Trust me, Reeflsleep Whitsundays is a unique experience that you don’t want to miss when visiting this stunning region in Queensland.

Why ReefSleep Whitsundays should be top of your bucket list!

What is Reefsleep Whitsundays?

A unique opportunity to spend one night or two days on one of the world’s largest coral reef systems, the Great Barrier Reef.

Over 76 km from the mainland is Reefworld, a luxury pontoon on Hardy Reef.

The gorgeous turquoise water surrounds you, and the reef is teeming with spectacular fish and marine life.

Reefsleep Experience offers you the opportunity to spend a night out here. 

A Water Wonderland

Reefworld is your base for snorkelling, scuba-diving, semi-sub trips along the reef, and an oasis for soaking up the sun in a stunning location. You’ll take a ferry to the reef with others who have booked only a day trip to the reef.

Enjoy a buffet lunch and water activities for the day, then the day-trippers leave to head back to the mainland.

If you book the Reefsleep experience, you get to stay overnight. 

Get Ready to be Impressed

For those who have booked the Reefsleep experience, this is when the 5-star treatment kicks in!

Get ready for some ‘rockstar’ treatment. You’ll be thoroughly looked after at Reefworld.

An onboard chef is dishing up divine meals, and your hosts are on hand to offer their service whenever you need it.

All you need to do is fill your days with as many water activities and relaxing vibes as possible.

You also get your own luxury sea swag. It’s like a lavish tent decked out with lights, USB ports, and comfy linens and bedding.

This is your cocoon where you can go and chill at any time and it happens to be located with million-dollar views.

Let’s return to why you should do the Reefsleep Whitsundays Experience on the Great Barrier Reef at least once in your lifetime.

1) You’ll feel like a VIP – 5-Star Service on Board

As I mentioned earlier, the staff were outstanding. From the moment you arrive, you’ll be treated like a VIP.

The entire Reefsleep Whitsunday experience is very well organised. There is clear communication about mealtimes (you don’t want to miss any), water activities, and what time the sun will rise/set.

This handy information is posted on the wall so you can refer to it later.

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2) The Food is Exceptional

Ok, I’ll be honest. A big drawcard for my interest to join Reefsleep on the Great Barrier Reef was the food journey I’d be taken on.

And boy, what a culinary degustation I was treated to during the two days onboard.

We indulged in some wonderfully fresh seafood, including seared scallops with chorizo and passionfruit pearls (yes, super fancy), freshly shucked oysters with lychee and lemon, the biggest prawns I’ve ever tasted, and a grilled barramundi dish that I will never forget.

Aside from the generous and delicious food lineup, both the Reefsleep and Reefsuite experiences include all beer and wine onboard.

The Reefsuite Experience allows you to sleep in one of two underwater hotel rooms instead. It’s super luxurious down below and you’ve got an entire live aquarium to watch as your television.

Sip on a glass of chilled sparkling wine and enjoy fancy canapés while watching the sunset over the horizon. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Well, that’s what I thought until we moved downstairs to the dining room to enjoy dinner and dessert served by our French chef.

You guessed it, more fantastic food.

Whether you’re a food lover like me or just happy to eat anything, the foodie part of this entire experience will keep you super satisfied and smiling until the end.

It is such good value for money!

3) Sleep in a Luxury Swag under a Million Stars

After a day exploring the reef and wining and dining with new friends over sunset canapés, dinner and wine – you get to retire for the evening in your luxury sea swag.

The staff even turn down your bed whilst you are off enjoying yourself, it’s almost like magic.

When we returned for the evening, we crawled into our space, which was made of white linens, comfortable pillows, and bedding. We left the top open for a while, lying down, and looking up to marvel at the extraordinary spatter of stars sprinkled across the sky.

The early sunrise will be one of the most unique you’ve ever seen.

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4) You get the Entire Reef to yourself

There’s something kind of special about this place.

Aside from the turquoise blues surrounding you in every direction, you’ll have the entire reef to yourself once the day-trippers depart at 3 p.m. on the first day until the ferry returns at 11 a.m. the following day.

Take your snorkel and fins, and get out there!

Maybe you’ll meet Maggie, the resident Maori Wrasse fish (pictured below). She’s very friendly and is always happy to pose for a photo.

Tip: The best time to explore the reef is right after breakfast on Day 2.

You have about three hours to get up close and personal with the underwater world before the ferry arrives with new day-trippers – so enjoy the solitude.

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5) A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

This is one of the best experiences I’ve had in Australia.

It’s up there with our 14 Day Road Trip from Brisbane to Cairns, and camping in the beautiful Karijini National Park in WA.

I choose to invest in experiences rather than material things in life, and this was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Reefsleep or Reefsuite Experience?

If this is something that you’re interested in doing too, then you can check details for Reefsleep here.

For those of you who enjoy a little more luxury, maybe Reefsuite (staying in an underwater hotel room) is more your style. You can check the details for Reefsuite here.

Travel Tips for Australia

We have many travel guides and tips for Australia—what a diverse country!

Australia is ideal for exploring with two wheels! If you plan to explore Oz, check out our best tips for doing the Big Lap of Australia 

Our complete guide to Great Keppel Island is all you need for the perfect island stay.

If you head back to the coast, we recommend that you visit Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast. Check out the 15 Best Things To Do in Yeppoon, and don’t forget about the food. We’ve got you covered with the best places to eat in Yeppoon.

Our comprehensive itineraries for travelling in Australia include this Brisbane to Cairns Road Trip – the Best 14-day itinerary, our detailed Guide to Camping in Karijini National Park and the Ultimate Guide to Carnarvon Gorge.

We’re all about the food, too! Don’t miss these 12 best cheap eats in Cairns.

We highly recommend you visit the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands in Queensland; this is a special place!

If you’re after a unique experience, these five reasons why you need to Reefsleep on the Great Barrier Reef will do it.

If you’re visiting Australia on vacation, try these 12 classic Australian foods while you’re here and see if you can visit these iconic 30 Best BIG Things in Australia.

Do you plan to visit the Pacific islands? You’ll need our ULTIMATE guide to visit every country in the Pacific.

Furthermore, if you plan to travel longer after visiting Australia, these 21 cheapest countries to visit will make your hard-earned dollars stretch a bit further.

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling in Australia. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View options for eSIM in Australia.

If your travels in Australia are part of a much larger global adventure, then a Global eSIM may be the answer. It connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text eSIM. The Global eSIM has been a game-changer; we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.

Want to travel around Australia with like-minded travellers? View the best deals on group adventures in Australia.

Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.