All The New Places To Stay In Australia’s Whitsunday Islands

When Cyclone Debbie tore through Australia’s Whitsunday Islands in March 2017, the storm left wispy white-sand isles thrashed, hotels destroyed, and renowned natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef and Whitehaven Beach in ruin. With losses to the tourism industry estimated at $114.5 million, the event could have wrought lasting damage. But just two years on, the islands are back.

The revival began with a mega-makeover of palm-fringed Airlie Beach, unveiled in June: A sleek new waterfront promenade, bursting with restaurants and markets, has allowed the formerly backpacker-filled beach town to pivot from being a regional jump-off point to a destination unto itself. New and improved hotels, too, have perked up the area’s prospects, with adults-only wellness retreat Elysian opening in March. The 20-guest escape brings unprecedented exclusivity to the islands, not to mention sustainability—it’s the first fully solar-powered resort in the Great Barrier Reef. In April, the family-friendly Daydream Island Resort reopened, showing off a $100 million renovation and breezy, barefoot-luxe rooms; then came the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, which has taken over from One&Only in one of the Whitsunday Islands’ most glamorous spots. Unveiled in July, it includes eight sumptuous private beachfront villas and the 4,300-square-foot Hayman Beach House, set up steps from the ocean. Plus, travelers can now snorkel to a six-sculpture underwater exhibit, opened in September.

Next month the Museum of Underwater Art—the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere—makes its much-anticipated debut, with installations scattered among the islands that double as sites for coral and marine-life regeneration. Perhaps the most original development, though, comes courtesy of tour operator Cruise Whitsundays; the outfitter has just launched Reefsuites, Australia’s first underwater hotel, where guests spend the night in a fully-submerged glass-walled suite, taking in an incredible hidden world. All of these eyes focused on the reef will amplify the attention needed to protect its future.