The Best Hotels Near The Sundays, by the Record
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Catseye Pool Club, run by Josh and Julie Niland, is reason enough to linger at this design-forward resort on Hamilton Island. A local designer converted one of the island's original lodges into 59 rooms with balconies facing either gardens or the Coral Sea, with sculptural stonework and First Nations artwork throughout. Blackout blinds and trundle beds signal who the place is really built for, and the Michelin Guide has taken note.
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Qualia occupies its own private peninsula at the northern tip of Hamilton Island, with coast on three sides and the Great Barrier Reef doing the heavy lifting outside every window. It's a luxury resort holding a Michelin Key, with villas ranging from sprawling great rooms with verandahs to windward suites with plunge pools, and a Beach House for groups. The buildings are low, wooden, and tucked into jungle foliage, and someone made the brave call to skip the beige.
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Terraced wings curve around a lagoon-style pool a few yards from the beach on this private island in the Whitsundays, a setup that's been luring well-heeled Australians for generations. The resort runs from standard rooms with marble bathrooms and separate dressing rooms up to hillside residences overlooking the bay. A dive center, spa, and Italian restaurant with a wood-fired oven keep guests from ever needing to leave, which is rather the point.