Elysian Retreat
Standing in crystal water, toes sinking into fine powdery sand, suspended in stillness (except for the swooshing palm trees) your best self tends to emerge. She’s motivated and mindful, a good global citizen and she’s not going to take waste and pollution lying down. As travellers moving through paradise, we have a choice: be a part of the overtourism problem, or the solution. We can tear through recklessly, leaving a floating plastic island in our wake, or tread nimbly into pristine environments, throwing our holiday budgets behind the destinations and experiences that put conservation front and centre.
ELYSIAN RETREAT, Long Island
Elysian Retreat on Long Island has two very impressive claims to fame: it’s the most secluded island retreat in the Whitsundays and the first entirely solar-powered resort on the Great Barrier Reef. Relaxation has never been so exclusive and ethical!
The beach Elysian sits on is literally called Paradise Bay, and the team are whole-heartedly committed to protecting the beauty of the area with sustainable practices across the board; from water and wastage, to fuel and emissions.
This November, Elysian is launching the SoulScape Wellness Retreat – a five-day celebration of the best things in life: yoga, meditation, spa packages, paddle boarding, gourmet plant-based food, hammocks and a mineral pool.
From November 18 to 23, you can bask in the island’s glory and bliss out in the serenity of your private oceanfront villa (there are only 10 in the private cove). You’ll leave Elysian a new, more mindful and zen person. In Greek mythology, Elysian describes a blissful state – and the retreat is true to form.
Visit elysianretreat.com.au/retreat
HAYMAN ISLAND, by Intercontinental
If any place can testify to the perils of climate change it’s Hayman Island. In 2014, owners spent a cool $80 million after back-to-back cyclones, only to face decimation again when Cyclone Debbie hit three years later. Now, Intercontinental is running the show and has added new systems to protect its slice of Whitsundays paradise. The high-end haven uses motion detection to save energy, and runs coral planting activities as part of the Kids Club.
Tuning in to research on the effects of sunscreen ingredients on reef ecosystems, guests are lavished with We Are Feel Good Inc, a biologically safer sunscreen. In the spa, Sodashi’s chemical-free products are used – saving the world one facial at a time.
Visit intercontinental.com
HEART ISLAND, Hamilton Island
Hamilton Island guests can now head off to explore Heart Reef’s Hardy Lagoon, knowing that they’re ticking off the bucket-list chart-topper responsibly.
The Heart Island Pontoon was developed in consultation with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, after a two-year environmental impact study. It’s moored in sand and is powered by wind and solar. The pontoon does not carry waste and only operates within a designated lagoon, which is monitored for reef health.
Visit hamiltonisland.com.au
DAYDREAM ISLAND RESORT, Daydream Island
Daydream Island’s Living Reef is more than a tourist attraction: the marine-life haven was built to make conservation accessible. Education is key in this neck of the Whitsundays.
Children can join eco-focused programs in the Kids Club, while their parents escape to the spa. Meanwhile, Daydream Island’s marine biologists will be working on a pilot census study with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, aimed at driving reef recovery.
Visit daydreamisland.com
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