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Lobby entrance at qualia
After a few days of getting used to city life in Sydney, we headed up to Hamilton Island (part of the Whitsundays). It’s a 2 hr. flight (direct – yay! – on Jetstar) to Hamilton Island. Jetstar is a low-cost airline — low cost to the point where you don’t even get a complementary drink. You pay for that as well. Somehow it’s still 100x more pleasant than Southwest or United.
The qualia experience truly starts the minute you get off the plane. Maybe I’m too used to walking off a plane at JFK at 11:30 at night, trying to identify which of the 400 town cars whizzing by the terminal is actually picking me up. Nothing could be more different at qualia. As you walk into the terminal at Hamilton Island, two staffers await you. One will be picking up your luggage and the other will be taking care of your transfer to qualia (aka escorting you to the Mercedes mini-van and offering you a chilled hand towel and choice of still or sparkling water).
After a mini tour of Hamilton Island, you arrive at qualia…you’re offered a welcome glass of champagne or wine and you sign your life away…but it hardly seems to matter. After all, it’s just credit…did you see the view?!
Meals are included — and you’ll spend evenings in the Long Pavilion, either inside or on the deck, taking in the sunset and on some nights a fair bit of tropical rain…
