Tucked away on a remote island in the Whitsunday group is an idyllic, luxury retreat where the aim of the game is relaxation. Elysian Retreat is one of the newest resorts on the block and Whitsunday locals will know it as the old Paradise Bay. Featuring 10 private beach front bungalows the boutique resort exudes a paradisiacal sleepiness in a beautiful island setting. I was lucky enough to spend a few days soaking it all up. 10 things I loved about Elysian  The bed  I have never slept on a cloud, but what I imagine a cloud to feel like is the bed I slept in at Elysian retreat. Linen ..read more

On Mo’Orea there are a small group of passionate humans doing big things for the plight for the coral reefs of the world. Coral Gardners is an organisation based in Mo’Orea that is restoring the reef of their island home through coral gardening. They are doing this by ‘planting’ broken off pieces of coral into rocks, to encourage them to attach to the rock and continue to grow instead of dying on the ocean floor. They are also in the process of offering eco-tours where you can become involved, learn about coral, learn about some of the biggest threats and stressors on reefs around the ..read more

May was a wonderful and crazy month full of unexpected adventures, new friends and memories that will stay with me a lifetime. Incredibly out of the blue (and incredibly last minute) I was asked to jump on the delivery of a private 76ft sailing yacht from Auckland to Tahiti. I obviously said yes and with less than ten days until I flew out I had to get busy tidying up loose ends with work and preparing everything for being away 3 to 4 weeks. It was mayhem right up until I left. Boarding the plane in Proserpine, I arrived in Auckland during the wee hours of the morning and met Mel and J ..read more

Hi there, If you’ve made it to this post it means you are interested in Sailing Holidays and bareboating! To make life easier for all those wanting to hire a boat I’m putting together a guide with all my tips and tricks on packing, provisioning, choosing the right boat, choosing the right company and best spots around the Whitsunday Islands! If you’ve stumbled upon this accidentally and you don’t know what bareboating is then it is just THE BEST HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE! Basically, it is when you and your loved ones hire a beautiful boat and skipper your own adventur ..read more

Must do travel list for the Whitsundays The Whitsundays aren’t the kind of place you can do in one day. You really must dedicate at least three days to explore this beautiful island paradise off the Queensland Coast. If you’re going to do it properly then seven to ten days is ideal! Here are my Whitsunday ‘Must Do’ travel items to make the most of your Whitsunday holiday experience. Check out my other posts about the Whitsundays or buy my Airlie Beach & Whitsunday Islands Travel Guides for all the information in one place. 1. Sail on a Tallship I don’t know about you but ..read more

The island of Tahiti is beautiful with its palm trees, beaches, coral lagoons and sunsets over the island of Mo’Orea and it also has some great places to eat. Not all of these eateries are in epic locations or have views to die for, but they do all have great food and a good vibe. Now I don’t eat a lot of meat, I’m pretty much pescatarian and prefer to only eat seafood when I know it is locally and sustainably caught – luckily for me this was easy to find in the Society Islands. However I did travel with meat eaters so all these places are great for groups with different tastes and prefere ..read more

How to see the Whitsunday Islands in one day  Ocean Rafting is one of the longest established tour companies in the Whitsundays. They are family owned and operated, have a swag of state and national awards, are eco-certified and big supporters of the reef and they are huge community contributors (which I love).   Ocean Rafting offers what they call a ‘three day in one tour’. Visiting multiple islands, snorkel spots and taking you on a bushwalk to an epic view from the comfort of their super fast and FUN custom-built rigid inflatable vessels. The first time I went on Ocean Rafting was in ..read more

On Sunday night my housemates and I were together for the first time in a month. We genuinely had not slept under the same roof together in four weeks, and in the spirit of more firsts, we watched our first movie together… and I cried. I cried not because the movie was a tear-jerker, no, I cried because it was during that moment I realised this was the beginning of the end of what will inevitably be one of my favourite stages of life.  I’ve had a few of these moments, where time seems to slow down ever so briefly, as if in a bid for you to recognise that this moment is important and needs t ..read more

The Coral Coast Bareboat Flotilla in the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands with Sunsail Whitsundays and Whitsunday Rent A Yacht.  I think hiring a bareboat is one of those holiday bucketlist experiences. To be on a boat and able to; choose your own destinations, sail or motor when you want to, eat and drink whatever you like and hang out with the people you choose to take with you, is a rare and special occasion for those that don’t have their own boat. The beauty of bareboating is that it gives you all this and more.  For those that don’t know, a bareboat, is a boat ready to hir ..read more

I am a fan of bareboating. Getting to pretend I own a boat for the week is up there in my favourite things on this earth and the last bareboating trip on ‘Happy Hour’ for the flotilla out to the Great Barrier Reef is sitting right at the top of the list for favourite boat trips. It wasn’t because the weather was sensational, or because the destinations were out of this world – although sailing a boat out to the Great Barrier Reef is definitely an out of this world experience. It was the people and the boat. Nothing is better than spending time with humans you love that share the same humour as ..read more