The Island Resort
A private-island stay, the house reef and the warm Coral Sea. A private, tailored journey of 5-7 days in The Great Barrier Reef, Australia & New Zealand, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$15,500 per traveler.
- Beach · Private
- Ideal length: 5-7 days
- Best time: October through April, when the Southern Hemisphere summer opens the reef, the vineyards and the alpine trails all at once.
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$15,500 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
A private-island stay, the house reef and the warm Coral Sea. A private, tailored journey of 5-7 days in The Great Barrier Reef, Australia & New Zealand, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$15,500 per traveler.
Two nations at the edge of the world offer coral gardens, ancient rainforest, glacial peaks and some of the most remote luxury on earth.
When to go
October through April, when the Southern Hemisphere summer opens the reef, the vineyards and the alpine trails all at once. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A private-island stay with the house reef steps from your terrace.
- A dawn snorkel over the coral before another guest has stirred.
- A skippered day to an outer bommie known only to the island's crew.
- A dinner set on the sand as the Coral Sea turns to glass.
A sense of the rhythm
Time on a private island slows to the rhythm of the tide. You swim from the beach at will, take the boat when the reef calls, and let the warm Coral Sea shape the day. Evenings are unhurried, lit by the water and little else.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- The finest island stays book far ahead; the best suites go first.
- A house reef means you snorkel without ever boarding a boat.
- Ask us to time your stay to the calm, clear months for visibility.
- Seaplane transfers save a long journey and are a joy in themselves.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$15,500 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring The Great Barrier Reef
Part of our The Great Barrier Reef travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design The Island Resort around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
A truly private island gives you the reef almost to yourselves and a deep, uninterrupted quiet. A larger resort island offers more dining and diversion but shares its shores. The choice turns on how much solitude you want.
Yes. The house reef sits steps from your terrace, so you snorkel without ever boarding a boat. You swim from the beach at will, and a dawn snorkel over the coral before another guest has stirred is part of what this journey can hold. When the reef calls farther out, a skippered day takes you to an outer bommie known only to the island's crew.
By seaplane. Seaplane transfers save a long journey and are a joy in themselves. Like every part of The Island Resort, the transfer is arranged privately by your Forest Travel advisor, who designs the journey end to end and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
As early as you can. The finest island stays book far ahead, and the best suites go first. Booking through Forest Travel also brings Virtuoso privileges at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Plan on 5-7 days. That is enough time for life on a private island to slow to the rhythm of the tide: swimming from the beach at will over the house reef, a dawn snorkel before another guest has stirred, a skippered day to an outer bommie known only to the island's crew, and a dinner set on the sand as the Coral Sea turns to glass. Evenings stay unhurried, lit by the water and little else. Seaplane transfers save a long journey, so more of those days are spent on the island.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$15,500 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.
October through April, when the Southern Hemisphere summer opens the reef. For this journey, that means the warm Coral Sea at its most inviting for swimming from the beach, snorkeling the house reef at dawn and taking the boat out to an outer bommie. Ask your advisor to time your stay to the calm, clear months for the best visibility; they will also weigh the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
On The Island Resort journey, the skippered day takes you by boat to an outer bommie known only to the island's crew. It is the moment to go beyond the house reef that sits steps from your terrace. Like every experience on this Great Barrier Reef journey, it is arranged privately and shaped to you, so you take the boat when the reef calls rather than on a fixed schedule.
Evenings on a Great Barrier Reef private island are unhurried, lit by the water and little else. One of the moments this journey can hold is a dinner set on the sand as the Coral Sea turns to glass, arranged privately and shaped to you. After days spent swimming from the beach and snorkeling the house reef, the night is given over to quiet rather than diversion.
A day on a Great Barrier Reef private island slows to the rhythm of the tide. It might begin with a dawn snorkel over the coral before another guest has stirred, then swimming from the beach at will. When the reef calls farther out, you take the boat, and you let the warm Coral Sea shape the rest of the day.
Australia & New Zealand
See the collection →Tell a private advisor how you like to travel — no quotes, no obligation.
Begin Your Private Consultation
