InterContinental Hayman Island Resort

Character and identity

Reached by private boat to the northernmost of the Whitsundays, this 166-room island resort sits inside the Great Barrier Reef on land that's been a national park and bird sanctuary since the 1940s. Water shapes everything: rooms face a 6.5-million-litre saltwater lagoon billed as the Southern Hemisphere's largest pool, and accommodation ranges from courtyard rooms with outdoor showers through pool-access suites and beachfront villas to multi-bedroom residences. Four restaurants (Pacific for breakfast and Queensland seafood, Amici for Italian, Bam Bam for Pan-Asian, Aqua poolside), a sizeable spa, and a well-drilled, low-key service culture round out a property that has defined Australian island luxury for decades.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining proposition is the private-island setting wrapped around that vast lagoon, with the reef genuinely at your doorstep and a service operation polished by decades of practice. Book a pool-access suite or beachfront villa to make the water pay off, and consider a residence for groups. Splurge on at least one helicopter flight over the reef.