The Whitsundays has to be one of the most picturesque locations in Australia. Unfortunately, due to a devastating Cyclone in March 2017, Cyclone Debbie ripped through the Airlie Beach region affecting a number of the islands including Daydream Island. It is no surprise that when we heard Daydream Island was reopening, we knew we had to check it out! The entire resort underwent refurbishment after two years of being closed to the public. Below we look at the new Daydream Island Accommodation and what to expect.
Where is Daydream Island?
Located ideally between mainland Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, Daydream Island is one of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. However, most of these are uninhabited.
How to get to Daydream Island
From Sydney, we caught a
It is possible to book the ferry tickets in advance. They cost approximately AUD$40 each way.
Daydream Island Resort
The island itself is approximately 1 kilometre in length from the north to south end, and 400m from the east to west side of the island.
The primary section of the Resort is located at the North end of the island. This is where you find the 277 available rooms, dining amenities and swimming pool facilities. It is possible however to explore the rest of the island by foot on the rainforest track that goes around the island.
Daydream Island Accommodation
The styles of rooms at Daydream Island vary from ‘Standard Rooms’ to ‘Serenity Suites’. Views vary from the east of the Island to the west of the Island. Each of the rooms, however, is styled in chic relaxed tones with modern decor throughout.
During our time on Daydream Island, we stayed in one of the Deluxe Rooms. Located on Levels G, 1 and 2 of the Driftwood Wing, these rooms are a spacious 36 square metres. The rooms, come with a King Size bed, sitting area, walk-in shower and a large balcony. From our room, we were able to watch the resident kangaroos hopping about throughout the day. In-room amenities include complimentary Wi-fi, in-room dining from midday and a number of complimentary tv channels.
Dining Facilities
Not having the flexibility to choose where to dine at night can be a problem on an island. However, at Daydream Island there are a number of options to choose from. Each of the menus at the three restaurants and three bars
First off, breakfast in the morning is either served at Graze or Inkstone. Graze is a buffet with a chef station serving a variety of eggs and pancakes. Inkstone, however, was our preference. Inkstone offers an al-carte menu with options such as Museli with Pannacotta and Eggs Benedict.
While sun baking around the pool during the day, guests have the option to dine at the Barefoot Bar. Without having to move indoors, guests can enjoy a chilled drink and a gourmet burger.
At night, three restaurants are available to guests. These being Graze, Inkstone and Infinity. When we stayed however only two restaurants were open each night and operated on a rotation system. While we didn’t dine at Graze which is buffet style, we did dine at Inkstone and Infinity. Inkstone serves International Cusine while Inkstone serves refined Asian.
With all these options available to us, we never went hungry! Seeing the Resort has only been open a short period of time, the standard and service was great!
On-Site Activities
The main highlight of Daydream Island has to be the Living Reef which is a 200-metre coral lagoon in the centre of the Island. The previous resort had this feature, however, the new Reef now has an eco-consciousness strategy surrounding it. The Living Reef features over 100 species of fish, corals and invertebrates.
For children (or adults too!) who are intrigued, there is an underwater observatory allowing views of the marine life from 4 metres underground. Watch as the Sting-rays swim by and the Cod stare through the window at you however be warned the animals will be intrigued!
Other activities for your time at Daydream Island include:
- Public fish feeding
- Kayaks
- Beach Sports
- Guided Living Reef Tour
- Jet Ski Rental
- Helicopter Tour
Off-Site Activities
The staff at Daydream Island are more than happy to help organise any tours from the Island. We joined a Whitsundays snorkelling tour which saw us visit the famous Whitehaven Beach and Whitsunday Island viewing point. Also, we had the opportunity to snorkel in two locations where we spotted a number of Maori Wrasse and Batfish. We highly recommend Ocean Rafting for a fun-filled day!
Also, who wouldn’t want to visit Whitehaven Beach and the Hill Inlet seeing it is the 3rd most photographed location in Australia! And we can see why this is the case.
In Review
Being some of the first guests to explore and stay on Daydream Island was a wonderful experience. The island itself is beautiful and while it a shame that the majority of the coral was destroyed in the Cyclone, the beaches around the island were lovely.
Light flooded through the rooms and pristine care was taken daily to the upkeep of the rooms. The Daydream Island Accommodation was of a very high standard. The staff, while still learning their everyday roles were all very friendly and helpful.
As with any new Resort or Hotel, there is always around a 3 month period of adjusting and making small changes. Certain areas of the Resort are still undergoing changes and there were some small details in the rooms missing. Saying that, we are definitely eager to go back in a year or so to see how the Island is going!
While we wouldn’t say the Resort is 5
If you are travelling through Australia, have a look at some of the other places to check out.
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