We have just returned from a week at Brampton Island Resort...what a disappointment.

We arrived at Mackay airport and had to wait 5 hours for our transfer by plane to Brampton Island. In that time, at least 3 flights left for Brampton but for some reason we weren't allowed on board. 'Ok' we thought; 'They may have been private charters so we can't really get too annoyed.' We asked if there was a boat we could get and were told there wasn't. When we finally arrived at the island, it turns out there was actually a boat but for some reason we weren't eligible...

Having been sitting around in quite a small airport for the better part of the day, we were looking forward to a nice dinner in comfortable and pleasant surroundings. How wrong we were again. The one and only restaurant on the entire island, was reminiscent of something out of a horror movie. Dark, dingy and with stains all over the carpet. The meal, when brought out, left much to be desired and we were served our food long before our bottle of wine came out.

The staff ranged from helpful to simply indifferent but most disturbing was the serious lack of communication between all staff in the restaurant. Almost every time we were in the restaurant (which was only for dinner because we couldn’t stomach the thought of having lunch there too), staff were confused over some minute issue...we were given either an incorrect dish that had to be sent back, or they brought us out two of the same thing or they doubled up on each other and asked the same questions. It just made mealtimes very frustrating when confused looking staff keep wandering over to our table trying to serve us things we hadn’t ordered!

Our rooms at the resort were also extremely disappointing. We stayed in the island view rooms and the view was the only thing that stayed true to the description and images on the website. The room quite obviously hadn’t been cleaned properly in some time and on our first night there, just as I was about to lay my head on the pillow, a centipede crawled out of it. After my initial reaction comprising of much tears and screaming (I am not a bug person), common sense settled in and we called housekeeping and reception to ask for new pillows. Both were, however, closed and, short of calling the number for emergencies, there was nothing else I could do. So the first night of my luxurious island resort holiday was spent without a pillow, resulting in a sleepless and very uncomfortable night.

The island did not offer scuba diving and the snorkeling was mediocre to say the least. We had our own mask and snorkel yet we still had to pay the same as everyone else. Had the trip been worthwhile, the cost would not have mattered at all but some large tufts of overgrown seaweed, does not to me, constitute a snorkeling trip. At one point, the guide pointed out ‘Nemo.’ For those who don’t know, we’re talking about a little orange clownfish, no bigger then 8cm long with 3 white stripes who goes by the name ‘Nemo.’ After ducking underwater to look at ‘Nemo,’ we see a clownfish about 15cm long, black, and with only one stripe. Umm…was it Nemo’s long lost Uncle?? After asking the snorkeling guide why the resort doesn’t offer scuba, we were told it was because there aren’t really any good places to dive because there isn’t much to see…hmm…perhaps they should consider canceling the snorkeling trips as well.

The other thing that gets me is that they claim to be the southern most island of the Whitsunday group of islands but in actual fact, Brampton island is part of the Cumberland group of islands. DON’T BE FOOLED!! To get to Hamilton Island or Whitehaven Beach will cost you hundreds of dollars and you are restricted to their times. Once you are on the island, there is really nowhere to go. The Barrier Reef is roughly 60km away and it’s extremely annoying to be so close yet not be able to go.

Overall, it was dreadfully disappointing. I really wouldn’t recommend it to any of my family or friends because it just doesn’t live up to the expectations. The food was bad, the service less then friendly, the rooms dirty, the activities practically non-existent and the entire resort is in desperate need of an overhaul.

My wife and I stayed here for a week in November last year for our honeymoon, the room was filthy and very dated. The food was very average but the drinks were reasonably priced for an island. We were ready to leave after the first night as it's very run down and in need of a major renno.

The location is amazing but for the price we paid we were very dissapointed.

We arrived at Brampton Island with high expectations! When we arrived the atmosphere was very 'camp holiday' like I'd expect at Butlins! All the guests were sat down and given paperwork, meal vouchers and a room key. That is apart from us. Our room was not ready and no vouchers for us! This was remedied after a small walk round the premises.

Some of the premises were outstanding, such as the view overlooking the sea, the pool and some forest. We felt the outside areas were not that well looked after and bar area was catering for big groups of organised kareoke rather than a classy, romantic retreat!

We ate lunch and this was disgusting. It looked nice but tasted like rubber abd the service was poor.

Then to the highlight where both our hearts sank! We had access to our room. The most dirty room I have experienced in 31 years of exhistance. Hair in bathroom and bedroom, ants in bedrrom, mould, dust, poo. You name it and we had it! We called immediately and they said we should go for a walk and they'd clean it! Obviously their standards are so low this made little difference. They cleaned the dust only where they could see it and they cleaned the toilet! We felt people would not believe how bad this was so we took pictures!

At this stage we said we would have dinner and then make a decision on what we would do. Dinner was worse than lunch! Calamari tasted like rubber, deep fried in sand! We decided we wanted to cut short our stay and leave 3 nights early!

We went to the reception and the lady there just said, 'ok, you will have to call reception in the morning to see if you can get the early flight out'!!! She did not ask us about why or try to make us feel better! We did call at 7:00 am and were told we could leave at 12:00 but still, no one asked us why and showed no interest.

We then pottered around for a bit and Emma had a swim! That was nice.

The Brampton website is clever and only shows pictures of the outside. This is their strength. The inside areas are poorly maintained and dirty!

For the money we paid we were expecting so much more and were really upset! But in any star hotel you should have a clean room and people who care running the place.

We would not recommend this place to anyone. We have been around Australia and there is so much to see and so many wonderful places, the scenery here does not make up for its huge shortfalls!!!

My then fiancee and I decided to get married and spend our honeymoon in Brampton Island. We organized everything from Canada and it went really well. Very little planning was required on our part and we just needed to show up. The wedding was just the two of us and we were laid back about the whole event so very satisfied with that part of it!

The island is absolutely stunning and in a lovely and pristine location and ideal for our wedding. The staff were very friendly and catered to our needs on the day. The island never really felt full and we mainly saw people when we ate and around the pool side, other than that you really feel you have the place to yourself. It really is an amazing place. In terms of activities we did the jet ski safari was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it as well as some snorkeling.

We booked an Ocean View room and the room was clean and in fairly good shape, however, given the price it could do with a bit of updating as it was slightly worn.

Couple of things that I was not completely happy with. The food was pretty sub-standard for the price you pay. We ended up going on the meal plan to save money but as my wife cannot eat seafood nor does she eat (much) red meat we were limited on the very pricey buffet nights. The food was really poor during the lunch hour as well with recycled food from the days prior. The service was 'ok' although they lost our order on our final day!

Additionally, since we paid upfront they made a mistake and forgot to charge us from the room. I checked the bill and asked at checkout if everything was correct and was assured it was. Two months later I find they have charged me $2200 to my credit card without even contacting me - which is illegal and irresponsible business practice. So make sure to check your bill when you check out.

That aside, it really is a special place (bar the food) and I would highly recommend anyone to spend a few very relaxing days there.