This time last week I was all checked in at the Redcat Adventures office in Airlie Beach, ready to head to the Coral Sea Marina and set sail on our super rapid, Wildcat catamaran vessel! Having escaped the farm for 3 days I was more than excited to be spending the next 2 nights & 2 days in pure luxury at the stunning Paradise Cove Resort, not to mention the adventures that lay ahead exploring the Whitsunday Islands aboard the boat. I've never been 100% sure on the idea of solo travel, it can be pretty daunting but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, be you & put yourself out there. In this case I was so delighted I did. - I met the loveliest group of people on my tour, the guys running the trip literally made it; Jayden & Shano (Jayden the first Aussie lad I've met with top banter & Shano the 'Aussiest' looking Irish lad in Queensland!), alongside a big group of Irish girls, solo travellers, like myself, from America, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy etc, girls from England starting out on their working holiday visas & a few lovely couples, including an older couple from Bournemouth on their holidays. Everyone got involved with everything on the trip and it was a great vibe from start to finish.
Once we'd had a quick intro on land from Jayden, picked up our 'stinger suits' (essentially a very sexy & fashionable garment worn to protect you in certain Aussie waters & make you look like scuba steve or cat woman, depending on how you want to see it!) We were then on board the boat at the Marina all set to head to the resort.
Arriving in to the bay where our beautiful secluded resort was located was an actual 'Ride to Paradise.' Palm trees scattered across the freshly mowed lawn & hammocks swaying in the breeze. We dismounted the boat, feeling the sea beautifully warm on our feet, and headed up the beach towards the promise of afternoon tea upon arrival at the main house, we were not disappointed!
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| Gorgeous platters of fresh fruit, crisps, dips, cheeses & of course a selection of beautiful cakes.
The rooms at the resort are all pretty luxurious! I booked a bed in one of the shared single dorms, which, as a backpacker is of course the cheapest option, having said that, regardless of your room you have access to the whole resort including the unbelievable outdoor bath tubs! I've also spent the last 3 months sleeping on a farm hostel mattress, which frankly made my bed nothing short of luxury! If you do however have some spare cash or want to treat yourself, the deluxe suites are insanely beautiful. All of the couples on our tour got upgraded to these rooms, so if you are a couple and your tour is fully booked you may just get upgraded too! All of the rooms are also en suite with a toilet & sink and the showers are just outside the lodges. Is there anything more amazing than looking up in the shower and seeing nothing but sunshine, blue skies & palm branches!? I told you it was paradise
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Above are some pictures taken from the Redcat Adventures website of our beautiful lodge pictured from the outside with the stunning veranda amongst the trees, and inside of our shared 6 bed dorm. Added details not pictured included gorgeous fluffy throw blankets which were piled high ready for us to use as we wished which was lovely in the evening & really added to the luxurious feel of the stay. You will find a full range of prices & pictures of all the rooms on their site, so you can pick the perfect one for you!
Once we were all settled in to our rooms we were free to explore the resort for the afternoon. One amazing thing about Paradise Cove is the variety of activities depending on how active you want to be. Along the front the equipment is all there for kayaking & paddle boarding, completely self serve & free of charge so you can head out whenever suits you. Follow along the secret path through the trees and you'll find a full sized tennis court with equipment, a basketball net & football goals. - Not to mention the pool, jacuzzi hot tub, table tennis & hammocks to kick back in & read a book if you fancy a little less of a 'full on' afternoon! We had just put our stuff down in the rooms when one of my new friends from the tour appeared on the veranda in her (oh so stylish) stinger suit ready for kayaking! I couldn't help but appreciate how easy it was to find like minded people on this trip, of course I was up for a spot of kayaking!
Now, what better way to wind down after an afternoon on the water than with a 5pm beverage & an outdoor bath with your pals!? The Oxford dictionary states 'Paradise' is a place that is extremely beautiful and that seems perfect, like heaven. Now you can see why this resort is called Paradise Cove! All the showers & bath areas are also fully equipped with luxury shampoo, conditioner, body wash & bubble bath so don't worry about packing those for your trip! I think it was while I was lying here in this bath staring out in to the golden palm trees & hearing the sea crashing on the shore that I had to remind myself I'm supposed to be a 'backpacker on a budget!' ;-) Can I stay in Paradise forever!?
After our rather leisurely bath, dinner was served at 7.30pm, a delicious meal and desert accompanied by any drink you've brought with you - you can bring as much booze as you wish but no glass or red wine. Having said that, I think I had 3 ciders the whole time we were there, the vibe was very chilled and definitely not a party trip. - I would say I'm still drying out from the farm hostel life so that suited me perfectly! After dinner we headed down towards the beach to the fire pit underneath the stars. I've never seen a more beautiful clear sky, we even saw a shooting star. It was a brilliant setting to sit and chat with new friends and fellow travellers while toasting marshmallows, mesmerised by the dancing flames. What an evening!
