Review: Hamilton Island Beach Club is paradise found
Sitting right on Hamilton Island’s Catseye beach, the Beach Club Hotel is a great place to explore the island and beyond.
By Sid Raja , November 7 2022
Country
Australia
City
Hamilton Island
Hotel
Beach Club Hotel
Notes
The Good
- Stunning ocean outlook
- Direct beach access
- Excellent dining
The Bad
- Parts of the room feel dated
- Restaurants can fill up quickly - book early
X-Factor
- Surrounded by the island's best facilities
Introduction
Part of the Whitsundays, and in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island is noted for its unspoiled beaches, captivating sunsets and plethora of dining choices, from high-end restaurants to laid-back cafes and takeaways.
Of the numerous accommodation options dotted throughout the five square kilometre island, Hamilton Island Beach Club is consistently rated among the best. And it lives up to the hype.
Expansive guest rooms and eevated dining, not to mention a sleek day spa to jumpstart the holiday vibes, are just a taste of the resort’s trademark barefoot indulgence. Yet there’s more to the story.
Location & Impressions
Hamilton Island Beach Club is located on Catseye beach, around five minutes’ golf buggy drive (the island is car-free, aside from service vehicles) from Hamilton Island’s Airport.
Part of the Beach Club offering is an airport meet and greet service, with staff waiting for us to arrive and ferrying us straight to the hotel. We didn't even have to collect our bags, which makes this experience incredibly seamless.
The location also means you can be out of the airport and relaxing at the resort in under 10 minutes, depending on when your flight lands.
The Marina Village is around a 10 minute walk, while One Tree Hill - Hamilton Island’s renowned hilltop lookout (and a popular spot to view the sunset) - is a similar buggy ride away. Many visitors and residents hire buggys to get around, but The Beach Club offers chauffeured pickup and dropoff anywhere on the island included in the room rate. The resort itself is small and intimate, perched on a pocket of the coast adjacent to Catseye Beach. With an ocean-facing infinity pool, a private restaurant and lounge, it’s a place for grown-up escapes which are memorable and restful. Once inside, service from the check-in staff was friendly and efficient, and we were quickly escorted to our room. Hamilton Island Beach Club offers 57 spacious open-planned guest rooms, each appointed with blonde wood furnishings, nautical artworks and a calming palette of blue, grey and white to really highlight that fresh, beachy ambience. While ground floor accommodations open up to a private beachfront terrace, our room on the upper floor gave access to a generously-sized balcony, also with direct views over Hamilton Island’s reef and turquoise blue sea. Here, our only gripe is that the outdoor furniture feels quite worn and dated. The room also features a plush, king-size bed that rests against a freestanding padded headboard. Angled to face the window, it means you’re greeted by palm-fringed sea views the moment you open your eyes. Behind the bed is a sideboard with some extra amenities including a coffee machine well-stocked with a variety of capsules for your morning brew. Wardrobes on either side house either an iron and ironing board or the safe and minibar, while in front are two oversized American oak armchairs perfect to sink into for an afternoon with a good book. In the bathroom are twin vanities, a rain shower and sizeable egg-shaped bathtub, paired with quality Aesop Australia-made amenities. So the rooms are nice, but their standout feature isn’t actually listed on the website. It’s the proximity to the beach, meaning gentle waves lapping on the shoreline are your soundtrack when you close your eyes each night. It’s the perfect way to drift into that deep, restorative sleep so often desired holiday. If you’ve come to Hamilton Island to work, you’re in the wrong place. The lifestyle here is ‘all play and no work’, With more than 60 activities on offer throughout the island, from helicopter flights above the Great Barrier Reef to scenic walking trails and snorkelling, there really is no shortage of things to see and do. Golfers are in for a treat, with the incredible $50m Peter Thomson-designed Hamilton Island golf course available for public play. Located on the adjacent Dent Island and accessed by ferry, it’s one of the world’s most beautiful courses and Australia’s only championship course situated on its own island. Teeing off here is unlike anywhere else. The elevated perspective offers sensational 360-views of the surrounding Whitsunday Islands, while thrilling changes in fairway and green undulation guarantees a hefty challenge for professionals and casual players alike. A game here is only $165 including cart and transfer, and you don't even have to lug your sticks around with the course offering premium Titleist clubs with a Scotty Cameron putter for an additional $70. Hamilton Island also serves as a pick-up point for several Great Barrier Reef day-cruise operators. Upsize your snorkelling experience with a day trip to one of many outer reefs, some of which feature a permanently-moored pontoon where you can view coral dancing in the currents and watch schools of fish meandering about. Some of these pontoons also allow you to