Hayman Island Resort Whitsundays
Readers Reviews
Richard Malizia
February 2007
Hayman Island was a huge disappointment for my wife and I. Hayman is advertised the world over as Australia's No1. retreat resort hotel, our experience of the hotel was dreadful and lagged so far behind its rivals its not true.
1) Staff. Imagine a team of 20-30 years olds with nothing better to do than spend 3-6 months of their year working on an isolated island location. The staff we spoke to were inexperienced, bored, desperate to leave and would much rather return to their studies in sydney or overseas.
2) Food. We met a hooneymoon couple who felt the food to be such poor value, yes poor value and very very average that they resorted to In Room Dinning for their main evening meal. Remember people don't mind paying for quality. The cheese and ham toasted sandwiches are great, but a 20 year should be able to prepare those - right!.
3) The gym. WOW. I visited Hayman 15+ years ago. This facility is so out of date its an embarrassment, the overall gym facility has not changed in 15+ years. Faulty striding machine "Need Service" was flashing up. Faulty bike machine which needed fixing. The gym staff, didn't seem to care the equipment was faulty and argued the machines were fine to use despite the machines not providing any resistence.
4) Wine list. I'm use to drinking Oz, NZ, SA, North and South american wines etc etc. With twice daily flights from Sydney there shoud be no excuses for such poor quality wines. The evening waiting staff had no wine knowledge, one such staff member asked me whether our chosen wine was Rough or Smooth!!!...... where do they get the staff from?
5) General condition on the public areas of the hotel are very very very shabby.....and the glossy marking pictures are far from the reality
Finally, I am slowly working my way through the Leading hotels of the World. Strike Hayman off your list I beg you and head to south east asia, india, maldives.
Anthea
We recently stayed on Hayman Island for 4 days,
and although expecting a very 'unfamily' resort, was pleasantly surprised by the
amount of families staying as well as the activities for the children. We took
our two year old daughter.
Getting There
We flew Virgin Blue to Hamilton Island and as part of the package, were met by the
Hayman Launch to take us to the Island. The boat trip takes just under one hour.
The only negative aspect of this is that the boat waits for a number of flights
to arrive, meaning we were waiting for at least an hour before we departed. The
yacht is air-conditioned and there is champagne and drinks available (and plenty
of snacks), just one very grumpy 2 year old to try and wrestle with! The
hostess' also check you in whilst on the boat.
Arrival
Arriving into Hayman is spectacular and once off the boat, you are met my a
buggy that takes you directly to your room. As we were prechecked in on the boat
- we were taken straight to our room, which was lovely! Our 2 year old had
definitely had enough by now!
Accommodation
We were booked into a standard room, however were extremely lucky to be upgraded to a
Penthouse Suite. Obviously we had more room than expected, however with the
latest renovations done 4 years (or so) ago, the room was starting to look a
little shabby. I had a quick peak into a standard room and they appeared to be
roomy with plenty of natural light. We were supplied with a portacot for our
daughter.
Food
Eating on Hayman is expensive, however a fairly good kids menu is available at a
reasonable price. The restaurants aren't particularly kid friendly - with the
exception of the Italian restaurant, which supplied the biggest bowl of
spaghetti Bolognese! This immediately ended up all over our daughter and the
floor. A band came on at 7pm, which provided some distraction, so we could eat
our meals and by 7.30pm we were feeling that other diners would like some peace
and quiet, so we quickly left. There is a Thai restaurant, which I wouldn't
dream of taking a child under the ago of 7 into. The main bistro restaurant is
on the beach, which offers older children the chance to run around, whilst
parents eat - although this is where you have breakfast, so we decided to stick
to the other restaurants for dinner. Lunch is usually beside the pool and
consists of the usual burgers and nachos, with some kids snacks supplied on the
menu as well.
Kids Club
The kids club at Hayman is fantastic! Considering there were quite a number of
families, it was very easy to book a spot in the club, however the prices were a
little more than other resorts in the area. Usual activities, and a great
(undercover) play area as well. Our daughter appeared to be happy and relaxed
when we picked her up and asked to go back the next day.
Activities
The absolute must do, is the Reef Dancer. A semi submersible, which is ideal for
little kids to get the whole reef experience, without getting their toes wet.
Our daughter saw 'nemo' a number of times, which was her highlight of the
holiday. Other activities include reef trips and day trips specifically designed
for older kids.
Summary
If the budget persists, I would recommend Hayman as a family friendly resort. Great
facilities for kids of all ages and a fairly attentive staff to assist with
booking activities and baby sitting.
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