Days 2 & 3 Daydream Island

Our second and third days on Daydream Island were spent taking in everything the resort had to offer, and each day started with a nice buffet breakfast.

Included in the price for all guests, breakfast was served in the Waterfalls restaurant and consisted of the standard eggs, bacon and hash browns as well as a selection of breads and pastries. As a vegan I was a little uncertain as to how easy it would be to find meals that I could happily enjoy and I was pleased to discover that in addition to the standard buffet fair, there was a large selection of fruits and nuts. I was able to have a huge bowl of fresh fruits such as pineapple, papaya and melon with a variety of nuts and grains including Queensland natively grown macadamia nuts.

As early morning eaters, we had no trouble getting a table for three people at 7:30am, however every morning we watched as the clock hit 8am and the majority of guests arrived, with many needing to wait up to 20 minutes for a table. I was also surprised to discover that there was an adults only breakfast dining area that those without children were able to access more quickly. As a family oriented resort it didn’t ever occur to me that I would have the option to sit in a very quiet area and enjoy my first meal of the day, but the room is available for those that would like some morning quiet time.

Once our bellies had been filled with all you can eat breakfast buffet goodness it was time to put on our bikinis, somewhat regretting the amount we had just eaten, and head out to the resort’s beaches.

Daydream Island has a few beach areas on different sides of the island, however I use the word ‘beach’ very loosely. Whilst the water is a beautiful aquamarine colour and a pleasant temperature for swimming, the beaches were made up of dead coral which if you’ve ever seen it is basically hard spikey rocks. My friend’s four year old daughter tried her hardest to build sandcastles out of the rocky beach, but it was unfortunately not a possibility, so we ended up seeing how high we could build our rock piles.

Later I was told that most of the beaches in the Whitsundays are coral beaches, with the only sand being in and around Whitehaven Beach, only accessible on a day trip. So whilst my friend and I were happy to lay our towels on the rocks and soak up the sun, our feet suffered walking in and out of the water. I highly recommend a pair of beach thongs if you plan to swim.

Our second attempt at a beach was over at Lover’s Cover on the West side of Daydream Island. This small enclosed area is sheltered and surrounded by rock, with the opportunity to both sun bake and snorkel with wild tropical fish within a couple of meters of the shore.

By far the cheapest and one of the best activities to do on the island, we purchased a small container of fish food from the tourist desk for $2 and stood in knee deep water with tropical fish surrounding us. It was a really delightful opportunity to experience the beauty that exists in and around the Great Barrier Reef. A myriad of living coral was visible just off the shore with hundreds of fish very keen to swim up to people and see if there was food coming.

Lover’s Cove is a really nice area to relax on one of the provided deck chairs, or do as we did and stretch out on a towel absorbing the rays. Snorkels are available to hire for $15 a day and I thoroughly recommend them to those who want to enjoy an inexpensive yet unique experience.

After having our fill of rocky coral we decided to try our hands at mini golf. Whilst enjoyable, the facility was a little rundown with plenty of holes in the putting turf. But we had a great time trying to hit our balls through the obstacles, and encouraging a four year old to use her golf club in the correct way whilst not cheating too much.