I'll come clean - I can't swim, and unfortunately Hamilton Island is not very forgiving for non swimmers. There are heaps of activities for swimmers, ranging from scuba diving to snorkelling and heaps of water activities. There were very limited reef related activities for non swimmers.
Coupling with the weather and my disability in swimming (I'll have to fix that) - there just isn't much we could do in relation to the reef. That being said, if the weather is good, there are some options available, like fish feeding safari and reef viewer glass bottom boat tour.
I can't comment much though, cos we did none of the above due to weather factor.
Even though the weather wasn't too kind, we did try to do what we could. Easily fit in was a walk at Catseye Beach.
Also, I've decided that the best seat at the beach were these beach bench, strategically placed under a tree, sheltered from the scorching sun, yet perfect for some reading and staring out at the sea. You may have guessed, I am not a sun baking person. :P
Best seats in the house
I didn't lie, there was sun
From the very informative website of Hamilton Island, there are also tracks of where you can have a (or more) walks. We didn't go the walks but did however check out One Tree Hill (not the TV show).
It was said that HI provides sunset drinks service at One Tree Hill daily but it was not oopen when we were there. Not sure if it was cancelled due to the drizzle or we have missed the time.
We didn't linger long, just took the next bus going to the Marina Village Front Street that came back. I think it would be a nice place to catch sunset though :)
Despite we took a free shuttle from One Tree Hill to the Marina Village, it was actually a short stroll from Reef View Hotel. Most of the time we just walked, except when it rained very heavily. There wasn't a lot of shops available, mostly restaurants or eateries.
I had a mango smoothie, yummy and my friend said the coffee was good too. This shop closed at 4pm though.
The blue umbrella at bottom right of the photo was umbrella on loan from the hotel. There were 2 of those umbrellas found in the cupboard in the bathroom in our room. So, you'll see people carrying those blue umbrellas all around the island :P
Further down, you'll find the HI Yacht Club. They have free movies on scheduled 3 times a day. It was printed as part of activities on a wet day. Think big screen with a overhead projector.
Anyway, my HI trip feels more like a staycation at a resort. My verdict, it is a beautiful relaxing place, but I personally think the price tag is a little too high, even more so for non swimmers.
Side note: Feels like bringing my camera out for a walk
