I got up around 8am this morning. My roomate Mary was up earlier but I could not drag myself out of bed. I got dressed and went to breakfast at about 8:30. There was a free buffet bfast at the resort and man did they have a spread! Everything. I had eggs and bacon and potatoes and toast and fruit. Delish.
I went to my room and packed up my bags and then I met up with Mary and another guy (Ben) from our group. We took a walk along the boardwalk to the opposite end of the resort to see what was there. It really was a beautiful place. More pools and a lovely beach and lots of places to lounge outside either in the shade or in the sun. It was really quiet too...not many guests. There were kids activities as well...like a big play structure.
At 10am we went back to the main lobby area, specifically to the outdoor aquariums (there were pools for sea life that ran between the lobby area and the room buildings). The aquarium pools were situated so that you could stand on the bridges and watch the fish swim by. They had small tropical fish as well as rays and sharks. At 10am, it was a scheduled feeding time. We watched for a while but it was pretty hot and not very exciting so we left.
Me and Mary then went to hang by one of the pools. We took a couple of dips and lounged on the beach chairs for a while before making the decision to go back to the other end of the resort. We pickedpup shop and walked to the other end.
It was much quieter at the other end. We were able to get loungers that were situated very nicely between the pools and the ocean. We jumped into the ocean first cause it was so hot outside that the pools were warm and not that refreshing. The water seemed incredibly salty. ..not sure why but it burned my face and lips a bit and the taste in my mouth was strong.
We stayed there for about an hour and then made our way back to the lobby area/docks around 12:30pm. I scarfed down two oranges and two mini muffins that I had taken from the bfast buffet and that was my lunch.
At 1:15 we boarded dingies (? spelling) which took us out to a yacht in the harbour. We then spent the afternoon sailing around the Whitsunday Islands (from Daydream Island to Airlie Beach). It was a slightly smaller boat that the one in Sydney but a much smoother sail. At first it was raining, and they even handed out rain jackets but the skies soon parted and it was a gorgeous day for a sail. They handed out fresh fruit and a cheese tray too which was a nice touch. We didn't really have to work as much on this yacht although I did get to steer for a while which was cool!
We docked in Airlie Beach at around 4pm. We collected our luggage and then took a short taxi ride to our hotel (Airlie Beach hotel). It was a nice hotel and the town of Airlie had a lot of character. Many houses were situated on a hillside making it colourful. The town itself was small with one main street and lots of little shops. Our guide told us it was a party town and it did seem that way from looking around.
After checking in, I walked into town with Ben (TO) and Hanna (UK), Marlene (Waterloo) and Kevin (USA). We got some snacks/food for the next day and went in a few stores to shop for souvenirs and other items. I bought some nice, but expensive jewelry. I didn't plan on it, it just happened. Merry Christmas to me!
I returned to the hotel a round 6:30pm. I took a shower and reorganized some luggage. At 7:20pm, our group met the guide Brett in the lobby and we took a short walk up the hill to our restaurant for dinner: Fish Devine. It's know for its seafood so I got a panko breaded whitefish ( I can't remember the name). It was good and cooked although I would have preferred it even a bit firmer. It came with a side of green beans. It cost $28.
I returned to the room about 9:15pm. Got my bags ready for a VERY early start the next morning. Did some blogging and called it a night around 10:30pm.
T
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