Pebble Beach at qualia — Restaurant in Hamilton Island

Our recent dining experience at Pebble Beach, set within the luxurious qualia resort on Hamilton Island, was nothing short of extraordinary. This stunning restaurant sits at the northern tip of the island, accessible through grand gates and a tropical tree-lined driveway. Upon arrival, we were greeted by breathtaking views of the Coral Sea and the Whitsundays abounding in front of our eyes.

We began our meal with a selection of delightful starters. The whipped ricotta paired with fig and truffle honey, along with pecans and crispy pane carasau, was a standout. The tuna tiradito, featuring smoked garlic yogurt and Middle Eastern spices, was another highlight, as was the prawn bruschetta, which combined macadamia puree, salsa verde, and zucchini noodles for a refreshing twist.

For our main courses, we savored the chargrilled Wagyu rump steak, cauliflower steak with compressed watermelon and cashew puree, and golden snapper served with tikka masala sauce and braised Asian greens. The Wagyu beef burger, topped with smoked maple bacon and cheddar, was a decadent choice. We complemented our dishes with truffle fries and a vibrant broccolini salad dressed with coconut lime dressing (just wow).

The service was impeccable—smooth, attentive, and genuinely engaging, perfectly suited for a six-star resort. The thoughtfully curated wine list made it easy for pairings, enhancing our leisurely dining experience. Overall, Pebble Beach is a remarkable culinary destination on the island, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for an unforgettable meal. Dress to impress, as this dining experience deserves it—a...

Like everything at Qualia, the Pebble Beach restaurant degustation experience sets arguably the highest standard in the world, but is never over the top or trying too hard. Of course these incredibly lofty standards don’t happen by accident and everything is so considered and well prepared from the ironed table cloths to recited meal explanations. I loved the envelope with the wax sealed menu, allowing you to experience the degustation blind (like we did), or look forward to each upcoming dish.

I will never forget the pure tasting heaven that was the potato, chicken and leek terrine with delightful green purée and shaved truffle spilling over the top. And that was a few courses prior to a tantalising marron, possibly the best wagyu steak I’ve ever sliced a knife through, and charcoal activated bread with butter that was so finely whipped it vanished when it hit your mouth.

I was on honeymoon with my pregnant wife, so we both sipped sparkling water alongside each dish. We nearly fell of our chairs when we caught the nose of a bottle of red opened upwind on the table beside us. But the food and service more than held it’s own in the absence of wine, setting the absolute benchmark for our culinary experiences to date, by some margin (and we are so fortunate to say, that’s not easy to do!)

Please do yourself a favour and find a way to stay and eat here while these dedicated and skilled humans are putting this on. You absolutely won’t be...

I specifically booked a lunch at this restaurant since I couldn’t get a reservation at the hotel, hoping to at least enjoy a part of the experience. The food options were limited but decent, and some of the staff were friendly. However, one incident made me swear never to return.

If you're a non-hotel guest and want to experience blatant favoritism and discrimination, this is the place for you. After finishing our meal, we simply wanted to rest for a moment near the restaurant’s beachfront. To be considerate of the hotel guests, we even chose a quiet spot under a tree at the very edge of the beach, where there wasn’t a single person around.

To our shock, within just two minutes of sitting down, a staff member approached us with a stern attitude, demanding that we leave the resort immediately. Apparently, non-guests are required to leave right after dining. Feeling speechless but not wanting to cause trouble, we complied—only to notice that the staff member continued watching us like we were criminals, even reporting our movements over a mobile phone. The whole experience made us feel unwelcome and inferior.

To make matters worse, as we exited, not a single staff member bothered to acknowledge us or say goodbye. This treatment was humiliating and completely unnecessary. If you are not a hotel guest, be prepared to be treated as second-class here. I will...