The Whitsundays
Getting there: Ansett Australia or Qantas offer daily flights from Australia’s main hubs to Hamilton Island.
Flight times: from Sydney (2hrs 25mins), Brisbane (1hr 45mins). Flights also from Melbourne and Cairns.
Climate: tropical, with average temperature of 27C. Maximum summer temperature (December-February) 30C. Maximum winter temperature (June-August) 23C.
Best time to go: good, strong winds occur in March, April and September, although cyclones are frequent from December to April.
Sailing qualifications: no formal qualifications needed, but you need to have experience sailing or alternatively hire a skipper or take a course.
Who to book with: boat charters can be booked through specialist Sunsail which offers a wide range of yachts from standard 8.7 metre/two berth, upwards. They can be hired with crew or on a self-sail basis.
Other operators: include Travel 2, Jetset, British Airways Holidays and Kuoni.
Sample price: from ú1,005 with Sunsail to charter a 28ft yacht for one to two people for one week.