Palm Bay Resort, Whitsundays, Australia

A trip to the idyllic Whitsundays usually consists of sailing around the beautiful islands or a stay on Hamilton island. The first sounds dreamy, unless you suffer with seasickness or don’t fancy sleeping on a boat. The second is glamorous but expensive and often crowded. Palm Bay Resort, the only property on this quaint little island, offers a happy medium allowing you to relish in views of Tropical North Queensland's icing sugar-white sand and turquoise warm waters.

Luxury cabins overlook the calm ocean and your private deck is the perfect place to cook up bacon and eggs on the barbie for breakfast or take an afternoon nap in your very own hammock. The rooms are spacious and feature a living area and a small kitchenette and guests are encouraged to bring food and refreshments from the mainland as resources on the island are so scarce. It’s a self-catering dream in paradise and significantly better value than all other Whitsundays options too.

Cook your own brekky on the BBQ

There’s a large swimming pool for guests to share, a spa shed with luxurious massages by appointment and plenty of walking routes mapped out across the island. Along the way you’ll discover small beaches and coves, lush rainforest and maybe even a rock wallaby or two! If you want to explore the azure waters further then you can hire a kayak or paddle board and head out into the bay. 

Morning visitors

If you don't fancy cooking for yourself, the on-sight restaurant offers simple dishes and wood-fired pizzas at a reasonable rate. The resort is only reachable by boat transfer to and from the mainland which adds to the adventure and sense of seclusion. Water taxis and excursions around the Whitsundays are offered too.

They even provided a cake for my birthday!