Booked into Hamilton Island for 3 night honeymoon stay, and were totally surprised when we were picked up by the Qualia courtesy vehicle rather than Beach Club which we'd booked. We were certain they'd made a mistake as we knew how much more expensive even the "basic" Qualia Villas were, even over the pricey Beach Club accommodation.
We made it through the "Jurassic Park" style privacy gates and were greeted on arrival at the Long Pavilion by champagne and welcoming smiles..... still sporting a champagne hangover I had to knock back the bubbly and we had to be convinced we were really staying there.
So, seems we scored an upgrade... A private villa with a courtesy bottle of Verve, courtesy golf cart to travel the island, a-la-carte breakfast, great pool next to Pebble Beach with nice island and waterways view... The beach wasn't a tidal mud-flat as we found out Beach Club etc fronted... so that was appreciated.
3 days/nights was just enough to sample the island, do some water activities ( the jet-ski's were a blast ) and work out the layout of the place.
Food in Qualia is expensive, but you're really paying for the top-notch service.
Plenty of other options around the Marina area to eat kept the costs down somewhat.
Overall a great couple of days, Qualia is definitely a few notches above the other resort areas and if Hamilton Island is on your "must do" list then it's worth paying for the better accommodation and service.

If we hadn't spent a week at Eratap Resort in Vanuatu 12 months earlier we would have been completely overawed by Qualia..... but we could probably have done Eratap again for the same price, it was just so much more special in our eyes.

My husband and I visited Qualia in September of 2012 as part of our honeymoon. We started the trip in Sydney, Australia, then ventured up to Hamilton Island, where we stayed at Qualia and finished our journey in Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Every leg of the trip was fascinating and beautiful; however, Hamilton Island and Qualia was certainly the highlight.

We are from New York City, work in finance, have traveled to many places all over the world and we have never experienced the overall perfection that can be found at Qualia. We stayed in a Winward Pavillion (I believe it was villa 4 or 5) and we had fantastic views - villas 3 through 5 are in a great location for views and are very private and secluded. We had the very fortunate opportunity of staying at the resort during the season when female humpback whales nurse their babies in and around the waters of Hamilton Island and we had multiple moments in which we spotted the whales from our room.

The villa is equipped with pretty much everything you might need, including electrical converters and an iPhone/iPod system that will play your favorite tunes in each room in the villa. Having the private plunge pool is a definite plus and I would highly recommend spending the extra money on a Winward Pavillion over the Leeward.

Prior to our honeymoon, my husband spent hours going back and forth with the concierge at the resort to set up a slew of wonderful excursions and activities for us. Our first day on the island we took a boat to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), went scuba diving with a private guide and then took a helicopter back from the reef directly to Qualia (Qualia has its own landing pad).

The next day, a small boat picked us up from the resort and drove us about 15 minutes away to a small uninhabited island where the resort had set up a picnic for us with towels, an umbrella, beach chairs, snorkel equipment and emergency kit (vinegar for jelly fish stings, a cell phone, sunscreen, etc). The resort also prepared a light lunch for us with local fruits, cheeses and specialty meats. My husband and I spent three or four hours just relaxing on the beach and exploring. This was probably one of my most favorite experiences there. After our relaxing day on our private island, my husband had me get all dolled up for a photography shoot around the island. You can have a photographer from Hamilton Island Photography do a photo shoot for you for free and then you can go check out the pictures and decide whether or not you want to buy them - we of course did!

The following day, we woke up, toured the golf course (which is on its own island and has stunning views) and then took a sea plane to Whitehaven beach. We spent an hour and a half on the beach drinking wine and just drinking up the stunning views and super relaxing environment. This beach is pristine and just absolutely stunning. After Whitehaven, we went to the spa at Qualia.

This spa experience was hands down, the best spa experience I've ever had in my life. It started with a sand footscrub for each of us, followed by chocolate infused milk bath, followed by the best couples massage I've ever had in my life (my husband said I feel asleep and was snoring!) We had a private couples suite which was enormous and equipped with an indoor bathroom area as well as an outdoor shower area. Oh! They also treated my hair with some kind of exotic oil hair masque treatment which made my hair baby soft and smelled amazing. It was a hefty expense, but well worth it.

The best things about the resort were the private little golf buggys, breakfast (was absolutely amazing) and just how accommodating everyone was. There were no problems there - it was just whatever you wanted. I couldn't have asked for a more amazing honeymoon experience. When we got back and saw that Conde Nast has it listed as the top hotel in the world, we were not surprised at all as I don't really understand how anything can possibly beat this. Everyone should be so lucky to have this experience at least once in their life! (Hopefully, I'll be lucky enough to go back!)

Yes! Qualia is all that and a bag of chips. Was in residence at Pavillion 44, fantastic views, well appointed and very comfortable - cockatoo friends on the deck free of charge! A short hop from Sydney, and you arrive at the ultimate oasis for rest and relaxation. Beautiful grounds and landscaping, personal golf cart to get you around HAMO. Vueve Clicquot flowing from beginning to end. Great dining at the resort (get the hot and cold seafood platters)-one platter is enough for two! Full breakfast was included, with great coffee. Spa was Zen! Massages were fantastic. The Qualia Staff was outstanding!! Thank you again Ben, Elle, Mary Beth and of course Alicia. Stocked mini-fridge was nice, but don't leave an open bag of nuts on the desk, the tropical ants will love it. The Mgr. Mikey K. made note of my requests for ipod docks, and nespresso machines in the rooms, and assured me on my next visit, Qualia will be equipped. I just couldn't get a good grip working the coffee press.

Concierge arranged the private Hamilton Island Air Seaplane excursion (Reef Comber) to the Great Barrier Reef, Very Highly Recommend!!! Alex and Scott were the crew, and these guys were fantastic! Also, take the sunset cruise and dine at Bommie restaurant at the HAMO yacht club.

Get to Qualia soon for some well deserved R & R. Enjoy!

We stayed at Qualia in February for my husband's birthday, and loved our room and private plunge pool. We were in one of the higher villas near the main resort building with great views through the bush to the water, and although we were the only villa occupied of the 3 in the area, there was some work going on at the villa next door but there was more conversations between workers coming and going (and parking directly behind our pool area) than from the actual maintenance work. Although I was surprised to see outside windows being washed while the staff member looked into our pool area, so a bit of a privacy issue there.
The meals we purchased at Qualia were very expensive given the quality is not of the same standard as say Saffire or Southern Ocean Lodge (we have stayed at both). However the hot seafood platter that we had as room service dinner the second night was probably better value than the restaurant meal the night before.
Would we visit again? Definitely, with direct flights to and from Sydney, this is an indulgent long weekend.