Beautiful location
Hamilton Island, off the coast of Queensland, is the most beautiful destination for a holiday. The gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. We were there during the NSW holiday season, so it was quite busy, pretty much booked out but the environment was nice and it didn’t seem hectic at all.
You’re able to fly direct to Hamilton Island or to Proserpine, near Airlie Beach and get a cab and then cruise/ ferry on Cruise Whitsundays like we did).
It’s interesting that everything there is run/managed by a centralised “Hamilton Island” website, so you look at the accomodation, restaurants and activities and book there. Download the Hamilton Island app as it’s helpful to find all the information you need.
Accomodation
Hamilton Island has plenty of different types of accommodation to suit different clientele. There’s the Reef View Hotel where we stayed, Palm Bungalows, Whitsunday apartments, Yacht Club Villas, and Qualia to name a few. Check out the Hamilton Island website to find your preferred style.
Reef View Hotel
We stayed at the Reef View hotel and this suited our family and needs. Pool access, gym use, buffet breakfast and good sized rooms. See our blog here for more details.
Golf buggies
Golf buggies are useful to get around the island since the island is very hilly. Easy to hire but they do cost $140 a day. We didn’t hire one since we’re pretty fit and active and happy to walk. But if you’re not up to walking and also don’t want to spend the money, there are two free shuttles every ten mins. One – the blue one is around the island (a 40 min full route and you can hop on / off) and one to the main shops and hotels – green shuttle).
Pools
There’s two large pools down at the Catseye Beach that all Hamilton Island holiday goers can use. Plenty of deck chairs and even a pool bar.
Clownfish
We had our 2 year old son at Clownfish kids club for a full and half day. We only stayed 2 nights, but if we stayed longer, we would have used Clownfish every day. Located close to the resort centre and walking distance to the reef view hotel. We dropped our son there for 8am start, finishing at 4pm. Check in process was smooth, confirming routines and they followed it to a tee. They feed the kids, put them to bed and do lots of activities. There’s indoor and outdoor areas and even a jumping castle. Our son loved it and wanted to go back. Communication is excellent and special thanks to Emily for her great work. It’s really expensive but worth every dollar.
Park
Great little park down near the pool, perfect for kids around 2 years and up.
Wildlife park
Tours
Whilst you’re on Hamilton Island, head to the resort centre and sign up for a tour – yacht and fishing charters, snorkelling, and more. Kurt did an outer reef tour where he did snorkelling and scuba. Tours aren’t cheap, but great to see the marine life.
Golf
Golf course with it’s own island and is absolutely immaculately prepared, and just check out the views! If we had a dollar for everytime someone asked how many balls we lost, we’d be rich! And the answer is 3, just 3. Solid golfing. Picturesque views as you drive around the course on your cart. Ferry to the island. Don’t forgot to book heaps in advance. You can also have a nice lunch there.
Food
In Hamilton island, food can get quite pricy, so we often grabbed a sandwich or pie at Bob’s Bakery, or food from the IGA! But we also ate parmigiana and barramundi at the Marina Inn, as well as amazing food at Manta Ray / the salmon gnocchi, and tuna tartare. The service there was incredibly good too. And, must finish off with a gelato. Top off the night with a cocktail at One Tree Hill. If you do want to go to one of the nicer restaurants, be sure to book way ahead of time. We hadn’t, so it wa
We absolutely loved Hamilton Island, and could have easily stayed a week!