The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Now this is my kind of commute
Globe-trotting hairdresser Daniel Galvin Jr finds harmony in a blissful resort on the Great Barrier Reef
Jet lag seems to be my middle name these days and global travel my commute. Yet actually seeing the places I commute to? Not so much. So on a whirlwind trip to Sydney promoting a new organic product range, I decided enough was enough. I was going to have a break… and actually get to appreciate some of Australia’s sunshine coast.
The qualia resort on Hamilton Island in the heart of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef promised to tick all my boxes: eco-friendly, reef diving, beautiful beaches. And what I really want is to sit on the beach…
But all in good time. Here, relaxation is fast-tracked – and there is a lot of it to pack in. Qualia’s long driveway is lined with melaleucas or tea trees and before I even get out of the car, I can feel my lungs responding. There are no dinosaurs beyond the Jurassic Park- like gates, but there are wallabies, cockatoos and an abundance of other indigenous creatures. Check-in is slick – the first of many faultless interactions with duty manager Dean n – and the colonial interiors sophisticatedly atedly understated.
Relaxation stage e two involves a glass of champagne e in my pavilion while drinking in panoramic views of the ocean, followed wed by a deep tissue massage. It’s s as much as I can do to keep my eyes s open for dinner at Coca Chu, a Thai beach restaurant where the waves gently lap the shore as I contemplate emplate a lobster wrap and d more champagne. It would uld be rude not to…
Morning dawns, , and the beach awaits. Well, only after scuba uba diving at Bait Reef, f, an hour and a half by chartered boat, where the ocean is 81F (27C) and once underwater, you enter another crystal-clear universe. Green turtle, angel fish, butterfly fish and even shark abound. I hate to leave. The trip, in the end, lasts all day.
Lucky, then that dinner is another special treat – I had mentioned to Laurelle, q qualia’s as he head concierge, that my favourite d dish in Australia is the great barramundi. And behold – executive chef Doug In Innes-Will has prepare prepared line-caught barramu barramundi with pig’s tail croquette croquettes, braised fennel, cauliflowe cauliflower purée, apple and jus gras. gr Sommelier Ben recom recommends a Pike’s rie riesling; crisp, fresh a and perfect.
After another night wrapped in the cloud-like duvet and the soundest sleep of my trip, a 90-minute helicopter tour of the Great Barrier Reef reveals – despite the problems with coral bleaching – a mesmerising ocean.
At the koala sanctuary, cuddles are on the agenda (well, it is Valentine’s weekend), and Bobby is my cuddle buddy. Rumour has it he’s a bit energetic but I’m greeted by him lying facedown on the floor, sunbathing! During our embrace I nearly burst into a verse of Waltzing Matilda.
Back at qualia and the beach can wait: a sashimi and sake masterclass beckons with Tony and Liz, also from the UK. We duly get to grips with sake refinement and how to choose something to suit your sashimi. Who knew? No time to ponder: despite a cloudy sky, it’s time for a sunset cruise. To the amazement of myself, the other six guests and the skipper, the clouds blow away just in time for us to see the sun slip behind Whitsunday Island.
This isn’t, of course, just a paradise for us. It’s also home to endangered green turtles and where they choose to lay their eggs. I’m honoured to be able to see this first-hand – it’s something very close to my heart as an ambassador to and patron of the