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Travel + Leisure
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
One of the Most Beautiful Island Chains in Australia Just Got a New Hotel for the First Time in 2 Decades
This resort is Australia's Whitsundays Islands' first new hotel in nearly two decades. Catseye Pool Club, led by Josh and Julie Niland, serves up a rare feat: family-style dining that's as fun as it is flavor-forward. From moonlight movies to baby gear on arrival, thoughtful family touches are seamlessly built into the guest experience. Located just five minutes from the airport and within walking distance to the marina and resort center, the hotel offers easy access to Hamilton Island's best. Guest rooms are thoughtfully designed with practical features like blackout blinds, a built-in bench that converts into a bed, and a mini kitchenette stocked with curated essentials. As an American expat living in Australia, married to an Australian, and now raising our two small children, I've come to appreciate a few cultural truths. Chief among them: Aussies take their holidays seriously (they'll think nothing of flying six hours with toddlers in tow). So when I heard whispers of a new design-forward, family-friendly boutique hotel opening in the Whitsundays—a group of 74 islands along Queensland's central coast—I was on the next flight north. The Sundays is a 59-room boutique hotel perched on Hamilton Island, the only one in the Whitsundays with its own commercial airport and direct service from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. It is the first new hotel to open on the island since 2007, and it's already reshaping how travelers are experiencing the Great Barrier Reef—not just as a once-in-a-lifetime snorkel stop, but as the relaxed, kid-inclusive base to explore it all. Built on the bones of one of the island's original structures, The Sundays feels like the laid-back little sibling to Qualia, the famously child-free resort just across the island favored by the likes of Taylor Swift, Oprah, and Paul McCartney. The Sundays, by contrast, invites the chaos and the kiddos in, offering barefoot luxury, but with highchairs and baby monitors. It takes its name—and its attitude—from the best day of the week: slower starts, shared meals, and no pressure to do much of anything at all. Getting there was refreshingly painless. A short flight from Brisbane and, crucially, a solo one—I was part of the first group of journalists invited to preview the hotel—I stepped off the plane and into a postcard: turquoise water, palm trees swaying, cockatoos squawking overhead. The Sundays staff met me at the Hamilton Island Airport, collected my bags, and a seamless transfer had me from tarmac to check-in in five minutes flat. Technically, I could've walked—the island is that compact. Once home to the Outrigger Restaurant and Allamanda Lodge back in the '80s, the hotel has been thoughtfully reimagined by local interior designer Carrie Williams. The result is a space that feels both fresh and familiar, rooted in its surroundings, but entirely redefined. Sculptural stonework, natural textures, and sun-faded tones feel right at home in the tropics, while a meandering boardwalk connects guest rooms to the ocean. Inside, curved walls and airy, open layouts create a gentle flow throughout, while bespoke pieces by First Nations-Hungarian artist Tiarna Herczeg infuse the space with vibrant color and cultural richness. Every room includes either a private balcony or terrace that opens up to lush gardens or Coral Sea views. The Sundays is just removed enough to feel like a retreat, but close enough to the island's center and marina to walk (or buggy) everywhere. As Hamilton Island CEO Nick Dowling put it: 'The Sundays brings something truly special to the island—boutique escape that reflects the warmth and ease of Australian hospitality.' In other words: You can sip a cocktail in your swimsuit while your kid faceplants into a sundae, and nobody bats an eye. One of the hotel's biggest draw cards is Catseye Pool Club, the on-site restaurant helmed by culinary power duo Josh and Julie Niland (of Saint Peter and Fish Butchery fame). This marks their first foray into Queensland, and arguably one of Australia's most exciting culinary openings of 2025. Known for their fin-to-tail approach and Sydney's most ambitious seafood, at The Sundays, the Nilands flip the script with a menu that leans seasonal, crowd-pleasing, and delightfully family-friendly. 