Bederra or Lizard Island
 

Can anyone tell me which island is nicer? My fiance and I are planning a trip for next May to get married. We snorkel, hike and will be certified to SCUBA too. However, eating and relaxing are high on my list of priorities too. I'd really appreciate any advice! Thanks!

Hi Bethany: I have not been to Lizard Island but my wife and I spent 4 days on Bederra and loved it. Please see my response to 'Island Wedding' to learn a little more about Bederra. If you have any questions you can email me at:<BR>[email protected] or [email protected]<BR><BR>Larry

Hands down - Lizard! Bederra is mostly a day-tripper island, not much privacy for a honeymoon. Lizard is spectacular, has just been completely refurbished and has marvelous reef access. Lizard Island Resort is the only accommodation on the island and is so intimate that literally everyone can have their own private beach for the day. You sign up for the beach of your choice and its yours for the entire day. Friends just returned this month after the renovation and raved about Lizard. They say its the best place and the best food in all AU. Don't even consider Bederra.

TC: I do not know where you get your information but Bederra is far from a day trippers island. It is a wonderful upscale resort that caters to couples seeking a romatic, private getaways. As mentioned previously, I have not been to Lizard but I would most certainly recommend Bederra to anyone wishing a private secluded vacation. You pay for this luxury but to us it was worth every penny.<BR><BR>Larry

How about Hayman vs. Lizard??

I asked the same question just a few days ago, Lauren.<BR>We stayed at Hayman a year ago and thought it was outstanding...with a few caveats. We're VERY picky travellers and usually spare no expense on vacation, and thought our suite at Hayman was as nice (nicer in some cases) as any of the Four Seasons accommodations we've stayed at in Hawaii, Nevis, etc. The standard rooms (our travelling companions stayed) in were subpar IMO, and I would have been very disappointed had we been stuck there. The food was good, not spectacular by any means, but enjoyable. The staff and activities were great.<BR>Lizard Island's rooms (on their website) don't look as nice as I was expecting to see, but sometimes those pics are misleading.<BR>Conde Nast's new Gold List rates Lizard slightly higher than Hayman.<BR>I'm having a tough time deciding.

Thank you for your insight (sorry for the late reply)! <BR>I think I have decided on Hayman but now just need to decide on the type of room. I don't think we can afford a suite but I was considering either an ocean front or a pool superior room.<BR>What were your friends in??

Most people I talk to have never heard of Orpheus Island. It's in the Palm Cove Islands area. My fiancee and I just got back from there. You do pay for your stay but the service is the best. everyone is friendly. again the food is amazing. They gave us a copy of each menu we had during our stay. For honeymooners you'll be able to get an upgrade as we did. Your room has fresh fruit and chocolate in it every day. The picnic lunch basket is a lot of sea food, cheese etc.. any way check it out for yourself.<BR>(www.orpheusisland-australia.com)<BR>Diving and snorkeling is a lot of fun. This is a couple resort. (Romantic)<BR>There's no TV's just a simple radio in the room. There is internet access beside the main building. It's worth checking out.

We spent 4 nights at Lizard in Dec and loved it - the rooms are lovely (we had an anchor bay suite, which I thought was a much better choice than the sunset point villas which were up a steep hill and a bit gloomy as lots of vegetation hid the views). The anchor bay suites were slap bang on the beach. THere is so much to do at lizard from snorkelling trips to taking your own dinghy out to any of the surrounding beaches/islands( with picnic hamper, millions of towels and a beach umbrela!!) walks,visits to the research station - that no one could possibly be bored, we struggled to pack everything in we wanted to in 5 days - would definitely go back.Staff are also very unpretentious and friendly - its not at all a glitzy place(i.e. full of high heels and flashy jewelry)just people who want to expore all the island has to offer. However, if you just want to sit by a pool or sunbathe, there are much cheaper places of doing it!!Also although you can scuba - the snorkelling is so good especially on the cod hole/ outer barrier reef trip that I'm not sure scuba is worth the hassle re drinking/ flying etc especially if you are not there for long. Perhaps my only citicsm would be the food. it was good, and sometimes outstanding - but occaisionally too complicated and some dishes went vey wrong!!.

Not sure if you've made your plans yet, but Lizard Island is HIGHLY recommended. The pics of the rooms on their site don't do them justice and the snorkeling and diving off Lizard is much better than other resorts due to it's location - it's the northern most resort on the GBR. You will not be disappointed. We stayed at Orpheus Island as well, but Lizard was much nicer in my opinion. Something to bear in mind: the staff at Lizard Island seem genuinely happy to be working there, whereas on some of the other islands they seemed like they were kind of unhappy or they were looking to just get through the time they were there so they could go to the next resort they were working at. <BR><BR>Hope this helps. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.<BR><BR>Satoru