Hamilton Island
Highlights
- You can feel the tropical holiday vibes as soon as you step off the plane! Collecting the keys to your personal golf cart adds character and style; as you carefully balance kids and bags to keep everyone (and everything) inside
- Considering they’ve got a captive market living on an island, Hamilton has done a good job providing diverse and flexible accommodation options! Whether you’re a family of 2 or 10, you’ll find your home away from home
- For a small island there’s a lot to do – mini golf, water equipment, wildlife park, beach, multiple pools, boat trips, organised kid’s activities, laser tag, gym, tennis courts and a rock-climbing wall! If that’s not enough, there is a golf course only a short boat trip away
- We probably don’t need to tell you but a must do is the cruise to Whitehaven Beach. It’s crazy beautiful and if you’re lucky to score the sunshine (we did) the sand is pure white and the water is crystal blue. If you’re not afraid to walk from the boat drop off point, you can own a big slice of the Whitehaven powder for the afternoon
- Catch the sunset at One Tree Hill & get up there early for VIP seating
Tip: There is a cute little marina with multiple food options and a decent sized supermarket. The IGA can be expensive, crowded and for vino-lovers, mostly stocks “Oatley” wines. If you own the Island you own the right to monopolise (and charge for it)… So stuff your bag full of your preferred tipple and be ready to pay a premium for that pack of Doritos!
While writing this, I’m literally Googling airfares to go back! For a quick trip from Sydney or Brisbane (or most other cities in Oz really) it’s a superb family friendly destination.
Hamilton is a small(ish) Island with a nice slow pace. The omission of cars for golf buggies also means you’re enjoying the best part of golf without even swinging a club.
The only downsides are cost and the Irukandji Jellyfish that hit Hamilton in summer. Swimming in a full body suit takes a bit of the gloss off so you may be best to travel outside stinger season. Easiest way to remember the “safe” months are those without an ‘r’ - May, June, July and August.
Overall Family Friendly Rating: 8
holiday homes - lagoon lodges
Location
Whitsundays, Queensland. The Lagoon Lodges are directly across from Catseye Beach on the NE side of Hamilton island
Highlights
- Whilst the Lagoon Lodges are slightly more expensive than the hotels, it’s worth weighing up $ per square Metre. For us, the relative extra space for a family of 4 was worth the slight uptick in price
- There’s a full kitchen and the kids have room to play and move about. Most importantly, once they’re asleep, there’s ample room to chill out and throw the Yahtzee dice loud and proud. For those that are familiar with the game, we always pack 5 dice and are super competitive 😉
- If you book through the Hamilton Island website, you receive: A competitive price; Access to the free non-motorised water equipment; Free meals for the kids when you eat out at most restaurants and; Your own golf buggy!
- With your stay at the Lagoon Lodges you get access to the holiday blocks own private swimming pool and the other 3 pools that are part of the larger beachfront hotel complex
- It’s kid heaven as outside stinger season, the little ones can run freely between the pool (which was a little cold) and the beach. They are always within view so you can relax and enjoy that Mojito from the poolside bar
Brad & Sar's Final Thoughts
Catseye beach is a cool location. Each morning, I’d throw our eldest boy on the nose of a paddleboard and go turtle hunting. After a short paddle, they were everywhere and seemed just as intrigued by us.
There are not many places where you can roll out of bed one moment and be swimming with the turtles the next!
Some may prefer to stay Marina side as you are walking distance to the shops and restaurants but for us, the Lagoon Lodges offered the perfect balance for a beach holiday. We preferred to walk to the beach and take the golf buggy on the short 5min drive over the hill to dinner or up to One Tree Hill for the cracking sunset!
You may need to save a few bucks to properly enjoy this place but it’s worth it. If the budget can be stretched out, we found that our 7 night stay in the Lagoon Lodges was just right to wind down and experience everything that the Island had to offer.
Family Friendly Rating: 8.5