'I wanted to create family-style dining that didn't feel disingenuous, conducive to how a child actually wants to eat,' Josh Niland told me. For kids, that translates into build-your-own flatbreads with a selection of antipasti and charcuterie. For adults, the batter-fried wild fish tacos with bush tomato salsa and fermented pineapple hot sauce were outrageously good—more Baja than Barrier Reef. Breakfast is reserved for hotel guests (and very much worth waking up for), but the real magic happens between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. when the sundaes appear. I opted for a mix of all three options—Queensland strawberry, Daintree chocolate, and Cassowary Creek vanilla with soft cream, a waffle, and chocolate sauce for good measure. From the design to the details, The Sundays manages to fill a long-standing gap in Australian travel: a high-end hotel that welcomes kids without compromising on taste. It's not just family-friendly, it's family-forward, down to the very last sun lounger and soft-serve cone. And whether you show up with a stroller brigade or solo (as I did, blissfully), it's a welcome reminder that elevated doesn't have to mean adults-only. Here, everything you need to know about The Sundays. The view from the balcony rooms. I stayed in a balcony room that opened up to a direct view of Passage Peak. Compact but beautifully designed, it centered around a cloud-like king bed, which included a trundle disguised as a bench, perfect for children up to age 12. A small kitchenette was stocked with curated Aussie brands, a Nespresso machine, and a hidden microwave (ideal for warming bottles), along with a welcome gift of house-made rocky road candy. The bathroom featured a walk-in rain shower, stocked with Leif products, and a freestanding tub big enough for two (three, if one of them still fits in a swim diaper). Warm neutrals, tactile textures, and Herczeg's artwork kept the space feeling calm and elevated without overpowering it. Family Connect rooms offer interlinking layouts that sleep up to six, perfect for bigger broods. Behind the bed, a retractable wall revealed a generous dressing area with thoughtful storage: a wide bench for suitcases, deep drawers, hangers, and just enough extras: yoga mats, oversized beach towels, umbrellas, buckets, and spades. From Left: the view from Catseye Pool Club; the food at The Sundays. It's rare to find a hotel restaurant that feeds both your child and your inner food snob. At Catseye Pool Club, the vibe is relaxed and the menu is elegant but unfussy: dishes meant to be shared, passed, picked at, and genuinely enjoyed. 'We didn't want to make Saint Peter up here,' Josh Niland said, refering to his acclaimed Sydney seafood eatery. And it's not. Unlike Niland's more buttoned-up outposts, this one's full-on holiday mode. You can swim, snack, or settle in for a long, lazy lunch by the water's edge. Cocktails, which toe the line between elevated and playful, come courtesy of Saint Peter alum Samuel Cocks. On the plate, there are nods to the Nilands' seafood roots—BBQ Bowen line-caught coral trout and Tweed Heads Eastern rock lobster—but much of the menu is built for relaxed, share-style dining. As Josh Niland said, 'Each item is designed for the whole table, with all the trimmings.' Kids can enjoy grilled chicken skewers, fries, and a scoop of sorbet to finish. For adults, dishes like Berkshire porchetta and Bowen mud crab pies are flanked by bright seasonal sides that more than hold their own. For dessert, the flambé pineapple tart for two arrives theatrically, still warm from the oven, topped with a scoop of sugar cane rum ice cream. The pool of The Sundays hotel. Held twice weekly on the deck, the sunrise yoga classes are low on pressure and big on ocean views. If you prefer lounging to lunging, the pool at The Sundays is exclusive to guests and has daybeds, cabanas, mild water temps, and cocktails. The hotel sits just steps from the Hamilton Island Resort Centre, where The Sundays guests have access to tennis courts, a bowling alley, additional pools, a gym, and Spa Wumurdaylin, a wellness sanctuary that makes up for The Sundays not having its own wellness area. For the more energetically inclined, complimentary paddleboards, kayaks, catamarans, and snorkelling gear are available to rent. For something unforgettable, book the Journey to the Heart helicopter experience. The $1,400-per-person flight soars over the Great Barrier Reef's iconic heart-shaped coral formation before landing on a private pontoon in the middle of the ocean for a guided glass-bottom boat tour and snorkelling session. It's very Bond-fantasy meets The Blue Planet , and absolutely worth the price tag. I also joined a Cultural Island Discovery tour with Ngaro guide Robbie Congoo, which was a memorable experience in the company of someone deeply connected to the land. We cruised aboard a private vessel to nearby Hook Island, explored ancient rock art sites, and ended the day with gourmet canapés and drinks infused with native Australian ingredients. The Sundays make traveling with kids feel—dare I say it—easy. Evenings kick off with moonlight movies on the deck, where family-friendly flicks are screened under the stars with bean bags and popcorn. Just next door, there's a brand-new playground for post-breakfast energy releases and the Clownfish Kids Club, open to children aged six months to 12 years, staffed by professionals who make the AUD 80 rate for a half-day feel like a bargain. A full