​Eating our way around Hamilton Island

I’m one of those people that studies menus before I go to restaurants…. So I already had a few places on my ‘to eat’ list before I even landed on the amazing Hamilton Island.
 
I was surprised to discover how many options are available on the island. You really can find something to suit every occasion, from fine dining to casual, family-friendly restaurants. We arrived just after 1pm on Sunday afternoon and were transferred by shuttle bus to our accommodation at the Reef View Hotel. The weather was absolutely stunning so we decided to grab a drink and a bite to eat at the hotel’s Pool Terrace.

We shared a dozen amazing oysters - seriously some of the best we have had - and a wagyu burger (it’s all about balance) while we sipped on some cold, refreshing cocktails and soaked up the relaxed atmosphere.
 

Can we take this view home with us? The outlook of the Coral Sea from our room.

After we finished our meal it was time to check in to our room. We opened the door and were greeted with a stunning view of the Coral Sea. We sat in admiration taking in the beauty for a little while before heading out to explore the island. It was hard to believe that was the view we would wake up to every morning but we definitely weren’t complaining.
 
We had a sunset sail booked in for the evening and were making the final decision about where we should go for dinner on the first night. We decided to make a reservation for a late dinner at Romano’s, an incredible Italian restaurant on the Marina.

Can you spy us? The Explore catamaran gliding across the water at sunset. Photo by Andrew Caitens.

Explore’s Sunset Sail Whitsunday Islands was the perfect way to spend our first afternoon in paradise and we were treated to a tasty platter of savoury treats and served as much bubbles, wine or beer that we desired!
 
Afterwards, we had enough time to return to our hotel room and freshen up before we made our way to Romano’s. When we arrived we were seated next to the water and presented with our menus. There were so many yummy options and we had trouble deciding what to order because we wanted EVERYTHING. We started with the bruschetta, Mr Eat Canberra went with the pappardelle with wild boar and I chose the tagliatelle with Australian tiger prawns. We shared a bottle of red wine with our delicious, flavoursome meals. The portion sizes were generous and we were so full! The walk back to our room was a good way to work off dinner.

Red wine and Italian food... a match made in heaven!

Our accommodation included a buffet breakfast every morning that allowed us to eat at several buffets including the Pool Terrace, Sails or the Wild Life Hamilton Island Koala Café. For convenience, we ate at the Pool Terrace every morning because it was where we were staying at the Reef View Hotel. The breakfast buffet is impressive with a big selection of hot and cold breakfast options, pastries, fresh juices and hot drinks. It was the perfect way to fuel ourselves with energy for the adventures ahead!

When on holidays pancakes are a must! 

On our second day we headed out to the Great Barrier Reef on the Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Adventures. Having completed our Open Water Diver certification earlier in the year, we decided to do a few dives and it was an incredible experience. We were treated to a buffet lunch on the cruise and there were lots of tasty options available to select from. Having lunch out on the open water and being surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef was really special. 
 
When we arrived back to Hamilton Island we were thinking about dinner and we had some serious craving for Mexican food. So TAKO was the obvious choice.
 

So much Mexican goodness to select from.

The Mexican taqueria and cantina has subtle Japanese and Korean influences with lots of modern and fresh choices on the menu. We were craving fresh food so we shared the ceviche de pulpo, crab and avocado tostadas, reef fish takos and corn chips with salsa. TAKO has a range of specialty margaritas on the menu so of course we ordered a few of those and some cervezas to keep us cool! Everything was fresh and tasty. We left feeling very satisfied but we did stop for a little sweet treat at the Ice Cream Parlour on the way back to the Reef View Hotel.

The chicken was juicy and perfect for a lunch time snack.

The next day we went back to the Pool Terrace for lunch and this time decided on a fresh prawn salad, crispy chicken wings and refreshing coconut water.

We loved getting the chance to sip cocktails and watch sunset on our trip.

We hired a buggy for the afternoon and ventured up to One Tree Hill to have a cocktail while watching the sunset before we went to dinner. It’s a gorgeous view and a must-do experience while on the island.

There was a great range of options on the drinks menu and cocktails were certainly our favoruite. 

Having heard how popular it was, I pre-booked dinner at coca chu for our last night before we had even arrived, so I was really looking forward to this experience. As suspected, it didn’t disappoint. The impressive menu is inspired by the hawker-style street food of South East Asia and we wanted to try everything. Our waitress was so helpful and was excited that we wanted to try so much!
 

Tasty bites to start with. 

Our dive instructor from the Cruise Whitsundays tour told us to try coral trout if we had a chance. So as soon as we saw the roasted red curry coral trout on the menu we ordered it. It was one of the many delicious dishes we tried. The food at coca chu was amazing!

It was a stunning night and we had a seat on the balcony overlooking Catseye Beach. Although it was dark we still had a beautiful view of the moon, the reflection on the water and the faraway islands. It was the perfect way to spend our last night on Hamilton Island.

The mains did not disappoint and we loved all the flavour packed into the dishes.

Unfortunately, our holidays had to come to an end and we didn’t make it to all the restaurants that we had on our ‘to eat’ list but that just means we’ll have to return and next time try:
 
Bommie Restaurant
 
Beach Club Restaurant
 
Clubhouse Restaurant
 
Mariners Seafood Restaurant