One&Only Hayman Island Officially Opens, Travel Agent Gives You a Sneak Peek

One&Only Hayman Island, a private island resort in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, officially opened its doors Tuesday, creating a buzz amongst luxury advisors as well as the agent community as a whole.

And why wouldn't it? The One&Only product has traditionally been successful in just about any part of the world it expands to. And the room product shouldn't hurt either. After all, about half of the rooms at the resort are suites, villas or penthouses. 

The One&Only Hayman Island welcomed its first clients following an $80 million refurbishment of the private island resort. The opening was marked by Alan Leibman, chief executive officer of Kerzner International, and Mark DeCocinis, president & chief operating officer of One&Only Resorts, who attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the resort.

RELATED: One&Only Hayman Island Set to Open in Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Travel Agent is particularly excited about the newly-designed Pool Wing, which has been upgraded to an all-suite space, each overlooking the One&Only Hayman Pool and the Coral Sea. Pool Wing Suites have separate living and dining areas as well as decks, with each pool level suite offering direct swim-out access.  

The One&Only Hayman Wing has a series of one-, two- and three-bedroom Penthouse Residences, including one created exclusively by fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg. 

Perfect for clients traveling in groups, a collection of Kerry Hill-designed Beach Villas and the freestanding private Beach House are a good option for those clients who prefer to be directly on the beach. In their new One&Only configuration, the beach villas not only offer private pools and direct access to One&Only Hayman Beach, but are also partnered with Retreat Rooms located directly behind to accommodate larger groups.

The One&Only Hayman Pool has private cabanas and daybeds and offers all-day dining at the On the Rocks restaurant and bar. The resort has also opened the Aquazure Pool with family friendly cabanas and an infinity-edge pool with a zero entry for children.  

Preview of the Spa

The resort will have a brand-new One&Only Spa with a range of signature spa and beauty treatments. The One&Only Spa has 13 treatment suites, as well as lounges, a sauna and steam rooms and Vichy showers.  Therapies will range from traditional to contemporary, and are customized for each client. 

One&Only Hayman Island's new pool area.

The philosophy of the One&Only Spa at Hayman Island is centered around three essential elements: "Rest" (designed for relaxation), "Rebalance" (for restoration and balance) and "Renew" (to uplift or revive). The "Ocean Dreaming" massage will be the signature One&Only Spa experience. Clients unwind with a full-body massage while surrounded by gentle tides. The "Rainforest Massage" will let guests relax while completely immersed in nature, surrounded by  tropical gardens in the spa cabana beneath the rainforest.  The spa also has a double room, where couples can unwind together in the "Romance Retreat" --a body polish, healing clay mineral wrap and a hot stone massage. The One&Only Spa will also offer unique specialized treatments for men, young adults, and brides and grooms.

The One&Only Spa at Hayman Island will also introduce the all-natural Amala spa products to Australia, a first for any spa on the continent. A signature feature of One&Only Spas around the world is the Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio by Bastien Gonzalez, which has been described as a blend of medical-oriented care combined with a holistic approach to manicures and pedicures.  

The resort will also introduce the Luc. Espace Salon, a stylish hair and beauty salon with Aveda hair products and Youngblood cosmetics. For another wellness angle, the resort will also have a fitness center with separate areas for cardio, weight training and stretching. Through a partnership with health and wellness expert James Duigan, the resort's in-house personal training team will be trained in "Bodyism," the signature program created by Duigan.

Clients can choose a personalized workout program tailored to their specific needs, or choose from a range of group fitness classes including "Bodyism," "Dynamic Pilates," yoga and "Beach Bootcamp." Those who want to pair their fitness routine with a nutritional plan, Duigan's "Clean&Lean" well-being cuisine will also be available at the resort.

Bahamas Prime Minister Confirms Sale of One & Only Club on Paradise Island

In June, Perry Christie, prime minister of The Bahamas, confirmed that the government had granted approval for the sale of the One & Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island.

The buyer of the resort is Access Industries, a company controlled by Len Blavatnik. According to Forbes, Blavatnik is no. 34 on its’ list of richest people with a net worth of some $20 billion.

For Brookfield Real Estate Financial Partners the sales comes at a good time as they are in the process or refinancing the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island which they took over from Kerzner.

The Ocean Club was opened in 1962 as a 52-room hotel by Huntington Hartford II, heir to the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company fortune. Some $10 million was invested in the project. The property currently has 105 units, featuring luxury suites and villas, with guests served by personal butlers.

Visit www.oneandonlyresorts.com.