Flinders Island Eco Escape — Hotel in South Australia

Superb! Can't fault any aspect of our 5 night stay. But the bottom line was "Location Location Location "! Remote gained new meaning. In the nicest way. It's such a remote place geographically, but with very carefully planned emergency protocols, so you knew that if you broke a leg (we didn't 😄) you'd be whisked off to a mainland hospital by helicopter, light plane or fast boat. (Last resort, perhaps the old 'army duck ' amphibious vehicle that is parked- in full working order- near the accommodation?!) I and one other bloke in our group of five were keen snorkellers,and we had some great fun. I took some underwater photos and a few brief videos, and highlights included some big male Blue Groper, a very inquisitive Maori Octopus, and-I kid you not- the fantastical colours, forms and surreal liquidity of the seaweeds as they go with the flow. Back and forth with the swell, mesmerisingly beautiful. Better than looking at tropical coral, believe me. I'll be back, we only had 5 nights and I needed another month just to check out the many shore entry sites we couldn't manage on this trip. The terrestrial botany wasn't half bad, either:- I posted 100s of plant photos on the inaturalist Australia website, along with my better underwater pics. Paradise is underwater, some say. Flinders Island is Paradise above and below...

The ' real life', real adventure experience was the best ever. We all had a sense of personal discovery being on the island, without it being over curated and marketed as a 'tourist 'experience. The house was so comfortable for our big group to live and cook together, with inspiring views from every window. Thanks to the generous hospitality of the Woolford family, we felt as if we belonged. We loved the freedom of exploring the island in our own time, and the use of the vehicles. Nongs' Thai banquet was delicious, fresh and abundant. It was a real privilege to be catered for, as a special dinner, and added an exotic flavour to the total experience. A magical and marvellous time. The barge trips were exciting and the sea and scenery are magnificent...

The communication and compendium pre trip set the bar pretty high and the actual experience didn't disapoint. So many highlights- the house is beautiful, clean, spacious and on the beach. We loved meeting Nong and Peter - we arranged for a couple of Nongs famous Thai meals which were exceptional. There is a car available to use and an ipad to take exploring with gps tracking. Home has starlink internet. Personal highlights - Hawks diving into the waves to catch fish, Nong and Peter, beach fishing, Nongs feast, bird identification attempts, sunrise and sunset on the screen of the cliffs. An unforgettable experience -...