Intercontinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef

Extremely Disappointing Stay – Worst Customer Service I’ve Experienced I’ve traveled to 57 countries, and unfortunately my stay at InterContinental Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef was the worst customer-service experiences I’ve ever had. When I arrived, my room key didn’t work. I walked back to reception (a 5–10 minute walk each way), was given a new key and an apology. I returned to the room—still didn’t work. Back I went again, received another key, walked back, and once more… the door wouldn’t open. On my third return to reception, a staff member said security was “on lunch” and asked me to try yet another key—and if it didn’t work, to call them from the corridor and wait. Being told to walk back a fourth time to try to solve an issue that should have been handled properly the first time was incredibly frustrating. A staff member finally came with me, but even the master key didn’t work. The manager wasn’t available at first, but eventually appeared and opened the door using a master override, telling me the lock batteries needed changing. By that point, I had walked back and forth multiple times and wasted 40 minutes to an hour—on my partner’s birthday. This whole situation felt disorganized, poorly managed, and completely avoidable. For a resort positioned as a luxury destination, the lack of coordination and basic customer service was extremely disappointing. I never leave negative reviews, but this experience was unacceptable and far below the standard expected from an InterContinental property.

The good: 1) Our luggage was delayed (Qantas’ fault) and the hotel arranged for transfer next day directly to our room seamlessly. They even lent out some clothes for us to wear on our first day. 2) We were upgraded to the lagoon view one bedroom suite, which was massive. The room was high tech - all controls are via touch screen. Amenities are from Byredo. View of the beach is amazing. Overall excellent value for money. 3) The helicopter reef tour was incredible. Pick up early in the morning, ample time to snorkel at the reef world, and of course, gorgeous aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef. Incredible once in a lifetime experience. Highly recommended. 4) The food was good. We tried all four restaurants. My personal preference is bam bam and pacific. But the other two restaurants are also pretty good. 5) The gym was well equipped. They have reformer Pilates and a proper squat rack, which is rare for hotel gyms. 6) Plenty of water sport activities to try. The water sport team is incredibly helpful in explaining how things work. You will not run out of activities to do by the beach. The bad: 1) Check out is super early at 10 am. Our boat transfer to Hamilton island was at 11.50, so we have to wander around the property aimlessly while waiting for the transfer after check out. Tried to request late checkout as we are IHG members, but denied. 2) The Whitehaven beach trip was not worth the money. They took us to Whitehaven on a speed boat before off boarding us using another smaller speed boat to the shore. Very bumpy experience and not at all luxury. As the boat takes forever to reach Whitehaven, the total time that we have for the Hill inlet hike and the amazing Whitehaven beach was so limited. We had less than half an hour at the beach itself. Overall not recommended at all. If you can just take the helicopter to Whitehaven instead. 3) When we departed the island, the air conditioner on the boat was leaking. They turned off the air conditioner to stop the leak, but it makes the room hot and unpleasant. This should not have happened on a luxury cruise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding Experience with Oscar – Beach Activities Department We had the most incredible experience with Oscar at the Beach Activities Department at Intercontinental Beach Sundays, Australia. It was our very first time trying sailing and paddle boarding, and Oscar made it truly unforgettable. From the start, he went above and beyond—patiently giving us a detailed safety briefing, teaching us the basics, asking us questions to make sure we understood the techniques, and even quizzing us before sending us out on the water. He made us feel confident, safe, and genuinely excited to try something completely new. Once we were out sailing, we were having a fantastic time—until it was time to return to shore and the strong winds made it extremely difficult. We got stuck without knowing how to navigate back. Oscar noticed us immediately (we didn’t even get a chance to wave for help!) and came out to us on his rescue boat. Instead of simply towing us back, he asked, “Do you want to learn how to do it?” That one question changed everything. He patiently stayed with us, teaching us how to turn against the wind and guiding us step-by-step while we actually did it ourselves. That experience was so empowering. The next day, because of his guidance, we tried sailing again—this time completely confident—and it was amazing! On another day, we went paddle boarding for the first time, and without realizing it, the strong winds carried us much farther away from the shore than allowed. Oscar was monitoring the beach responsibly and came to us right away. He explained that we were well outside the safe zone, and when he saw how difficult it was for us to paddle back (especially against the wind), he helped us onto his boat along with our equipment and brought us safely back. What makes Oscar exceptional is not just his skill, but his passion for teaching, his patience, and his genuine care for guests. He didn’t just rescue us—he taught us, encouraged us, made us feel safe, and helped us build confidence to try again. He clearly loves what he does, and his dedication made our experience unforgettable. Thank you, Oscar, for turning our first-ever sailing and paddle boarding adventure into a meaningful, memorable, and truly joyful experience!

Must visit! ❤️