“I’m looking forward to being treated like royalty,
Slowing down to turtle speed,
Commanding the universe from a hammock…”

So read a sign as I checked in to the uber-luxurious Voyages Bedarra Island Resort. The tropical rainforest resort is south of Cairns in Australia.  I, too, was looking forward to some of that promised R and R during my two-day stay!  

Checking into one of Australia’s premier resorts is an ideal way for a honeymoon couple to recuperate and to treat themselves after their frenetic wedding preparations and the stresses of the day itself. 

Privacy, peace and serenity, 16 villas accommodating a maximum of 32 guests attended by 28 staff and a prohibition on children: this resort has a cachet not easily found elsewhere. Approximately 50 percent of the guests are Australian, a testimony to just how special this tropical hideaway is.   “Dinner is the only time guests need to see anyone else,” said Frederick Maclean, the affable French general manager. He confirmed that many of the clientele are honeymooners chilling out and enjoying time in their exquisite villas. After imbibing a cool, welcoming tropical fruit cocktail, I was directed to my home away from home. (Well, not quite, but I wish!)

Three minute’s walk away, the verdant rainforest seemed to envelop my two-story modern glass and wood villa. Two verandahs provided me with the sights and sounds of the nearby ocean through the dense vegetation.  I almost gasped on entering the villa. The ground floor’s amply-sized bedroom had a very inviting king-size bed; the bathroom offered wonderful scents and salts for the separate bath; there was also a generously-sized glass walled shower. A bottle of chilling Bollinger Champagne provided a welcoming touch in the well-appointed living room upstairs as relaxing music wafted from the CD above the amply supplied, complimentary mini bar. A fan swirled above the beautiful wood floor; a TV completed the comfortable picture. The hammock upstairs seemed to beckon to relax and enjoy the wonderful sounds of nature all around me.

There was no time for that, however - I had a “could not miss” reservation for a gourmet picnic lunch on my very own deserted island. 

Three hours of wining and dining and on local sea foods, cold cut meats, antipastos accompanied by perfectly–chilled wines, sunbathing and swimming quickly passed before the sight of a boat in the distance informed me it was time to return to Bedarra.

The rain-forest night sounds provided a musical orchestra as I sat on my verandah drinking tea before heading off for a relaxing one hour massage in the coastal spa. The resort’s general manager, Frederick Maclean, was convivially chatting to several guests on my return as he expertly shook up some knockout cocktails in the 24-hour open bar. It was soon time for dinner on the open terrace overlooking the pool and ocean.

Salmon Carpaccio, Tasmanian scallops, swordfish, king prawns, veal loin and quail were just some of the dining choices during my stay; guests could also request the meal of their choice if these yummy-sounding lunch and dinner offering didn’t whet their taste buds. 

A tasting selection of desserts was served in the bar’s adjoining library; then a little time remained to enjoy my villa before turning in for the night.

Bedarra’s 100 acre private resort is designed for those who wish to be pampered, indulged, and to be alone, should guests so wish. For the more energetic, there’s a lovely rainforest walk that traverses the tiny island. Catch the boat to Bedarra’s Voyages sister resort on nearby Dunk Island for kayaking, water or jet skiing, guided nature trails, or horse riding through the tropical island, amongst other activities. Reservations can be made through Bedarra Island Resort.

The time was too soon over. I had to depart my island paradise for adventures new. I was somewhat consoled, however, that I was now fully recharged, ready for my next experience: Voyages El Questro Wilderness Park.

Walking trails through wilderness and rust-coloured sunlit gorges, thermal springs, four-wheel drives on unpaved roads and pristine rivers filled with barramundi big game fishing – these are just some of the activities available in ELQ’s one million private acres. The spectacular region borders the eastern perimeter of the Kimberleys in the north western part of this mighty continent. 

After a forty-five minute flight on a small plane from Darwin to the Aboriginal-named town of Kununurra, we drove on paved, then unpaved road, for almost two hours before reaching Emma Gorge Resort.
Chattering corellas, large white birds similar to cockatoos, greeted us from the trees above on our arrival. 

My supposed tent accommodation happened to be a luxurious, permanent structure situated beside one of the resort’s many rivers. The iron-red suffused cliffs gleamed and greeted me in the early morning sunshine as I wended my way to breakfast before the start of each day’s activity-packed events.

“There’s sugar on the ants’ bottoms,” so they’re tasty and full of protein, I learned from Shane, a local Aborigine, during a bush tucker tour in which a we learned how these amazing people survived for millennia in the harsh landscape they called home.

The Bauhinia, nicknamed the mother-in-law tree, is called thus because the two adjoining leaves don’t face each other; in Aboriginal culture, mother and sons-in-laws aren’t supposed to look at each other, Del King told me during a very enjoyable two-hour horse ride the next morning. En route back I spied some wallaroos munching on grasses near the stables.

Archer fish spat at the very amused tourists (their way of catching insects for dinner,) during the Chamberlain Gorge cruise. That beautiful location is accessible only by boat. Explosion Gorge, named after the former damaging fishing techniques, was spectacular in its ancient isolation. And the four-wheel drive to Branco’s Lookout provided, as we enjoyed alfresco wine and cheese, a wondrous overview of just some of what this private natural wilderness offers.

A 30-minute thrilling helicopter ride on our last morning proved the grand finale to our stay in this unique holiday destination.

As the pilot wended his way above and around the mountains, ravines, gorges, swollen rivers and thousands of acres that stretched as far as the eye could see I realized that El Questro Wilderness Park is a homage not to humankind, but to nature in all its magnificence. 

Ten days Voyages El Questro Wilderness Park and Bedarra Island from Euros 2,077 per person, accommodation only.

This includes five nights at Voyages El Questro in Emma Gorge Resort, staying in a tented cabin and four nights at Voyages Bedarra Island Resort in a Hillside Villa, including a spa treatment for two. Price based on two people sharing.

Flights start from Euros 1460 per person. Price includes return flight from Dublin - Darwin, returning Cairns - Dublin with Qantas Airlines, internal flights between Darwin - Kununurra with Air North, and from Darwin - Cairns with Qantas Airlines.
Valid for travel 16th April-15th June 2008.
Austravel www.austravel.ie
Voyages: www.voyages.com.au