Lizard Island Resort on the Great Barrier Reef offers holistic escape among nature’s wonders
Lizard Island Resort on the Great Barrier Reefis one of Australia's isolated luxury holiday destinations
FROM 2,745 METRES, the aquamarine lagoons and coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef, fringed by ribbons of silky white surf, stretch out as far as the eye can see. With its divine beauty, flying over the reef is an almost spiritual experience.
I'm en route to Lizard Island Resort, one of Australia's isolated luxury holiday destinations. The journey from the mainland takes 60 minutes, before the single-engine Cessna arcs gracefully to land on the island's tiny airstrip.
Twenty-seven kilometres from the coast of Queensland and 250 kilometres northeast of Cairns, Lizard Island sits in a pristine area of the Great Barrier Reef. The resort's symbiotic relationship with the reef is the core of its profound appeal.
Delivering understated luxury with a breathtaking reef encounter has consistently placed the resort in the Top 10 Hotels of the World list.
But despite the chic design of its 40 suites and villas, fine dining and exquisite creature comforts, Lizard Island Resort is not about matching its uber-luxury peers. It's a life- and nature- altering experience instead.
"There's a lot of 'bling' out there for people who want that six-star experience," says assistant general manager, Shaun Grant, as we stroll through the tropical bush. "We match that but without the bling. For us it's about balancing the in-room and outroom experience. We bring those together so you get that holistic escape.
"There are very few places in the world where you can remember who you are, and disconnect from the world. That's what we focus on."
With no cellphone reception, the resort has restricted Wi-Fi internet access to one lounge, a limitation I found liberating. Due to popular demand however, Wi-Fi will be rolled out to its rooms this year.
I stayed in one of the 18 Anchor Bay Suites; 936 spacious and elegant square feet of timber floors and unfussy finishes. With captivating sea views through a curtain of coconut palms, each suite has a path that leads to the beach 20 metres from your verandah.
If you want total privacy, book the most isolated villa. Beloved of British royals, the Pavilion, where Bollinger is provided on arrival and canapés at sunset, is for regal pampering.