Reef and rain forest

Hayman Island Resort

Walking past the bevy of high-end shops and through the lobby that resembles an art gallery with Asian sculpture and Persian rugs, I felt like I might be at The Plaza in New York City instead of this remote resort. Such urbane touches stand out on a 900-acre tropical island. I was surprised that cell phones worked and some guests were actually using them. You're in paradise, I wanted to whisper to them.

Hayman's beautiful main beach is lined with catamaran sailboats arranged by the color of their sails. (At high tide, the water-sports staff carries them into the water.) The winds here at the Whitsunday Passage make it a popular sailing destination, and windsurfing, kayaking, and paddle skiing are also offered. An impressive fleet of sea and air vessels (including a helicopter) whisks guests off the island on ocean safaris to tour, snorkel, or dive around the reef.

In fact, I'd been transported here from the nearest airport, on Hamilton Island, by the resort's own seaplane, virtually a flying SUV. I rode in the copilot's seat for the ten-minute water-skimming trip, seeing coral through the water's surface. As the plane became a boat and we steered toward shore, the pilot popped open the windows and a light breeze without a trace of saltiness filled the plane.

Despite the litany of water activities, I chose to be a landlubber here: doing yoga, lying by the pool, and resting up for the Chef's Table, an evening-long event hosted in the kitchen. To prepare, I had a facial at the spa. Secluded from the outdoors at The Retreat, I felt I'd entered a hallowed sphere, where like Gigi I'd be quietly remade into a lady. This feeling was likely accentuated by the Hayman facial I was having, which used French Guerlain products and included eyebrow and eyelash tinting. Later, I told a woman from Adelaide (who had brought her newborn to Hayman) that the treatment is about 50 percent massage, making what looks like a pricey facial more like a package of services. She looked at her husband with eyes that said "babysitter" and sipped from her sparkling water.

That evening at the Chef's Table, a specially arranged menu was paired with top Australian wines, brought up from the resort's cellar. (A love for a Clare Valley Riesling and a Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir has followed me home.) The dozen Australian guests--I was the only foreigner--were amazingly friendly. "When I was here last," whispered a woman from Melbourne who was dressed in an assemblage of pinks, "there was a prince of some country visiting with his entourage of about 18. No one in Australia is that fancy."

My main course was a nicely cooked piece of fish (the others had duck), but it didn't compare to the painstakingly presented small dishes (which are confusingly called entrýes in Australia): Morton Bay bug tails in tempura corn batter, a Jerusalem artichoke soup dotted with avruga caviar, and a ricotta-and-roasted-pepper rotolo with seared scallops. The caramel-pear dessert came in its own ginger-pastry cage, which hypnotized us all. Afterward, we were shuffled off for a kitchen and wine cellar tour, with a stop in another room under lock and key, the chocolate room. At this late hour, our appetites so clearly sated, we nevertheless moved in for one last petit four, what Hayman calls a "sweet ending."

Tropical Australia : The Basics

The state of Queensland, in northeast Australia, borders the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. Tropical North Queensland begins at Cairns, the area's transportation hub. To get to the coastal spas, it's easiest to take a car service (Cairns Limousines, 011-61-7-4032-1599). Palm Cove is about a half hour from Cairns, Mossman is one hour, and Daintree is an hour and a half.

Cairns Airport serves Dunk, Lizard, and Hayman Islands via Macair Airlines (011-61-7-4035-9722). Visitors to Hayman fly to Hamilton Island, where Hayman provides a boat or seaplane transfer; flights to Dunk and Lizard Islands are direct. Many international carriers fly to Sydney, including Qantas (qantas.com.au), which also has domestic service to Cairns.

Dunk Island 800-225-9849, dunk-island.com Silky Oaks Lodge, Mossman, 800-225-9849, silkyoakslodge.com.au Lizard Island 800-225-9849, lizardisland.com.au Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, Daintree, 011-61-7-4098-6100, daintree-ecolodge.com.au Angsana Resort & Spa, Palm Cove, 011-61-7-4055-3000, angsana.com Hayman Island Resort, 011-61-2-9268-1888, hayman.com.au

Spa Finder, the global spa resource, reaches millions of health-conscious consumers via its website, Spafinder.com. The company publishes Luxury SpaFinder Magazine, the trusted authority on luxury spas and associated lifestyles, and The Spa Enthusiast, the leading publication for active spa-goers.

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