The most magical part of the world

After a bit of a hiatus (okay, a lot of a hiatus, almost a year...) I've decided to give this blogging thing another crack.

Back in December, I went to the Whitsundays with my fam. And it was GOOD. Really good.

You see, we used to go up there on a regular basis and cruise around the islands on a boat for a week or so. Then life got in the way, as it does, and we didn't do it so much. But for Dad's birthday last year, we decided a week cruising The Whitsundays was well overdue so we packed our togs, snorkels, reef shoes and not much else, and headed north.

Oh. My. Word. Mum, Dad, my brother and his girlfriend, my boyfriend and I had the most idyllic, relaxing and truly spectacular week. We chartered a boat with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms so there was plenty of space for us all, and then we set off from Hamilton Island to explore the islands at our leisure.

Words can't really describe that place, but the words magnificent, phenomenal, idyllic and sacred come to mind. There's nothing quite like waking up, wandering up to the top deck of the boat, munching on some mango for brekky and watching the turtles pop their heads up all around the boat, knowing that there's absolutely nothing on your To Do list for the day.

Deserted beaches, not a person in sight.

Untouched reefs, teeming with tropical fish and turtles.

Daily "Happy Hour" on the top deck of the boat feat. mucho champagne and cheese.

A few good novels and acoustic tunes.

No phone reception or wifi.

Evening BBQs on the deck under the stars. 

BLISS.

The thing I love most about doing The Whitsundays & chartering your own boat is how authentic it feels. You have the time and space to get back to nature, to get some perspective on life and to PROPERLY unwind. It's not your average tropical escape with the crowds and commercialism. It's just about going at your own pace, discovering new islands and beaches, getting away from the crowds and appreciating this magical place.

There's no place in the world like The Whitsundays and this reef dredging and dumping business truly breaks my heart. Is there nothing sacred anymore? Must we commercialise and bastardize everything our planet offers? But that's a whole other post, which I'll save for another day. Hrmph.

Have you been?
Where's your favourite place in the whole wide world?