Qualia: Absolute Luxury on the Great Barrier Reef

Where: Hamilton Island, Australia

8/03/2007 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Hotel Openings, Island Resorts, Australia Hotels

Hamilton Island, off the Queensland coast of Australia, has just got a brand new, upscale luxury resort. Qualia is the Great Barrier Reef's answer to decadence, and the resort includes 60 villas sitting on the northern tip of Hamilton. It's due to open any day now, ready to settle in a bit before for the summer season starts at the end of the year.

Qualia is pricey by Australian standards, with rooms apparently starting from A$1400 a night (about US$1200). But for that, you get a private plunge pool, access to a personal trainer, a library and an electric golf buggy to explore the rest of the island in.

There will be two restaurants exclusively for guests, one dubbed a "contemporary Australian restaurant" (whatever that means) and another more casual eatery, the kind you can crash in after coming back in from the pool. Since billionaire Bob Oatley bought the island three years ago, all kinds of developments have been going on, but it looks like Qualia should be the icing on the cake. Time will tell.

[Photo: quannum]

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