The other day I was on social media and saw a couple who had recently married and were on their honeymoon…at the Whitsundays! Seeing the beautiful beaches and relaxing under palm trees instantly reminded me of our honeymoon, when we stayed at the Whitsundays. What a dreamy 12 days it was! Thank You Jesus for the beauty that we experienced, so thankful.

Chris and I married during the state and national border closures so our options for honeymoon destinations were limited to Queensland – but that’s okay because Queensland is beautiful and filled with amazing places to honeymoon. To be honest, ever if borders weren’t closed, I would have still hoped to spend our honeymoon in the Whitsundays. Chris intended to keep the destination a secret, but accidentally let it slip about two weeks beforehand. I didn’t mind, we laugh about it still now.

Our honeymoon was kind of divided into three parts while at the Whitsundays. Each amazing and filled with loveliness, here’s where we stayed and the fun activities we enjoyed. We were thankful to have the flexibility that after two days of being on Hamilton Island, we decided to extend our holiday and stay an extra three nights at the third place we stayed at. They had availability thank goodness! Our honeymoon was a great mix of relaxation and adventure, which I feel reflects Chris and I as people as we really make the most of opportunities. Following the whirlwind of our wedding, we were actually a bit sick on our honeymoon, but it didn’t stop us thank goodness from being able to do any of the activities we had planned.

A fun fact, during our stay, George Clooney and Julia Roberts were on Hamilton Island filming Ticket to Paradise. We didn’t see them, but the island was abuzz because of it!

Part 1: Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island: The first place we stayed at was the lovely Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island. Hamilton Island conveniently has an airport on the island, making it super easy to arrive and depart directly on the island. Except for residents of the island, no one drives cars and guests drive around fun golf buggies. Chris and I booked one before we arrived which we were super thankful we did as lots of people missed out, so definitely do that prior to arrival if you can. There’s also shuttle buses that take you around free of charge to most of the popular spots on the island which is great. The view from Reef View Hotel is amazing! We also absolutely loved the buffet breakfast each morning, and partook in the trivia one night. An activity we really enjoyed was a half day at Dent Island playing golf – neither of us have played much before, but we had fun and enjoyed the beautiful views from the island.

Part 2: Daydream Island resort: The second part of our honeymoon was spent at Daydream Island, about 45 minutes on the ferry from Hamilton Island. A much smaller island, but no less exciting, we really enjoyed our time on Daydream. We spent three nights and stayed at the resort (the resort reminded us both of the Jurassic Park theme park for some reason – random side note) where daily breakfast was included. The pool at the resort was dreamy (pun intended) – it was a HUGE pool with a bar located in the middle so you could sip and then swim, which on a warm day is ideal. We had hoped to spend a morning out jet skiing, but the wind was not in our favour but that’s ok. From Daydream Island, we spent a day onboard the Camira Sailing Adventure to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet – one of the prettiest places on the planet! The weather was perfect the day we went, and our day included snorkelling, adventuring, and amazing food. This was also the day we were gifted our beloved green turtle that we now take on so many of our adventures.

Part 3: Beach Club: Back to Hamilton Island for our last part of the Whitsundays honeymoon for us, and we LOVED where we stayed. Beach Club is in my top three places I’ve ever stayed, and the inclusions and extras that we enjoyed added to our experience. Breakfast in the morning was delicious, the pick-up and drop off service (shout out to the guy who came to pick us up at 4am so we could climb Passage Peak – he was so cheery!), the Beach Club guests only section of the beach, and even the chocolates left on our bed when we came back after dinner – it was a really nice stay. During our time here, we snorkelled right next to a lovely turtle, watched sunrise from Passage Peak, rescued an injured baby possum on a walk, enjoyed the infinity pool, and soaked up the beauty of Hamilton Island. We were super blessed with the weather, and the only day with bad weather was the day we left – which I’m so grateful for as it helped us leave a lot easier.

As I’m sure you can gather, I can 100% recommend adventuring to the Whitsundays. We loved our honeymoon here, and would happily go back at some point in the future if we can.

1 Corinthians 13:4 – Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Love, Gracie.