New Manager for Rejuvenation Spa

Daydream Island Resort & Spa has appointed respected spa industry professional Amanda Burleigh as manager of its signature 16-room Rejuvenation Spa.

Ms Burleigh’s appointment to the world class facility will be a homecoming of sorts - she previously worked at Daydream Island as head therapist from 2002 to 2004.

She joins Daydream Island with extensive experience both in Australia and overseas.

Her most recent position was with Heron Island Resort and she has previously managed spas at various iconic locations across Australia including Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa, Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains, Voyages Dunk Island Resort and Ayers Rock Resort.

“Daydream Island is the first spa I ever worked in and it’s like coming home,” Ms Burleigh said.

“I believe a spa experience is about the mind, body and soul. The Rejuvenation Spa offers a wide range of treatments which take clients on this total sensory journey including hydrotherapy, which is a great passion of mine.

“I am excited to return to Daydream and provide guests with the best spa experience possible.”

Ms Burleigh’s role includes training, implementing new procedures, performing extensive types of treatments and maintaining the high standards that Daydream Island guests expect.

The award-winning Rejuvenation Spa is a luxurious spa and wellbeing facility that combines an extensive array of health and beauty treatments and services with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

The spa provides a holistic approach to wellbeing, offering the time-tested health benefits of naturopathy, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and massage, along with beauty therapies using products such as Pevonia Botanica and Eles Mineral Make up.

Facilities include 16 individual treatment rooms, Vichy showers, thermal tables, hydrotherapy tubs, steam effusion showers and private relaxation areas.

Unique to the Spa is one of Australia’s most advanced naturopathic testing and treatment clinics, offering a complete and comprehensive analysis of entire body systems, from full blood analysis to monitoring and measuring fat and muscle mass.

Qantas resumes flights to Whitsundays

We are delighted to welcome the return of Qantas services between Sydney and Great Barrier Reef Airport at Hamilton Island which increases the access to Daydream Island by our guests from Sydney.

The extra flights commence 2 July 2014 on Wednesdays and Sundays with an additional Saturday service during peak season.

This augments current Jetstar and Virgin daily flights to the region.

You can view the announcement from Qantas here.

So now there’s no excuse not to book your ideal tropical island getaway to Daydream Island! 

Ring in 2014 on Daydream

Ring in 2014 in true island style with an unforgettable night of dinner, drinks and dancing on Daydream Island.

The resort will host special dining events at its popular restaurants along with two fireworks shows and entertainment from live band Don’t Fret.

Indulge in a Sensational Seafood Buffet at Waterfalls Restaurant, perfect for the whole family, with sittings starting from 5.30pm.

You’ll enjoy everything from large tiger prawns with chilli and lime aioli, Moreton Bay bugs and smoked salmon to an extensive salad bar, hot bar, carvery and decadent desserts including a chocolate fountain with fruit skewers and marshmallows.

Prices are $130 for adults, $85 for children aged 14-18, $55 for children aged 8-13, and $35 for children aged 4-7. Kids under 4 eat free.

Or enjoy a sophisticated black and white themed, 3-course dinner at Daydream’s signature Mermaids Restaurant.

You’ll feast on delicious entrees such as a seafood tasting plate, freshly shucked oysters with indigo dressing, king prawns with avocado mousse, salmon gravlax, crab and chilli salsa; mains including aged beef tenderloin, thyme, marrow and mustard crust, potato and confit garlic tortellini, green beans and prosciutto; and red wine poached pear, crème diplomat and gingerbread pain perdu for dessert.

The dinner begins at 6pm and costs $90 for adults, $45 for children aged 4-16 and free for children under 4.

Daydream has great accommodation packages available*. For bookings call 1800 075 040 or visit www.daydreamisland.com.


* Conditions apply. High season surcharge of $100 per person applies from the 20/12/13 – 05/01/14

Celebrate Christmas in paradise

Christmas on a tropical island with the catering, entertainment and kids’ activities sorted - could there be a more tempting way to spend Christmas Day?

Daydream Island Resort and Spa has your Christmas Day wrapped up with a range of ways to celebrate with your loved ones.

Enjoy a sumptuous seafood buffet lunch at Waterfalls Restaurant featuring delicious fresh seafood including large tiger prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and Alaskan king crab along with a salad bar, hot bar, carvery and decadent desserts.

Prices are $125 for adults, $90 for children aged 12-16, $60 for children aged 4-11 and free for kids under 4. The lunch begins at 12pm and ends at 3pm.

Alternatively, enjoy a traditional 3-course Christmas lunch with all the trimmings at Daydream’s signature Mermaids Restaurant, which over overlooks the resort’s famous mermaid sculptures on the shores of the Whitsunday Passage.

You’ll enjoy delicious festive fare such as slow roasted turkey breast with ginger and apple cider glazed ham and Christmas pudding. The lunch runs from 12pm – 3pm and costs $90 for adults, $45 for children aged 4-16, and $15 for a 2-course infant meal.

Mermaids Restaurant will also host a Christmas dinner from 6pm-8.30pm for $80 for adults, $40 for children aged 4-16 and $15 for a 2-course infant meal.

Daydream’s Fishbowl Tavern will offer its usual a la carte dining along with movies under the stars from 5.30pm.

Christmas Day wouldn’t be complete without a visit from Santa, who will arrive on Mermaid’s Beach on a jet ski with gifts for the kids. There will also be entertainment and a range of activities to keep the littlies happy throughout the day.

