The Whitsunday Islands aren’t exactly synonymous with cheap travel. It’s perhaps more closely associated with people who own sailboats. You aren’t going to find the world’s cheapest, well, anything in this chain of islands northeast of Queensland. That being said, there are ways to put an amazing Whitsunday Islands holiday in the reach of us regular people. Start by searching for flights and hotel deals on Cheapflights.co.nz.
And as for the rest of your holiday, here’s what you need to know about doing it on a budget.
Getting there
Flying directly to the Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton island is the fastest way to fly into the Whitsundays, though more expensive than arriving by sea. We recommend flying to Proserpine and then get a ferry to the islands. Ferries leave from the mainland at Proserpine and stop throughout the island multiple times each day, offering a convenient and far less expensive option. A hop-on/hop-off pass for the full day is usually the best deal, giving you maximum flexibility while you cruise the islands. We recommend using this both to get to your hotel on the Whitsundays and to travel between destinations during your visit.
Places to stay
Accommodation is by far the most challenging part of staying on the Whitsunday Islands on a budget. Even for the well-heeled, rooms book up quickly during the peak season – meaning the hotels don’t have much motivation to cut travellers a deal. Hotels operate more like resorts and cost over $200 AUD per night (with some costing even more). At the time of writing this post, no hostels were available. This leaves three options for visiting on the cheap.
● Airbnb has become a legitimate cottage industry, no pun intended. Rooms are plentiful in the slow season, and available with reasonable lead time, even during the peak. Expect to spend $70 AUD or so for a room in a home, or $100 AUD or so for a small home.
● Take a sailing tour. They cost about the same as a hotel stay but include meals. You’ll see below how much that can help. It also takes care of your transportation costs. Besides, it’s a much more memorable and “islandy” experience than spending your nights on dry land.
● Camp out. A total of 21 campgrounds dot the islands, each costing less than $10 AUD for the camping permit. The weather is campable all year-round, so if you’re not the sort who needs an actual bed, this is definitely the best option for cheap stays.
Things to do
Once you’ve gotten there and found a place to sleep, activities that don’t strain your budget are pretty easy to find. The Whitsundays are all about the outdoors, and spending time outside is free. A trip to the reef itself isn’t cheap, but more local sun, surf and sand experiences abound are. Some of the best examples include…
● Lounge, swim and sunbathe at Whitehaven Beach
● Walk the coves and parks of Whitsunday Island
● Explore the town on Hamilton Island
● Inexpensive day tours to outlying areas
● Snorkel and skin-dive basically anywhere
● Birdwatch on Hook Island
Slightly more expensive, but still reasonable, are visits to Reef World and resort excursions. Reef World is essentially a theme park on a platform right on the reef. Waterslides, swimming, a submarine, and lots of underwater viewing options can make for a great recreation day with the family. With resort excursions, it’s easy to spend a shocking amount of money by accident…but you don’t have to. The right package at the right time can add up to real savings, even when you take into account the high cost of accommodation. This plan is not for spur-of-the-moment travellers, but if you like deep planning, this can be the way to go.
What to eat
Restaurants and resorts abound throughout the Whitsunday islands, so food is plentiful. It is also, however, expensive. Even a budget meal is going to run at around $20 AUD per person, including breakfast. There’s not much opportunity to get around it, so save what you can on transport and accommodation.
That being said, picking up groceries in Hamilton can mean you don’t need to go to restaurants. Simple breakfast fare like bread and fruit are easy enough to pick up, and lunch isn’t that hard to manage. If you don’t mind cooking on your holiday, look harder at the AirBnB homes for rent, or get a hotel room with a kitchen. Cook your way to a cheaper trip so you can splurge on the experiences.
Ready to book? Use Cheapflights.co.nz’s fare finder.