enjoy activities such as glass-bottom boat rides and even semi-submersibles where you can explore the underwater world in air-conditioned comfort. If you want to get your heart rate up, try your hand at wakeboarding, water skiing or tubing behind a powerful speedboat. Beach Club Restaurant is the hotel’s all-day diner. It’s an intimate and contemporary beach front venue with a focus on modern Australian cuisine made from seasonal and locally sourced produce. The à la carte breakfast menu - with daily chef’s specials on offer - is complemented by a small buffet of cereals and pastries. Those who prefer to venture outside the hotel’s confines will be surprised at the choices available in a limited space, with a broad selection of restaurants scattered throughout the island. Whether you’re looking for a sophisticated meal out, a casual and relaxed setting or a romantic picnic by the beach, the island has you covered. We enjoyed dinner at Manta Ray, the island's relaxed modern Australian meets Mediterranean restaurant; The Beach Club Restaurant, which offers an upscale tasting menu for dinner; and Coca Chu, a modern Asian offering with fresh hawker-style menu and a broad selection of cocktails. The salt and pepper squid with red nahm jim, and the massaman curry with braised beef, were genuine highlights. Beach Club staff can book you a table at any restaurant on the island but as availability is strictly limited, it is always wise to secure your table in advance (we recommend doing it as soon as you book your stay). Bookings can be made on the Hamilton Island website under its ‘Food & Wine’ page. Keep in mind too that Hamilton Island is a cashless environment and won’t accept cash payments at any of its dining outlets. That said, dining bills can also be charged to your room account and settled when you check out. Whether you prefer to relax on the beach, take a seat by the pool or even sit under a tree on the grass, each space at the Beach Club Hotel is perfectly designed for much needed R&R. Ideal for soaking up the tropical sunshine, the hotel’s private pool deck boasts an infinity pool - heated in winter - fronting Catseye Beach. Exclusively for the use of hotel guests, the sun lounges and hammocks are available on a first-come-first-served basis, and we always found a spot. If you’d like to really get away from it all, head to the secluded Escape Beach in the south of the island, or visit Spa Wumurdaylin for a pampering session of rejuvenating and soothing LaGaia treatments. Note that due to consistently high demand, the spa can be booked out weeks in advance, so make a look at the treatment menu one of your first stops after booking your stay. There's also a waitlist you can join to make use of any late cancellations. Alternatively, work up a sweat in the Hamilton Island Sports Club. Located just across the road from the hotel, it boasts a fully-equipped gym decked out with a range of equipment. The fitness centre also offers three full-size tennis courts and a wide range of group activities such as Body Pump, Yoga and Pilates. Paradise. Whether looking to get active or just slip into holiday mode and relax, the Beach Club Hotel at Hamilton Island offers a perfect balance of both. The recently refurbished rooms are spacious and well appointed, with staff going out of their way to ensure you’re satisfied. With something for almost everyone, and a wide range of dining outlets to choose from, the Beach Club Hotel is both relaxing and stimulating.
Hamilton Island's marina encapsulates the beauty of the island as a whole.
Getting around Hamilton Island is as easy as jumping in a golf cart.
Room
All Beach Club rooms look out to the clear blue bay.
Your King bed faces the window to make the peaceful outdoors your first sight on waking up.
The bathroom features plenty of space for your personal effects.Work
While the views are spectacular, the water hazards for errant tee shots are easy to find.
Every hole on the course creates postcard views.
Head to an outer reef pontoon for a great day snorkelling or diving.
Eat
Who doesn't love a cooked breakfast on holidays?
Beach Club Restaurant is an al fresco experience enticing you to eat slowly.
Manta Ray is a relaxed and family-friendly option set overlooking the marina.
Dinner at Coco Chu far exceeded what you might expect island dining to encompass.Relax
There isn't a bad spot to lay down your towel at the Beach Club.
Slip into relaxation to the sounds of nature in the hotel's day spa.
Verdict
Even from our balcony, the ambiance was serene and peaceful.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 972
My wife rates The Beach Club better than Hayman Island and I don’t disagree. The service, the food everything is spot 10 out of 10.
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
15 Jan 2013
Total posts 464
It is expensive for what it is.a Fairer price comparison would be places like the Cook Islands with either offering more for the money.Not a direct comparison as such but Singapore is another one if you time it right that is better value for the dollar.To this day we always wonder why most Australians choose Asian or South Pacific Islands for the money now we know it's because the locals on money and offerings for the dollars cannot compete.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Hamilton Island Beach Club is paradise found