InterContinental Hayman Island Resort

I recently stayed at Hayman Island for 7 nights, spending over AUD 20,000 for what I expected to be a luxury and private experience. Unfortunately, during my stay, I experienced a serious privacy breach when a member of the housekeeping staff entered my private balcony and took selfies without permission. I immediately reported this issue to the hotel management upon check-out, and I initially received an apology. I was promised by the management team that they would get back to me and yet I heard nothing for days. After chasing again and contacting IHG, the Executive Assistant, Samantha Mountford to the Managing Director, Kayte Staraj contacted me via email after I have requested support from IHG to help and Samantha assured me the matter would be investigated, and promised to get back with the findings. However, after several days of hearing nothing, I followed up again and discovered that the Executive Assistant had since left the hotel. Upon contacting IHG directly this Friday, I was told that Hayman Island had already closed the case. This is simply not true, as no one has ever contacted me with the promised findings, resolution, or even a basic update. The lack of accountability and transparency is shocking, especially for a premium property that prides itself on service and privacy. Privacy is a basic expectation when staying at a five-star resort, and the fact that a staff member could enter my balcony without consent and no meaningful action has been taken is unacceptable. Worse, the failure to communicate or resolve this matter has completely eroded my trust in Hayman Island and IHG as a brand. I am sharing this experience to raise awareness of the lack of professionalism and follow-through by Hayman Island management. I hope the resort and IHG will take this matter seriously, address the systemic issues, and ensure no other guest has to endure a similar experience. I would still welcome any further contact from the management team to resolve this matter appropriately.

OVERRATED TO THE HILT!! Not at all luxurious. More like 3.5 star rating and run by teenagers. The cocktails are premix and the food is hit and miss. Was a complete waste of time and money. Never never again and our friends who travelled two weeks before us said they had the same experience. Our neighbours while on property left early because the service was so bad. Such a shame.

I feel like all the people who write the bad reviews are expecting to be carried in on the back of Elephants and be fanned by servants while they lay by the pool...All because they have spent a little bit more money and it says 5 Star. This was our third time staying at Hayman Island, were even married here when it was One & Only. We stayed for a week just after christmas and it was the best time we have had on Hayman (apart from our wedding) Do the drinks take a little longer around the pool and can the service be a little slow, yes.......but its PEAK season......You see all those other people laying beside you, they have ordered drinks also, so just relax! Bjorn (Food & Beveage manager) has made a real difference in the resturants/bars compared to our previous visits. Are the dinners expensive on NYE, Yes, but as mentioned in previous reviews, the events team email you all of this prior to your arrival so there is plenty of time to plan your meals. We had dinner at Pacific on NYE which was a full seafood buffet along with every type of meat for $375 Adult - $150 Child (Under 12) our daughter was 14 but they charged us for a child which was nice. There was a large family nearby who got into quite a heated argument with Resort management as they werent happy with the dinner and service provided which was extremley selfish considering everyone else in the resturant were trying to enjoy their NYE. Maybe it was their first time spending this sort of money and expected more?? Again, all the menu was available long before you arrived so any complaints in my opinion were not warranted. We actually had fantastic service that night from the lovely french waitress Margo. In terms of Resturants, Bam Bam is by far the best in our opinion, and the manager there Emma was brillant! The only thing I would suggest is keeping Pacific Bar open until 12:30/1am on NYE. The past two years we have had no where to go after dinner as our daughter wasnt allowed into the party they host for adults (not all kids are in bed by 9:30pm). We noticed alot of the european families and their children especially (who are custom to going out at 10/11pm) had no where to go after dinner at Pacific like ourselves. Pacific shut at around 11pm so that was our night. All in all, Hayman Island is just a magical place and well worth the money!! See you all at the end of the year!!

Our last visit was in 2019, and it was below par mainly because of the service level. This year, the same 2 families (six of us) returned for an 18th birthday and we had a very good experience. There were some minor glitches but the level of management oversight, staff knowledge and capacity and overall refinement were far improved. Arrival & Room - The airport experience was good, however the boat waits for two or three flights to arrive, and one was delayed so we were stuck at the marina for an excessive amount of time. Check in is done on the boat which is efficient. Upon arrival at the resort, each family is greeted and taken to their room with a tour by a staff member. Nice touch. We stayed in the pool wing, which was far better than the ocean wing we previously stayed in. Rooms were very nice. They forgot the roll away bed but it was brought promptly. We opted to skip housekeeping a few days, and others were done nicely. There is a Hayman app with daily schedules, restaurant/menu/room service and live chat with reception. Click on deliver towels, and you get more towels. Staff – Unlike last time, we didn’t feel that any area was understaffed, and even some of the multinational staff who were new to the resort were generally well trained and informed. If you want to nitpick, yes it wasn’t always perfect, but certainly acceptable for a remote island. There are quite a few Fijian and Vanuatuan staff who were lovely. Staff who really stood out for us with above average service were Val, Spencer, Mere, Eroni, Willow, Clia, Silina, Rob, Margaux, Tia, Thommaso, Morgan and Lavinia – thank you for looking after us so well, as well as the manager (who’s name I forgot) who made sure the birthday evening was so enjoyable. Facilities – We didn’t do water sports, partly because of the windy weather, but also the value and the stinger risk. With such gigantic pools (that aren’t chlorinated so they are lovely to swim in), we were happy to relax and they are somewhat sheltered from the wind. There was a bit of rain as you’d expect for December, but remained warm and humid, and we only really lost one day out of six. Otherwise passing light showers were welcome. As at any resort, get in early to get a good spot by the pool. The cabanas are worth the minimum $350 spend, which for six people over six or seven hours was easy to cover. There are good options in the sports area including tennis, squash, air hockey, snooker and table tennis, and the walk is steep and rough but rewarding. The gym is very nice and open 24hrs. It has some yoga classes, and we saw one morning yoga session on paddle boards in the pool. I’m reliable informed by others in the family that the hair salon and spa staff and treatments were excellent. Dining – restaurant options are covered sufficiently in other reviews and web site. On our last visit, service was very slow, and we had a few allergy near misses. They seemed a lot better resourced and educated this time, and there was a better appreciation for allergy risk, including not making us feel guilty for repeatedly asking about allergens. We pre-ordered a lovely cake for my daughter’s 18th, which they made special with a complementary champagne in the room and a cocktail in Amici where we had the birthday dinner. The food quality was very good. As others have said, the breakfast buffet is excellent, and if anything had run out, the staff were only too happy to get something for us. Check out was easy, with notification the previous afternoon about our departure time. You can check your bill anytime on the app or on your room TV. I was checked out in five minutes. Overall, we felt that nothing was too much trouble, including some left field requests (like getting Bam Bam food delivered to the pool at Aqua). My visit this year was somewhat reluctant given the previous service experience relative to the high cost, but this trip has been one of the best holidays we have had, and we look forward to returning.

Not the way it was and no service based on what you pay. We have been coming here for many years and really disappointed in the service this year. The place is still beautiful and tranquil but the current management couldn’t run a chook raffle. The drinks at the pool take at least 30 minutes to arrive even though you have paid a premium for a cabana. Today our room wasn’t serviced at all, neither was our kids room. Would get better service at a 2 star hotel. When we first started coming here, there were 5 restaurants, now only 3. It’s fine if all are at high quality. Bam Bam is really good and we really enjoyed dinner there but the buffet at the Pacific was really disappointing this year. Buffet that costs $160 a person but no flavor or variety. Years ago this was an amazing experience and food, now a real let down.