We Made It!

We arrived in Sydney as planned. The flight over on V Australia was as good as any 14 hour flight can be....the crew was very friendly and attentive and the service was excellent. The best part of V Australia's new planes and new service is the outstanding entertainment system....lots of options and very easy to use.

We had about a 4 hour layover in Sydney before boarding our Virgin Blue flight to Hamilton Island....this made for a very long first day! But arrival on Hamilton Island made it all worth it!

I have always felt there is something magical about landing on an island. Even if this is your 1st time or your 100th time there is just a feeling that is hard to describe as your plane approaches this spec of land surrounded by brilliant blue water. I know they have elaborate electronic communication systems now between the planes and the ground crew but the romantic in me still would like to believe that our arrival was akin to the old TV show Fantasy Island (several of you will probably not even remember that show) where one of the characters, Tatoo, would hear the plane engines and would run outside, point to the sky and yell "the plane, the plane" which would send everyone into a flurry of activity to prepare for the planes landing.

Our room at the Reef View Hotel has a spectacular view of Catseye Beach and some of the other islands in the Whitsundays. After taking that much anticipated shower and freshening up a bit we headed out to explore the area. Marina Village, just a short walk away is the hub of activity here on the island. Lots of shops, bars and restaurants featuring all types of cuisines.

We decided to stick close to our resort this first evening and chose a restaurant just across the way called Sails. We had a wonderful table, outside of course, and enjoyed a great bottle of wine along with our Seafood Feast - barramundi, Moreton Bay Bugs, giant prawns, crab legs, oysters, and salmon topped off with a delectable chocolate fondue with strawberries, ice cream and marshmallows for dipping. Note: the marshmallows in Australia are not like ours in the states....they are much creamier with a much smoother texture and not near as sugary?!

An early evening and 12 hours of sleep has us ready to do some further exploration of our surroundings. We are off to challenge ourselves (and to work off some of last nights dinner) by heading out on one of the many hiking trails here on the island....then some beach and pool time with a sunset kayak trip this evening.

Please enjoy the attached photos and our first impressions of Hamilton Island.