The last time I visited Daydream Island Resort was in March 2017, just two weeks before Cyclone Debbie pretty much flattened the resort. It needed a rebuild and a makeover and a lot has changed – in a good way. The modern beach house chic makeover is a far cry from the retina burning 90s color scheme of the old resort. These days Daydream Island Resort is looking fantastic and is well worth a visit.
The stylish refresh has taken in the entire resort which means you only need your sunglasses while taking in the breathtaking view of the Whitsundays from the restaurants or your room. The original lurid tropical colour scheme of the old resort is all gone, removing the need to protect your eyes. There is a new Living Reef aquarium and the pool area, with its much-loved swim-up bar, has been given a facelift. The brightly painted fish in the old pool have made way for new tiles and clean lines, giving the original pool area a new lease of life. The stylish pool new furniture looks great too.
I dip my toe in the water, but as it’s mid-June not even this lovely pool is enough to tempt me to dive in. I might need a wetsuit to enjoy the pool but this doesn’t stop a couple of European guests from getting in (there is some squealing but nothing is going to keep them from that swim up bar). All of the 277 rooms have gone from daggy to designer with sleek Scandinavian-style decor featuring modern wooden floors, stylish furnishings, and a light blue and sand color palette. Stepping into my room, I can’t help but marvel at the transformation from daggy to chic at Daydream Island Resort.
I have a Deluxe Room with an ocean view on the ground level. It is bright, fresh, and spotlessly clean. It’s also got plenty of room for the rollaway for our teenage son. Sharing with a child is easy here. The room has a king bed, couch, work desk, small coffee table and two very comfy chairs. There is also a stocked mini bar, all-important coffee machine, and kettle plus some lovely bone china cups. A new walk-in rain shower area and separate bathtub completes the new look.
On the grass outside our room there’s a family of wallabies. A flock of cockatoos arrive a few seconds later. I would like to think the resort is trying to impress me with these highly entertaining wildlife ‘guest relations officers’ but, of course, they’re only here for the snacks. Which, of course, they’re not going to get. Don’t be tempted to feed these cute animals, it’s not good for them.
With food on my mind (just like the native wildlife), I head to the Graze to enjoy a buffet breakfast. It offers an extensive selection of fruit, bircher muesli, yoghurt, pastry, and cereal selections and made to order eggs and pancakes. There are no Whitsunday Island views here but you do get to watch stingrays and sharks swimming past as the restaurant is located alongside the new Living Reef aquarium. Very cool (and a great way to keep kids entertained).
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Overall the dining at Daydream was well-priced for a resort. We enjoyed Infinity, the more high-end dining option, on our second night. Infinity is an Asian fusion restaurant with a private teppanyaki area which diners can prebook for small groups. The menu has a focus on seafood and produce from the surrounding area. Our salmon, quail and lamb mains were all excellent, as were the dumplings we shared for entree.
Infinity is more expensive than some of the other dining options but nice for a special night out. Meals take longer to arrive here, making it a good choice for couples and those travelling with older children. Graze also opens for dinner and features a buffet with live cooking stations and loads of food variety. With all the sea creatures swimming past your table, you should probably hide your meal from them if you order fish.
During the day the Barefoot Bar located adjacent the swim up bar dishes up burgers, snacks, shakes, and cocktails with a view. If you’re after an evening drink, Tonic Bar is located off the main lobby. This bar specialises in gin and is worthy of a pre-dinner drink or late night cocktail. Perhaps the most significant change to Daydream Island Resort is the Living Reef aquarium, an open-air aquarium that is home to 100 species of marine life and holds 1.5 million litres of filtered seawater.
It’s a huge step up from the original Daydream living reef which consisted of shallow pools surrounding the main building. These pools are still there and currently housing fish and rays which don’t play nicely with other animals in the new aquarium. The new Living Reef is more like a swimming pool with a fantastic viewing area and underground lounge that is perfect for fish and ray watching. This is free to enter and enjoy and also used for complimentary guest activities such as yoga and meditation.
You get to stretch and find your zen with your new fishy friends on some very comfy yoga mats and cushions with or without attempting an uncomfortable (oops, did I say uncomfortable? I meant relaxing) yoga pose. We skipped yoga in favour of a guided meditatation session which we did as a family. This was so good we ended up doing it every day of our stay and would have attended again if we had time.
After a great night of dining and a very relaxing sleep, followed by breakfast with a fishy view at Graze, we were off to explore the Living Reef with one of Daydream’s resident marine biologists. We start the snorkel of the Living Reef with a briefing about do’s and don’ts. This is one of Daydream’s more expensive experiences but we felt it offered excellent value. If you are travelling with kids under 10, you can do the cheaper Stingray Splash or another marine based activity, as little ones aren’t allowed in the tank to snorkel.
We weren’t sure what to expect with the Living Reef as at first glance it seemed as if it would be like ‘snorkelling in an aquarium’ and might not be that exciting given we are used to snorkelling in the ocean. However, the overall experience was terrific, not least because you get to see all the cool stuff: stingrays, corals, clown fish, starfish, huge parrot fish and many more amazing marine creatrues.
There was no disappointment like we’ve had on previous snorkels where the fish were playing hard to get and we didn’t see much (or everyone else saw rays and large fish, and we saw nothing). It’s also educational with a ‘touch & talk’ session in the middle of the one hour snorkel. After plenty of time to swim with the fish and the touch and talk session with a sea cucumber and starfish, we sat down in a shallow section of the tank ready to meet a stingray who swims up to the group to be fed. As we fed her fish and stroked her, and she gave our knees a soft stingray massage with her body, we got to learn all about stingrays and spend time getting to know one of Daydream’s most photographed residents.
Daydream Island Resort has always been a big hit with families and there were lots of happy kids at the resort (and happy parents as Daydream has a kids under 12 stay and eat free deal). This is a terrific drawcard for young families but not so great for couples seeking a romantic getaway. Overall, Daydream is a fantastic island resort with plenty of unique features and great food. With a good choice of rooms, dining and activities, it’s well worth a stay here, especially in the warmer summer months.
Disclosure: The writers stayed as guests of Daydream Island Resort.
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