Airlie Beach + Whitsundays

Life on the road and the places we visit may seem all 'rose-colored glasses', and for the most part, it certainly is. It's ironic that the free things in life, or at least those of minimal costs, are often more enjoyed than those expensive experiences. My guess is that is has something to do with the expectations you have when you pay more for something...

We thought Airlie Beach was really quite pretty - it's right on the water and surrounded by green mountains. The mornings in Airlie were a refreshing crisp start to the day before the sun heats up the town.

Above: Airlie Beach

We spurlged in Airlie; we stayed at Heart Hotel and paid (more than we would have liked) for a boat trip on the Providence V through the Whitsundays to Whitehaven Beach.

Heart Hotel was conveniently located opposite the beach and in the center of town. It had classical music as you entered the room, luxury l'occitane toiletries, and a Nescafe coffee machine in the room. Our room also had a broken shower head, grime around the spa, and dust on the window sills. We got a free breakfast for the latter (and they tried their best to fix these issues - maybe overworked, under-trained housekeepers?).

The Providence V 'sailing':

Rating: 2 out of 5 *

You know what, hindsight is not a beautiful thing because if we had known ahead the ins and outs of our day, we would have caught the sea plan to Whitehaven Beach (they currently have a deal on at only $179/person). The seaplane would also free up your day a wee bit more to explore the many free walks and attractions around Airlie.

Instead, we chose a "sailing boat", except the sails on this sailboat never went up. Well, they did put up 2 tiny front sails for 5-minutes, but they soon went down because it was slowing the boat down. So, really, we went on an aesthetically pleasing motorboat. To sum up this tour company and our experience we have a list of pros vs cons:

Pros:

Aesthetically pleasing boat. It's a sailing boat so doesn't feel so touristy and carries fewer passengers.

It does a snorkel stop off. However, this was absolutely nothing compared to Heron Island (see our Heron Island Blog) - we are big fans of the reef at Heron!

You get to see Whitehaven Beach - you have just short of 90-mins to walk up the lookout and go for a swim at the beach. We would have loved to stay here longer!

The lady on the boat was lovely and did a good job of making us feel welcome.

Cons:

The Providence V went to the same locations as the other tour boats on offer, but it took a hell of a lot longer to get to and from, traveling between 8-10knots. Some may argue this is a wonderful thing, after all, we were sailing through the Whitsundays. However, when you follow the same route both ways and get passed by every other cheaper tour boat it starts to drag on. In all, we were motoring along in the water for 6+hours - I can tell you, the novelty of sitting on a bench seat lookout out at the same scenery for 6+ hours gets old! (Providence V do a sailing sunset tour - which would be a much more appropriate endeavor for this boat)

The skipper really flattened the vibe and didn't do a whole lot to engage with anyone on board. When he did, it was to remind us of the time we had to be back on the boat. We were reminded of this time - it was 1:15 pm - 3 times in about 5 minutes, and warned that if we were late we would have to cover the costs of the sunset cruise at $4,000. The only other interaction we had with the skipper was when he picked us up from Whitehaven in the small carrier boat and he sternly reminded us where to, or where not, to sit. The motor back (via the same route) to the Marina was rather dull, no commentary or entertainment in the slightest was offered. But for those who wanted to spend more money, or to drink away the pain of the boat ride back, there was alcohol - at a cost of course!

Oh, the wetsuits were extra on top of the 'all-inclusive' rate.

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In search of Airlie Beach redemption, we headed to the Coral Beach walking track the following day. This was probably a 3 out of 5 walk. It was cool to see the washed-up coral swallowing up the beach which was the point of difference from other beaches.

Basically, we would recommend paying less for a cheaper company (some even offer BYO if that's your thing!). Look for a company that allows more time to enjoy Whitehaven, and not more time sitting on a bench seat looking at the water. If we were to visit Whitehaven again we would definitely catch a plane (the same price as the day boat) and spend the day at this magical spot. If we wanted to cruise, we could do an afternoon cruise.

Above: Whitehaven Beach

All in all, this was a town of minimal effort and maximum wallet extraction (we thought it was reminiscent of Queenstown, but the QLD equivalent). With that being said, if you're passing through, a visit to Whitehaven beach (however you get there) is a must-do!

Marcus found that even the art was inline with minimal effort and maximum wallet extraction theme. Most of the art could have featured in a "My kid could draw that" segment of '7-Days' (NZ reference here). There was however a marble carving store which delighted Marcus.

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NEXT STOP: Magnetic Island (or as the locals name it Maggie Island) + Townsville