day is AUD 160 with activities ranging from face painting to wildlife park visits. To lighten your load (and your suitcase), The Sundays also offers a range of baby gear on request: portable cots, highchairs, diaper bins, strollers, and more. The building's bones were repurposed, and the hotel incorporates eco-conscious materials and systems throughout: smart cooling, energy-efficient LED lighting, and bamboo-lined ceilings. Even the tapware is locally made and lead-free. Accessibility has been handled with the same level of care. Three dedicated accessible rooms, a pool lift, and shaded, wheelchair-friendly cabanas ensure all guests can enjoy the space in comfort. The Sundays sits at the northern end of Catseye Beach, an arc of white sand on Hamilton Island. Located in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, it's about as close to remote paradise as one can reasonably reach by direct flight from Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne (all under two and a half hours). The island is also a prime launching pad for two of the region's must-do experiences: Whitehaven Beach and Heart Reef. For travelers coming from the U.S., the simplest route is via Sydney or Brisbane, with a same-day connection straight to the island. No cars are allowed on Hamilton Island, so guests can get around on foot or by buggy or shuttle. The hotel itself is perfectly positioned: just steps from the Hamilton Island Resort Centre, offering shops, cafés, and restaurants. While The Sundays isn't part of any loyalty program or premium credit card booking platform, there are still ways to unlock extra value. The Hamilton Island website is your best bet as it features offers and exclusive island-wide deals. You'll also find curated recommendations on where to eat, what to do, and insider tips. Nightly rates at The Sundays start from AUD 891/night ($577). Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
NZ Herald
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Travel Alerts: New exhibitions, wine pairings, resorts and cruises
New exhibitions A moving new exhibition, In Focus – The Unseen Journey of Compassion, Commitment and Care, opens at Waiheke Island's Mataira Gallery from May 8 to June 1. Created pro bono by award-winning photographer Rachel Mataira in partnership with Waiheke Health Trust and NSPR, the exhibition captures intimate stories and portraits of local families navigating health challenges, including the Stevens whānau. Through powerful images and heartfelt kōrero, the exhibition tells the stories of local families who rely on the trust's care. Mataira and NSPR dedicated over 300 volunteer hours to the project, aimed to raise awareness and support for the trust's community-driven healthcare services that help Waiheke residents live well, with dignity and connection. Bold wine pairings QT Auckland's Esther restaurant launches 'Crushed Grapes', a bold new dining series pairing Mediterranean-inspired menus with rare New Zealand wines. Hosted by chef Sean Connolly and executive chef James Laird, the events feature celebrated boutique winemakers Bilancia (May 15), Radburnd (July 17), and Hans Herzog (September 18). Each evening includes storytelling, a three-course meal, wine pairings and a welcome glass on arrival for $129pp. Guests can also test their tasting skills in the 'guess the glass' challenge to win an Esther voucher. Celebrate wine, food, and the local winemakers behind Esther's much-loved cellar and book your tickets today. Luxury stays in paradise Hamilton Island's newest boutique hotel, The Sundays, has officially opened, offering a fresh, family-friendly take on luxury island stays. Designed by Carrie Williams, the hotel features relaxed, coastal-style rooms with balconies or terraces and artworks by Tiarna Herczeg. Guests can enjoy sunrise yoga, moonlit movies, kids' amenities, and sundaes by the guest-only pool. The heart of the hotel is Catseye Pool Club, a laidback restaurant and bar by chefs Josh and Julie Niland. The Sundays joins a range of Hamilton Island accommodations including qualia and the Beach Club, offering direct access to the Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven Beach, and Heart Reef. Make every day feel like a Sunday with Hamilton Island's The Sundays and book your stay today. Scenic cruise around Marlborough If you're craving a day filled with nature, adventure, and good food, this is the way to go. Hop on the Pelorus Mail Boat and cruise to D'Urville Island for a day of scenic beauty, delicious food, and outdoor adventure. Departing on May 25, May 31, and June 1, this rare trip to one of Marlborough's hidden gems will have you cruising through Pelorus Sound, enjoying local insights, and spotting marine wildlife. Once you reach the island, you will be treated with a delicious two-course lunch, a quick exploration to native bush and a hidden waterfall, and a paddleboarding session in the pristine waters of D'Urville Island. Slots are limited so book your ticket today.
