Travel Agent Thornlands

Early January 2007, my husband and I travelled to Brampton Island for 5 nights with two dear friends to celebrate their recent wedding - yes we went on their honeymoon with them! Our friends came from Canada so the thought of holidaying by themselves while they were in Australia for their wedding was not an option!!

We flew direct from Brisbane to Mackay, which is the coastal gateway town for Brampton Island. We chose to take the coach and ferry across to the island, but you can take a small aircraft direct from Mackay airport. The flight option is a much quicker option but my dear friend isn't a fan of planes at the best of times so there was no way she was getting on a little one!

The trip across to the island takes just over an hour and it could be quite rocky if the weather was bad but we were lucky, the sun was shining and it was a nice balmy boat trip over to Brampton. I was so needing a island holiday after working hard all year!

Upon arrival we were checked in quickly to our Palm View rooms and given a cool refreshing drink! As we were travelling in the summer, it was quite humid and warm, but perfect for all the swimming and snorkelling we had planned. The air conditioning in the room was welcome and we soon emptied our suitcases, changed into our swimmers, grabbed the beach towels and headed to the ocean!

Brampton Island Resort is a designed for couples in mind, so no kids facilities provided. The island is a National Park so plenty of walking tracks for those that want to be active but it was a little too hot for hiking and bushwalking for me. My girlfriend and I booked ourselves prior to arriving for an afternoon of Day Spa treatments so when the time came, the boys headed out snorkelling and the girls spent the afternoon getting pampered!

Our mornings were pretty active - the boys got up early each morning and explored the snorkelling trail just off the beach - it's quite a tidal stretch of water so only open during certain times of the day when it's safe and it just so happened to be from 7am during the week we were there. While hubby was away I enjoyed the sleep in and then went for a swim in the resort pool to wake up before getting ready for breakfast. One of the highlights of this holiday was the food!!!

We had booked a package including all meals and it was the way to go - being all prepaid I wasn't worried about the bill at the end of the holiday. The meals were majority buffet, served in the first floor restaurant with a fabulous view of the beach. The food was fresh, plentiful and tasty and we NEVER went hungry!

As a very special treat, we booked ourselves and as a gift, our friends, into the Sea Salt dining experience - an amazing poolside dining experience for a select few couples to dine privately next to the waters edge. We delighted in our taste sensation of a menu, with an outstanding waiter that kept our glasses filled with premium Australian wines and beers. It was a highlight of our holiday and one thing you absolutely must do when you come to Brampton! Words can't describe...

I can without hesitation recommend Brampton Island - this was my second holiday here and each time I'm able to completely relax under the palm trees, enjoy swimming in the clear waters, enjoy rest in the comfortable accommodation and generally just switch off. The accommodation I would rate as between 3.5-4 star but there are some exclusive beachside rooms with extra luxury touches that are easily 4-4.5 star.

This one of my favourite places in Australia to escape to.