Daydream has great accommodation packages available*. For bookings call 1800 075 040 or visit www.daydreamisland.com.

* Conditions apply. High season surcharge of $100 per person applies from the 20/12/13 – 05/01/14

Stampede winner’s Daydreams come true

A Gold Coast man who proposed to his girlfriend at Daydream Island Resort and Spa plans to return and spend his honeymoon there after scooping the top prize at a unique social gaming event.

Leon Unus was the winner of Stampede – a cross between a treasure hunt and childhood game ‘capture the flag’, played out via an app.

The first social gaming event of its kind in Australia, Stampede begun after players downloaded the free Stampede app and used a real time map feed to locate a virtual prize token and other players in relation to their location.

The event took place last month in Brisbane and ran over seven days. The main prize was a 5-night holiday for two at Daydream Island valued at $4200.

Mr Unus and his partner Amanda Dau, 26, both took part in Stampede with the aim of winning the prize.

“I proposed to Amanda on Daydream Island during a five night holiday in September and we wanted to return there, but next time for our honeymoon,” 31-year-old Mr Unus said.

“Stampede was quite intense and a lot of fun to play. We are very excited about winning and look forward to revisiting Daydream as a married couple.”

Mr Unus, an apprentice fitter and turner, and Ms Dau, a medical receptionist, plan to marry in March 2015.

Daydream Island Resort and Spa director of marketing Jane Hermann said she was delighted to be a part of Stampede, and to give a young couple a honeymoon to remember.

“Daydream Island holds a special place for Leon and Amanda and we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to welcome them back as husband and wife,” she said.

Daydream Island Resort and Spa is located in Queensland’s tropical Whitsundays in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef.

The award-winning resort features 296 rooms and suites and is home to one of the world’s largest man-made living coral reef lagoons known as The Living Reef, a great selection of restaurants and bars, a fringing coral reef and a Rejuvenation Spa offering a comprehensive selection of health and beauty treatments.

Stampede founder Michael Tate said the Brisbane Stampede was the first in a line-up of Stampedes that will take place all over Australia in the coming months.

The unique game involves players capturing a prize token with their iPhones when they are within 50 metres of the token, and staying away from other players who are able to steal it back.

The person with the prize token in their possession when the game time ends is the winner.

Wallaroos and Mermaids!

The resident wallaroos at Daydream Island Resort and Spa are known to be curious creatures and that includes exploring the coral beaches around the island. The Whitsunday waters and Daydream’s mermaids make a spectacular scenic back drop.

Daydream’s famous life-sized bronze mermaids Serenity, Aphrodesia and Infinity sit atop a rocky outcrop.

There is a legend that in 1770 Captain Cook and the crew of The Endeavour heard a woman’s cry for help in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Racing to assist, The Endeavour struck and lodged firmly on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. 

The story has it that night the Captain heard the cry for help again and in a tiny life raft he went to investigate, stumbling upon the mythical Atlantis.  A mermaid then appeared and promised to free The Endeavour if the Captain told no-one what he’d seen.

The latitude and longitude written in the ship’s log for this incident corresponds exactly with the location that is now known as Daydream Island.

Photo by James Burnell 2013

Daydream scores hat trick as family favourite in survey

Daydream Island Resort and Spa has been ranked as one of the top resorts for families in Australia for the third year in a row in a national travel survey.

The popular Whitsundays getaway was voted number four in the Top 10 Family Resorts for 2013 as part of an annual survey conducted by family travel magazine, Holidays with Kids, and voted on by readers.

The awards recognise hotels and resorts which exceed the expectations of guests in just about every area, from outstanding customer service to facilities, a high standard of accommodation and family-friendly activities.

The magazine described the resort as being “the perfect base for families wanting to explore the Whitsundays and the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef”, boasting a Skippers Kids Club, activities such as snorkelling, rainforest walks, outdoor movies, an Australian icons-themed mini golf course and the Living Reef lagoon.

Daydream Island Resort and Spa CEO Phil Casey said the resort team was thrilled to have been named a family favourite for a third consecutive year.

“This ranking reflects the hard work we put into offering an extensive range of activities and facilities to cater for guests of all ages,” Mr Casey said.

“We offer something for everyone, from activities such as snorkelling to the world class Rejuvenation Spa, the Living Reef lagoon where the kids can touch baby sharks and de-barbed stingrays and the Skippers Kids Club which offers fun games and activities.

“We’re delighted that so many happy holidaymakers have had such a positive experience at Daydream and took the time to nominate us as being one of Australia’s best.”

Daydream Island Resort and Spa is located in Queensland’s tropical Whitsundays in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, only a 30 minute boat ride from Hamilton Island and a 30 minute ferry ride from Airlie Beach.

The award-winning resort features 296 rooms and suites - so there’s plenty of space for the whole family - a great selection of restaurants and bars, lagoon swimming pools, a fringing coral reef to explore and a Rejuvenation Spa offering health and beauty treatments.

The whole family can enjoy over 20 free guest activities which include kayaks, catamarans, stand-up paddle boards, a stingray and shark feeding show and an open air cinema.

The Top 10 ranking comes hot on the heels of Daydream winning the award for Best Hotel/Resort Spa Australasia 2013 for its Rejuvenation Spa in the recent Pevonia Botanica Awards.

ENDS