a $15 million refurbishment before being sold to Voyages.

Under its new ownership, the resort will undergo some enhancements in the new year under the direction of Pontynen, who is acutely aware of the unique holiday experience Lizard offers its guests. The jury, she says, is still out on whether or not televisions will be installed in the resort's guestrooms - her personal preference is not to have them - but WiFi will be available to hotel guests in their rooms (currently it can be accessed only in the business lounge). The master plan for Lizard Island will reduce the number of rooms on offer. Currently the resort has 40 guestrooms in four distinct types and in keeping with the desire for larger spaces, especially for families, rooms are being combined to better cater to guests' needs.

"We are going to combine four of the Sunset Point rooms to make one larger room, just because I think people are now looking for something larger and are increasingly asking for interconnected rooms so they can have a family holiday, so we will satisfy that need with some two-bedroom villas," says Pontynen.

The resort's top suite, The Pavilion, will be combined with another nearby villa to make a larger suite with a separate lounge area. At present The Pavilion is the only room with its own plunge pool and the enhancements next year will add plunge pools to the Sunset Point villas as well.

In addition to the accommodation changes, the spa will be enlarged and an executive meeting room will be built that will also function as a yoga studio as well as a space for indoor activities such as lectures and screenings by the resort's naturalist. Also on the cards is a new and bigger pool, although with pure white sand and warm, crystal clear water at your doorstep it's hard to see why anyone would want to swim in a pool in a place like this.

"Even when we're at capacity it's easy to find a secluded spot of sand," says Pontynen. Lizard Island has 24 white sand beaches that can be accessed either on foot or by dinghy. "We can do drop-offs at a private beach and pick you up in a couple of hours or whatever you want. Or if you want to handle a dinghy on your own, you can motor to one at your leisure."

According to Pontynen, most guests come to Lizard Island primarily to see the Great Barrier Reef. "They choose to come here because they want to do it in style and it's at the best part of the reef too," she says. "We get everyone from holiday divers to fanatics. You can snorkel straight off the beach - you don't have to go out on the boats, although most people do."

As well as its proximity to the reef, Lizard Island is well known as a spot to see minke whales for about four to five weeks in June and July on their annual migration north. Then there's the Cod Hole, one of the best-known dive sites in the world, which is only 60 minutes away by boat. Or you might choose to go game fishing. From September to December is black marlin season and some huge fish are caught here each year; for the past 10 years the island has had a catch-and-release policy. Or there are helicopter tours or bushwalking or any number of water sports to enjoy. Or you could just do nothing.

Staying in an Anchor Bay suite a few metres from the water's edge is like staying in a well-appointed and very comfortable beach shack. A walk from your veranda to the powdery white sand beach takes about 20 seconds. Repeat guests and word-of-mouth recommendations are the lifeblood of resorts such as Lizard; Pontynen estimates that 20 per cent of guests are repeat visitors.

Every hotel has stories of its repeat customers but there was one story Pontynen told that WISH could relate to. Despite the abundance of water-based activities on offer, the resort has a guest from Britain who visits every year with his wife for between 10 days and two weeks. As luggage is somewhat restricted by the light plane you need to catch from Cairns (see below) this guest sends a box of books to the island in advance. "He has his favourite room, he charters the game boat for two days and that's about all," says Pontynen. "He's a guest who doesn't want too much; he's just here to chill. He reads lots of books, he has a daily swim and that's about it. I find that people often arrive here looking totally stressed and after a few days they actually look different. They relax, get back into their own bodies and catch up with their true selves."

WISH travelled to Lizard Island with the assistance of Virgin Australia, which operates more than 70 return direct services a week to Cairns from Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Townsville. From Cairns, Lizard Island can be reached by a one-hour flight with Hinterland Aviation.

More: lizardisland.com.au; virginaustralia.com.au