Guest Author - Michelle R. Mangio
The second largest inhabited island of the Whitsundays, Hamilton Island is perhaps the most popular destination in the Southern Great Barrier reef. Given that it has its own airport and is also easily reached by ferry from the mainland, it makes the perfect destination from which to explore the Reef and the Whitsunday Islands.
Several resorts are on the island, ranging from three-star bungalows to exclusive five-star resorts, offering an option for all types of travelers. Vacation home rentals and villas are also popular. If you truly wish to be pampered, take a look at Qualia, a five star exclusive resort. Not only does this amazing property have its own gated resort area, but it offers exclusive opportunities - like a private picnic lunch on a secluded part of Whitehaven Beach, famous for the whitest sand in the world.
Transportation around the island comes in the form of golf carts and buggies (available for rent to tourists), which only adds to the feeling of truly escaping from the craziness of the city and everyday life.
From Hamilton Island, you can easily explore the rest of the Whistsunday Islands. Seaplanes, ferries, and helicopters can whisk you out to another island, whether you are staying on of the island paradises or just taking a day-trip. Sailing charters, day reef cruises, and even overnight live-aboard dive ships will all pick you up from Hamilton Island and take you out to explore a side of the reef you might never have seen.
Since most international toursists visit the Northern Great Barrier Reef - journeying up to Cairns, Port Douglas, and Palm Cove - choosing to visit Hamilton Islands and the Whitsundays allows for a more relaxed, less crowded journey… and a glimpse of the less-traveled reef, where millions of toursists have not already left their mark.
And unlike a stay in Cairns, which is on the mainlaind, a stay at Hamilton Island is a true island experience, deep in the heart of the tropical Great Barrier Reef. It's also one of the best locations if you want to see the Heart Reef, a natural forming reef - nature's testament, perhaps, to how much you'll fall in love with this beautiful region.
