Daydream Island Hotel

Whitsundays

In terms of colour scheme, Whitsundays stalwart Daydream Island is a little like a photograph that has been overedited. You’ll find yourself wondering how a sea could possibly be this blue as you arrive by ferry at the private island. The rainforest is ridiculously verdant and the sand as white as the cream you’ll need to reapply regularly to counteract the tropical sun. A £54m refurbishment completed earlier this year has left the resort shinier than ever, and with a landscaped central pool where you can wallow while soaking up glorious views over neighbouring islands. All 277 rooms are furnished in restful neutrals, many of them with terraced areas where you can sit and watch wallabies gather on the lawn at dusk as cockatoos jeer overhead in the palm trees. If you fancy getting even closer to nature, opt to snorkel the 200m living reef that wraps its way around the central building with a marine biologist, who will help you identify more than 100 species of fish. Of course, the location is the real draw here. Swoop over the Great Barrier Reef in a helicopter (visit queensland.com for more information) before landing on the milky powder of Whitehaven Beach, which has to be one of the world’s most picturesque, thanks to the fact that the sand is made up of 98 per cent silica. Back at base camp, there are three excellent restaurants to choose from, each with its own cuisine and style. Our pick has to be Inkstone, whose breezy dining room oozes chilled-out Aussie charm and whose chefs do a mean line in freshly grilled steak and seafood. Daydream by name, dreamy by nature.

Doubles from £212. daydreamisland.com