Within a few minutes of meeting our host we grew worried. Darran was a nice enough chap from New Zealand, but he said we had to provide our own water as he had nothing for us to drink. He also mentioned that the tides were very high today so the Kayaking would be challenging.
We wasn’t wrong! We spent the first hour battling against string currents to get to our first beach and snorkeling stop. The beach was OK but nothing special. Darren assured us it was one of the best beaches in the Whitsundays, which kind of says it all. The sea life was almost non existent. We say a couple of rays and a few small fish but no coral. He assured us the coral was there, but due to the high tides, it was way down deep. The tides had also stirred up the water, so the visibility was poor.
We sat on the island for some time, whilst Darren phoned the weather station to check on the increasing wind. A max wind of 15 knots was forecast, however it was already reaching twenty. Darren decided we should start to head home, even though it was only 11am.
So, we headed back against strong currents for Pudding Island. We eventually reached the island, which it minute. He said we would do lunch here. However, when he picked up a tiny dry bag and began to climb to the top of the island we wondered about how tropical our lunch was going to be.
Tropical lunch = processed chicken roll. That was it. Nothing to drink and certainly nothing tropical. The lunch was pretty much the same as the snorkeling, a big disappointment.
Once the roll was consumed, we headed back across the bay. By now the water was racing through the gap between the islands. We had to battle to get back across. By the time we reached the harbor we were exhausted and mighty disappointed. Darren had been a nice enough guide, but the trip was a big let down.
Once back at the hotel, John went to reception and explained what had happened. Within an hour, the told John that the tour company would offer a 50% refund. After mulling this over, John phoned back and said that only a 100% refund would suffice as the trip delivered was not as advertised in the brochure.
Eventually the tour company manager phoned to speak to John. At first he was quite hard nosed about it. John explained the facts and within five minutes he had offered us a 100% refund.
Having arrived back at the hotel early, we chilled out around the pool reading our books. John updated the blog and uploaded it to the website. We met a very nice couple from Ireland who were here as part of their honeymoon.
In the evening we ate at the Beach Club restaurant. Very nice indeed.
We have enjoyed the sun and heat at Hamilton Island but would never ever come back. The island is way too expensive and simply does not deliver on any of it’s hype. It must said that the staff have been marvelous. It’s the island and its expensive, very average activities that disappoint again and again.
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