It’s been a rough transition back into the old swing of things after our trip to Orpheus Island. This time last week Michael and I were aboard a seaplane having just touched down on the turquoise waters of Hazard Bay. Shortly thereafter, we were informed that we would be the only occupants at the resort for the duration of our stay. That’s right; a staff of 15 to cater exclusively to the two of us. I don’t think I have to tell you the kind of “musical Twister” and “human chess” scenarios that immediately leapt to mind. Happily for the Orpheus staff, I lack follow-through and am easily distracted.
This was a wonderful vacation and the new benchmark for tropical island getaways as far as I’m concerned. It was a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of Sydney and, indeed, from people in general. I suppose not every vacationer would relish the prospect of this kind of isolation, but it was a luxury for me. I suppose it’s a symptom of advancing age that my idea of great time is to be left alone with a good book in a hammock on the beach. Add to that scenario the certainty that no one else will already be occupying the aforementioned hammock and I’m a happy camper. Add to that a nightly seven course degustation menu served on an open air veranda overlooking the water and it’s a miracle I’m not still there.
We did a snorkel and three dives in amongst the Palm Islands and I was impressed by the variety and volume of coral we saw. Diving in parts of the reef protected from the strong currents of the open ocean means you get to see the kind of delicate sea life you don’t always find in pelagic “wall dives” – sea fans, sea feathers, anemones, giant clams, stag horn coral bigger and longer than I’ve ever seen and soft coral of all shapes and sizes draped and rolling uninterrupted over large sections of the reef. The visibility could have been better and I would have liked to see some larger sea life, but the ultimate success of my diving experience at Orpheus was due in no small measure to the excellent dive masters we had guiding us on our dives and prepping and assembling our gear! Thank you Matt and Kam! It was the easiest, most carefree diving I have ever done!
And now, a word about the food. I was very impressed with the quality and variety of the degustation menus. Given that Orpheus is a 20 minute plane ride from the Queensland coast, I was surprised at the variety of ingredients that were incorporated into our meals. Some of the produce is even grown on the island – lemons, limes, oranges and passion fruit. The highlight for me was the seafood, which was of good quality and capably prepared. However, while I enjoyed the dining on Orpheus, their wine list could use some work in my opinion. With as much great wine as there is to be found (and cheaply!) in Australia and New Zealand, there is really no excuse for serving mediocre wine. I also get the impression the list is not updated on a regular basis, which they certainly ought to do.
Overall, our stay was wonderfully relaxing and I very much appreciated the unobtrusive attentiveness of all of the Orpheus staff. I never wanted for anything, but I also didn’t have a lot of conversations with people about how I didn’t want anything. The resident managers, Aaron and Brigit, and their dauntless comrades did a commendable job of facilitating our vacation without overwhelming us with options which, to my mind, is a recipe for success.
Photos at http://tinyurl.com/5v5ub6
