During the October long weekend, we decided to fly into Townsville to give “Maggie” a visit.
Located just 8km off the coast of Townsville, “Maggie”, short for Magnetic Island, is a charming holiday destination due to its exotic, natural and tropical environment. Situated within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Site, two thirds of the island is also protected by the Magnetic Island National Park, thus offering a home to Australia’s largest population of wild koalas.
Upon touching down at Townsville Airport, …
… we hopped on-board the colourful airport shuttle …
… that took us directly to Sunferries Breakwater Ferry Terminal.
Here, tickets were bought …
… and off we went on a 25-minute ferry ride …
… over to Magnetic Island’s Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal.
As the wet season was approaching, we were just glad that there were no cyclone warnings for our three-day stay.
It was then a short 30-second stroll to our accommodation, Peppers Blue on Blue, since they are located right across the terminal.
Positioned on the water's edge in the heart of a new waterfront precinct, …
… Peppers Blue on Blue offers contemporary yet timelessly designed one, two and three-bedroom serviced apartments …
… that come with pretty much everything that you can think of.
A comfy bed? Check.
A full-fledged kitchen? Check.
A living area with marina views? Check.
An audio visual system with both free and pay TV as well as a DVD player? Check.
A sun-drenched balcony? Check.
As for the bathroom, besides the usual range of toiletries …
… and bathroom amenities, …
… an iron, ironing board, vacuum cleaner, …
… washer and dryer are also provided.
Generously, they even gave a welcome pack, which made me felt as though it was Orientation Week in Uni!!
Anyway, the best thing about our room was the beautiful views of the marina and mountains.
The only downside however, was the flight of stairs that we had to climb, as there are no elevators in my block.
As it was lunch time, we decided to look through the directory for food. Interestingly, although there are no fast food joints like McDonalds or KFC on Magnetic Island, one could still find Cold Rock.
Since most of the restaurants or food outlets are quite a distance away, we had no choice but to check out Peppers’ in-house restaurant, the Boardwalk Restaurant and Bar.
After browsing through their menu, we decided to try …
… their boardwalk felafel wrap with tabouli, tomato, Spanish onion, mixed leaves and tzatziki …
… and the traditional cajun chicken caesar salad with garlic croutons, oven dried bacon, parmesan shavings, and garlic aioli.
Yes, they had very long names and huge prices, but we strongly commend this restaurant for their service. Although they were busy preparing for a wedding function, they were still very attentive towards us. Two thumbs up for Boardwalk’s staff!!
With a full tummy, it is then time to explore further. First was the resort itself, where we decided to check out the huge resort pools (yes, two infinity pools, one right next to our block and the other, an L-shaped pool over the other end of the resort).
Then, we decided to venture further by walking around Nelly Bay’s township. Just outside the resort is the ferry terminal, and this was my first time seeing a free three-day parking area in Australia (usually, parking areas are either non-time restricted or restricted to several hours within a day, not 3 days).
Further down the road, was the marina (looking back to Peppers), …
… health services …
… shops …
… and of course, Nelly Bay’s 1km beach.
Banyan trees …
… and traditional architecture are also a common sight around the area.
As the sun sets, we decided to head back to the resort for dinner. Although there was an on-going wedding function, Boardwalk still managed to offer us some in-room dining choices. And unknowingly, we ordered something from the kids menu. Thus, our chicken schnitzel …
… and fish and chips both came with …
… three scoops of ice-cream.
I think it was actually the ice-cream that made us full. Anyway, our very last activity for the day was a quick swim in the pool …
… before staring blankly at the Island Activities timetable, …
… wondering what we should do for the next day.
2 comments:
the place really looks nice.. hope to visit it one day =)
Yes, Ken. It is a nice place for a relaxing weekend. :)
Post a Comment