Top Destination to Get Lost: Whitsunday Islands, Australia

Sailing through adversity as if it was the calm blue waters of the Coral Sea, the island resorts of Australia's Whitsunday region have emerged from the devastation of 2011's Cyclone Yasi looking better than ever.

Several of the luxury resorts have had major upgrades, and visitors to the five-star Hayman, in particular, will find much has changed after its AUS$66 million facelift. What hasn't changed is the reason you come here: the dazzling azure water, countless sheltered bays and beaches, coral reefs and laid-back atmosphere. You may stop counting them (there are 74) but island-hopping remains one of the favorite pastimes for visitors to this part of the Great Barrier Reef. There are resorts on just seven of them, offering snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, reef fishing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, parasailing, sea kayaking, glass-bottomed boat and semi-submersible rides over the reefs, and just about any other water-based activity you can think of.

Take a seaplane or helicopter ride over the reef, and keep your eyes peeled for beautiful Heart Reef. For everything from the drop-dead decadence of Hamilton Island's adults-only qualia to the basic wilderness cabins and camping on Hook Island, there's a resort for all tastes. You can hike on some of the uninhabited islands, or charter a yacht and sail yourself between them. And if there's one thing you shouldn't miss, it's a day trip to the blindingly white sand of Whitehaven Beach (take your sunglasses).

Lee Mylne is a co-author of Frommer's Australia and the author of Melbourne Free & Dirt Cheap.