As a blogger, I have wonderfully and gratefully, at times, been offered incredible travel opportunities. In 2014, I was invited, for a second time, to one of the most amazing places in Australia - qualia on Hamilton Island in Queensland's Whitsunday islands. Still, this one will always be my most memorable and favourite.
I wrote an extensive post on my first visit here.
It still holds many cherished memories for me, as I spent most of my 4 days there, well quite literally just pinching myself that I was actually, you know... there, at qualia.
Bikinis, cocktail dresses and camera gear flying ~ I couldn't get to the airport quickly enough. Therefore, when asked if I would like to revisit this stunning place, which I can only describe as complete and utter nirvana, I again jumped at the chance and was packing quicker than lighting.
This trip was less food-related than the first ~ which was the Great Barrier Feast. As my above blog post link noted, it was a sublime experience of incredible food, stunning surroundings, great company and total bliss. However, on this occasion, I was asked to come and get a first-hand feel for a new experience they are offering at Qualia called Weekends of Wonderment'.
This weekend in June 2014 began with an intimate candle-making class with Elise Balzac, founder of the high-end Australian soy wax candle brand Maison Balzac. Elise was a stunningly beautiful and ever-so-chic French lady who was warm and attentive to the 24 guests. The session allowed us to select our unique scent and pour soy wax candles into a personal heirloom or jar.
Afterwards, we all enjoyed champagne on the outside lawn. It was great chatting away and getting to know all the other attendees.
Many glasses of great red later and a lazy lie-in, in addition to a super breakfast on Saturday morning, the journey continued with a hands-on crabbing experience with renowned chef and Tourism Australia's 'Restaurant Australia' ambassador, Mark Best and expert crabber and marine biologist, Matt Vickers.
This was a really fantastic experience and my fave for the whole weekend. All 24 guests were split up between two of qualia's luxury boats. We jetted out of the harbour onto the open sea on a somewhat slightly gloomier day weather-wise than we all would have hoped, but that didn't dampen our spirits and actually, what I found really interesting was you can still enjoy the Whitsunday's come glorious sunny weather or equally with a spot of drizzle. It showed itself in a different light but was similarly beautiful, mysterious, and magical. As we sailed out towards the crabbing pots, there was a lovely sense of peace and tranquillity, which slightly reminded me of parts of Ireland.
Once we moored, we were again split up into groups of 4 or 6 and climbed into little speedboats, in which we were sped out to the mud crab pots in the mangroves. It was an absolute ball and a different experience from anything I have done before. It was super fun to see Matt in action and some of my fellow guests pulling up the pots and discovering what lay inside. Anything we did find was expertly tied up and put into a box to be enjoyed by guests at the main evening dinner hosted by Mark.
After our crabbing experience, we were all zoomed back to the leading boats and then dropped off at an island where Qualia had put on a lavish banquet lunch with the most incredibly fresh prawns, oysters and fish from the surrounding area and loads of unique salads, bread and as ever, at qualia, the champers flowed, and flowed...
Once we got back to the hotel, the love for all things artisanal continued with an art of flower arranging session with the founder of Grandiflora, Saskia Havekes, often referred to as the First Lady of Flowers. With experience working with Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Dries Van Noten and Acne, Havekes inspired, informed and delighted guests in a visual and conversational form.
After discussing her signature perfume, Magnolia Grandiflora EDP, guests were allowed to make exquisite floral arrangements under Havekes' expert tutelage. During this time, others participated in an informative Gentleman's Club talk on the Legacy of Sailing with Iain Murray, CEO of Team Australia.
The weekend culminated in an elegant 'Weekends of Wonderment' dinner at qualia's renowned Pebble Beach, prepared by guest chef Mark Best.
See my other post on Mark here.