Next morning we were up and out fairly early so to make the most of the day ahead! After a lovely continental breakfast of cereals, toast & fresh fruit (side note; get involved with the watermelon in Aus people, it's insanely good!) We were back on our boat ready to whip through the waves to the beautiful Whitehaven beach. We arrived at the north end and the iconic Hill Inlet lookout point. The plan was to visit the beach here too, however as the tide at the drop off point wouldn't allow for a lengthy stay, our quick thinking skipper decided to scoot us round to the south end of the beach. Turns out this was much more secluded away from the traffic of the other tour groups, we ended up eating lunch on the beach too which was glorious!
We spent the time swimming in the crystal clear waters, sunbathing & of course tucking in to our lovely picnic lunch of pasta, bread rolls, cold meats, cheeses & salad served up by our fab crew Jayden & Shano of course! We got a good 2 and half hours at the beach which was just bliss, obviously enough time to get that instagram snap, if you've followed me for a while you'll know I haven't been anywhere iconic unless there's a bridge pose photo! ;-)
Next up was our first snorkelling stop off. I've never really done any proper snorkelling, when I worked as a nanny in Greece, we occasionally took the kids snorkelling but we'd be lucky to see a handful of fish. This, on the other hand, was a real snorkelling experience! The team at Redcat have a license to feed the fish, so when we drop in to the water at the snorkelling point it's like climbing in to an aquarium! What an unbelievable sight - we saw all kinds of fish, big and small. Alongside the fish, we saw the reef restoration work that the Whitsundays council implemented following a cyclone that damaged a large part of the reef 2 years ago. It was great to see a man made structure built in to the sea bed to encourage the reef to grow back and keep our wee fishy friends happy!
That evening we had another delicious home cooked meal, a few wild games of 'Articulate' at the dinner table in-between courses & of course back down to the fire pit for more chilling under the stars. We had one more snorkelling trip in the morning so it was a fairly early night for us all ahead of the 8.30 departure next morning.
I had such an amazing experience on this trip and would recommend it to anyone, whether you're on your own, with friends, young or old, a truly great tour with something for everyone. I'll leave you with this wee video of my GoPro footage from the 3 days, it's my first time using it so they will only get better! ;-)
Now, what better way to wind down after an afternoon on the water than with a 5pm beverage & an outdoor bath with your pals!? The Oxford dictionary states 'Paradise' is a place that is extremely beautiful and that seems perfect, like heaven. Now you can see why this resort is called Paradise Cove! All the showers & bath areas are also fully equipped with luxury shampoo, conditioner, body wash & bubble bath so don't worry about packing those for your trip! I think it was while I was lying here in this bath staring out in to the golden palm trees & hearing the sea crashing on the shore that I had to remind myself I'm supposed to be a 'backpacker on a budget!' ;-) Can I stay in Paradise forever!?
After our rather leisurely bath, dinner was served at 7.30pm, a delicious meal and desert accompanied by any drink you've brought with you - you can bring as much booze as you wish but no glass or red wine. Having said that, I think I had 3 ciders the whole time we were there, the vibe was very chilled and definitely not a party trip. - I would say I'm still drying out from the farm hostel life so that suited me perfectly! After dinner we headed down towards the beach to the fire pit underneath the stars. I've never seen a more beautiful clear sky, we even saw a shooting star. It was a brilliant setting to sit and chat with new friends and fellow travellers while toasting marshmallows, mesmerised by the dancing flames. What an evening!
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| The view from the Hill Inlet lookout point |
We spent the time swimming in the crystal clear waters, sunbathing & of course tucking in to our lovely picnic lunch of pasta, bread rolls, cold meats, cheeses & salad served up by our fab crew Jayden & Shano of course! We got a good 2 and half hours at the beach which was just bliss, obviously enough time to get that instagram snap, if you've followed me for a while you'll know I haven't been anywhere iconic unless there's a bridge pose photo! ;-)
Next up was our first snorkelling stop off. I've never really done any proper snorkelling, when I worked as a nanny in Greece, we occasionally took the kids snorkelling but we'd be lucky to see a handful of fish. This, on the other hand, was a real snorkelling experience! The team at Redcat have a license to feed the fish, so when we drop in to the water at the snorkelling point it's like climbing in to an aquarium! What an unbelievable sight - we saw all kinds of fish, big and small. Alongside the fish, we saw the reef restoration work that the Whitsundays council implemented following a cyclone that damaged a large part of the reef 2 years ago. It was great to see a man made structure built in to the sea bed to encourage the reef to grow back and keep our wee fishy friends happy!
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| Just when you thought the stinger suit couldn't get any more glamorous! - Simply accessorise with a mask & snorkel for that day to night look ;-) |
I had such an amazing experience on this trip and would recommend it to anyone, whether you're on your own, with friends, young or old, a truly great tour with something for everyone. I'll leave you with this wee video of my GoPro footage from the 3 days, it's my first time using it so they will only get better! ;-)
Finally, I know a lot of my instagram followers were dying to go to the resort after seeing some the instagram posts I uploaded, so of course I'll give you my top 3 insta shots to get on the trip;
You can follow me on instagram Here! If you would like to watch my stories over the next few weeks now that I'm free of farmer life and adventuring down the East Coast of Australia!
Thanks for reading & let me know if you book the tour! You may be able to get a discount booking through a travel agent or get $50 off if you book through Sailing Whitsundays which is the company I used.
Happy Travels!
L x
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