Unique Sleeps: One&Only Hayman Island, Australia

As fun as it is to travel with a toddler, sometimes it’s fun to drink cocktails at noon, and read books and sleep on a holiday.

With these ludicrous fantasies in mind, my husband and I left our small human with his grandyhuman and nicked off to One&Only Hayman Island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

We flew into Hamilton Island, then hopped onto a brand new luxury launch to Hayman. We (“I”) arrived famished so went straight to the poolside restaurant, Aquazura, trying not to notice the 4,000 small children splashing around the pool as we were seated. (Partly cos we already missed our own little guy, but also because: romantic getaway).

Crisp chardonnay, a kilo of fries (and some fish, I suppose) and some creamy fig and honey gelato revitalised our weary bodies, and woozy and happy, we headed to our room for a nap. A NAP. In the afternoon! With no alarm or small baby to wake us! Goodness! Such living dangerously! Much craziness!

Said room was completely fantastic with a side of amazing. We were in a stunning all-new villa, complete with an inside-outside atrium in the middle, which boasted a sexy pool and a little bar, and also the trees and the sky. I got a real kick walking from the bathroom (enormous bathroom, dream bathroom) outside past the pool, and back inside to the fully beachfront bedroom and sitting area. This might be because it reminded me we were in warm, tropical far north Queensland, where you can have indoor-outside living, (as opposed to Melbourne, where winter spans between 8 and 15 months a year) and it actually works, but it also might be because I’m six years old.

We spent the early evening drinking by the pool then tarted up for dinner at Amici, a busy, fun Italian joint with a cosy trattoria feel. It was by far my favourite dining experience and I enjoyed my meal immensely: the burrata was creamy, the vegetarian pasta was flavoursome and light, the fish was delicious, and the apple pie was INHALED. The only negative was that I was too full to try a pizza or tiramisu, so I was unable to have any pizza or tiramisu. I love pizza and tiramisu.