Huynher's Adventure: Paradise

In the heart of the Great Barrier Reef is where the Whitsunday Islands lie. Whitsunday is a group of 74 islands that is bordered by the Great Barrier Reef and cradled by the calm waters of the Coral Sea. Each of the islands’ are made up of wooded mainland with sandy coves, and welcoming holiday resorts. (Kenny and I chose to stay on two of the Whitsunday islands called DayDream Island and Hamilton Island)

After Cairns, we took an 11 hour train ride along the coast to the Whitsunday islands. We arrived at DayDream Island with a person greeting and crowning us with seashell necklaces. Then she gave a very informative tour of the island and the activities and services of the resort. First thing we did was book a tour to Whitehaven Beach. (That was our only reason for going to Whitsunday islands). The resort itself was great. Unfortunately it is nothing like the resorts in Mexico where everything is inclusive. The meals, drinks and the water sport activities are extra. But we came prepared with our own food. We brought a lot of instant noodles with us so we won’t go broke just on meals. (and let me tell you the meals were really expensive on the resort). The first night we were there, they had a movie showing in the open air cinema. Basically it was a huge theatre screen outside and everyone sits in lawn chairs or on the grass watching “Wedding Crashers”. That movie is hilarious!!

Our tour to Whitehaven Beach was amazing. No words can describe it. Whitehaven Beach is a beach made of 99% silica sand that is surrounded by crystal clear waters. This beach is declared as one of the top 5 beaches in the world. No resorts are allowed to be built on it.

The first portion of the tour was snorkeling in another area of the outer reef. This time the snorkeling was excellent. The water was calm and the corals were high. We were so close to the corals that I was afraid to move my fins in fear that I might kick the corals and damage it. We saw tons of fish. The best fish we saw was this huge fish (half the size of me) swimming around at the bottom of the ocean near the corals. It was so big that I could not believe my eyes. It was so surreal.
After an hour of snorkeling and exploring, we then headed off to Whitehaven beach. As we arrived, the sand was pure white. So white, it was blinding. The sand was soft and the waters were so clear. We saw stingrays swimming by close to the edge of the beach. The only bad thing about this beach was the scorching sun. Because there are no shelters or shade on this beach, you would get burned in just 3 minutes without sun block on. Even with it on, you still feel the sun burning on your skin. We walked up this hill to take a panoramic view of the beach and surrounding areas. The guide tells us because of the differing water tides, every picture of the Whitehaven beach is never the same picture. I really don’t know what or how else to describe this beach, just take a look at the pictures for yourself and you will know why I call it paradise…..

After the paradise, we were off to Hamilton Island. This island is not as beautiful as DayDream Island as it doesn’t have a beach rather it is an island surrounded by a lagoon. On the island, everyone drives a golf buggy. We couldn’t resist and rented one for 3 hours…it was great. It cant go too fast, but it definitely beats walking. We drove up to the highest point on the island and breathed in one of the best panoramic views of the area. Again it was breathtaking…..just see the pictures for yourself.

I hope these pictures inspire some of you to save up some money to come here as it is well worth it….