It was with great pleasure that Bailli Délégué Norman Harrison, who is a Member of the Conseil Magistral, plus Intercontinental Hayman Island Resort Management Team and Chaîne members, General Manager Arpad Romandy (Maître Hôtelier), Resort Manager Russell Sheppard (Maître Hôtelier) and Executive Chef Paul Lewis invited members to the special events during the weekend hosted by Intercontinental Hayman Island Resort.

The award-winning Resort is nestled at the northernmost point of Australia’s Whitsunday archipelago at the heart of the outer Great Barrier Reef. Renovated in 2019 at a cost of 135 million Australian dollars, members knew they were in for a weekend to remember.

White like the Sand
Our National Event began on Friday evening with a White Cocktail Party on the Bam Bam lawn which is positioned beside the resort’s stunning Infinity Pool. The ideal outdoor venue for our cocktail party under the stars. We enjoyed three hours of generous champagne, wines and canapes whilst watching the sun set across the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands. Cold, hot and dessert canapes were served including oysters, Maki rolls, mini chorizo burgers, vegetarian pokoras, mini bush lemon meringue tarts and other treats. All washed down with Champagne Charles de Cazenove Brut Tradition NV.

A peacock-themed Gala Dinner
After a day spent relaxing and/or exploring the island, our Saturday night event was the Gala Dinner in the Formal Gardens. The setting positioned, amidst manicured gardens complete with marine life sculptures and fountain displays, was an enchanting area for our evening event.

We had a peacock styled long table that ran the length of the venue which made use of the paved terraces. A specially prepared menu consisting of multiple courses and wines was curated by Executive Chef Paul Lewis and Bailli Délégué Norm Harrison which crowned this special evening.

Breakfast by the Pacific Ocean
On Sunday, members and guests gathered for a beautiful breakfast served in the Pacific restaurant. The morning view is to die for. Our Pacific Ocean is gorgeous to behold. We took in the views and enjoyed the camaraderie of the Chaîne members with whom we have enjoyed the weekend.

Retrospective
The organising team was heartened by the following comments on the National Event:

“A beautiful weekend at Hayman Island. A white elegance cocktail party on Friday night, followed by a spectacular “degustation” meal on Saturday night.”

“The resort was delightful, great buffet breakfast, friendliest staff and we were all sad to leave. Will definitely revisit and recommend Hayman for a luxury sojourn in the Whitsundays.”

“Magnificent weekend and will definitely be back.”

Serena Harrison-North
Chargée de Missions