InterContinental Hayman Island Resort

Stunning location. Nice rooms. Okay food. Pretty inefficient and poor service levels. The kids working here are not to blame but management are culpable for not having trained staff with well defined processes that you would expect at a luxury resort. A lot of busyness but very poor service.

Our first visit to this fabulous Hayman Island resort was a few years ago and turned out to be one of the most wonderful Australia based holidays we have ever had. It was hard to imagine that our expectations could have been exceeded this time around. Amazingly they were!! We have just completed a five night stay for our 30th wedding anniversary in a Lagoon Wing ocean view suite. It was a magic stay. Almost everything was wonderful, right from initially boarding the luxury launch at Hamilton Island, being greeted with champagne, snacks and a super quick check-in, whilst travelling to the resort. On this trip we spent much more time at the Infinity Pool (rather than then main pool), which we loved. All the activities we did were amazing, including a stunning sunset cruise, the wonderful Bali Hai Reef Island Escapade - an exceptional reef snorkelling experience, luxurious massages at the Hayman Spa and Hobie Cat sailing - a new experience for us in our 60's, but one we absolutely loved and did a few times!! The staff were all wonderful - without exception. So many international staff - we were looked after by folk from Australia, NZ, Ireland, UK, Italy, Spain and Fiji - this international flavour is a real asset to the resort. Always smiling, welcoming, happy to answer any question or assist in any way. Whilst not being able to name all the wonderful staff that looked after us, we do make special mention of Tom & Declan (sailing), Bridget & Felicity (Sailing/Sunset Cruise) - all proving you can teach an old dog new tricks!! Amy (Hayman Spa) with magic hands, Eroni (Launch), Leah and Julia (Restaurants), Dan and Team (Island Escapades). Thank you so much for your care. Not everything was perfect - we had some difficulties with dinner orders being "mislaid", leading to a couple of very long dinners - (it was really only a problem because we were so tired from fun filled days - but it was a bit of a drag). We loved all the restaurants. It's hard to pick a favourite - other than to say the breakfast at the Pacific restaurant is possibly the highest quality, most comprehensive breakfast on the planet - So many options, so little time. It's a real drag to have to make our own special omelette and squeeze our own fresh OJ now that we have returned home. The Lagoon Wing room was delightful. Daily Room Service was excellent. On our last trip, we stayed in the Pool Wing. It's hard to choose one over the other - each wing has it's own set of attributes. On this trip, sitting on our balcony sipping champagne with an uninterrupted view of the ocean as the sun sets, was hard to top. Each activity we did was wonderful - it definitely helped to forward plan and book some activities. No activity was over crowded, all were very well run/managed by the staff. The Intercontinental Hayman Island Great Barrier Reef Resort is certainly at the pricier end of the market (it certainly for us!!), but it was worth every cent. We were also very grateful to have sunshine each and every day of our stay, which just added to our pleasure. We thoroughly recommend the resort and we will definitely be returning again. 5 Stars from us. Thanks all. Pat & Chris

Just wow, I have no complaints for this place from the moment you step onto the luxury yacht drinking champagne. Unlike other bad/harsh reviews, I found the staff to be very friendly, room serviced every day (tip: use the simple button next to the door to ensure you get room service 🤷🏼‍♀️), food amazing and the resort itself very luxurious. I upgraded to the pool access room and didn’t regret paying more for the type of holiday I wanted - relax, read and swim. To be able to jump straight into pool from room was priceless, but if having a different type of holiday (activity based) I would still recommend pool wing unless have young children then lagoon wing has a more suited pool. No problems getting breakfast every morning, tables available and always abundance of food no matter what time you go. Recommend booking dinners for your stay to ensure you get date and time you want, every restaurant serves great food, with Amicii my favourite (equal with seafood buffet). I didn’t do any activities but when I looked out of curiosity most were booked out so plan ahead. Recommend doing the Whitsunday lookout walk, amazing views. Don’t be put off by other harsh reviews, maybe something didn’t go to their liking, but you won’t be disappointed if you plan ahead and get to know the way around the resort facilities (download app and learn room buttons). I’ll be back definitely.

Staying at this resort was a beautiful experience with stunning views, nature and service. I’d like to give a shoutout to Sine from the Grove boutique and cafe - she was extremely kind and hospitable - as well as many of the other resort staff :)

Had a great time the staff was really nice and great service especially Atama. The resort is beautiful the room is fantastic we had a really good time and we will be back soon. Dinner at all the restaurants were delicious- especially loved the pizza and the Tiramisu at Amici.