The powder-white sands of Whitehaven Beach stretch for miles
It's midday on a Sunday and Airlie Beach's main road is filling up with backpackers enjoying a cool beer in the sunshine. Pubs, surf shops and takeaway bars line the main strip and as the sun goes down, the distinctive sound of raging nightclubs takes over.
While the town provides a colourful night out, it's hardly the spot for some much-needed R&R. Fortunately for us, we're staying up the hill at the Azure Sea Grand Mercure Apartments. Just 10 minutes' walk from town, our luxurious self-contained penthouse is a world away from the noisy shenanigans of backpacker bars.
The only distractions are the maniacal cackling of surrounding kookaburras and the noisy slap of the infinity pool, spilling into the lap pool below.
Gateway to the Whitsundays, Airlie Beach has always been popular with backpackers, part of their pilgrimage to sail the brilliant blue waters of the Coral Sea and touch the powder-fine sand of Whitehaven Beach.
But cheap flights to the region have led to a change in the area, bringing in family groups, "flashpackers" and other tourists, looking for more than a budget bunk for the night.
That's certainly what we got at the Azure Sea. Plasma screen televisions, leather lounge suites and marble-topped kitchens are all part of the package, plus stunning sea views from every room.
We sat on the balcony, swilling champagne in the late afternoon sun, and basked in the serenity, which is just what we needed after our action-packed weekend away.
Nestled between the eighth wonder of the world - the Great Barrier Reef - and Conway National Park, you're never short of something to do in Airlie Beach.
We started our weekend "mini-break" with an afternoon cruise to Whitehaven Beach. Up to half a day's journey by sailing boat, we got there in just an hour and a half aboard a luxurious All Riviera Charters' launch.
Located on Whitsunday Cairn - the largest of the Whitsundays' 74 islands - Whitehaven Beach is 7km of the finest, silica sand you'll ever encounter.
Each of the Whitsunday Islands is unique, from white sand beaches to shingle bays, and tussock-grassed hillsides to thickly forested cliff tops, all surrounded by the sparkling blue Coral Sea.
You could spend days exploring the various islands, and indeed many people do, but there's more to Airlie Beach than just its Whitsunday neighbours.
As Saturday dawned, we headed inland and off-road to Conway National Park, where we embarked on a healthy spot of tramping. Well, actually we just stumbled round the 1.6km Kingfisher Circuit, but we could have done a 30km Great Walk had we so desired.
Even so, our short jaunt gave us a look at the area's lush natural heritage and proved there is more to Australia's flora than just eucalyptus trees and bottlebrushes.
After our morning's excursion, we headed to Cedar Creek Falls for a picnic lunch. Nicole, our guide, tells us this is one of the area's most beautiful spots when the falls are flowing. Unfortunately, as a result of the country's worst drought in 100 years, the falls were completely dry and the watering hole below looked like a murky brown cesspit.
But we were soon off on our next adventure - the Airlie Beach Awesome Foursome - quad biking, parasailing, jet skiing and a helicopter flight.
Again, the drought affected our day, as the usually muddy quad-biking tracks had become parched and rutted, making steering tricky and giving us more of an upper-body workout than the joy ride we expected. After an hour of juddering our way around hilly bush tracks, we were more than ready to head back to sea level.
You can choose to do all four activities in one day, but we opted to spread them out over three, interspersed with other key Airlie activities - namely eating, drinking and sun-bathing.
Which was probably for the best, as there was little chance you would have got Amy and me strapped into a tandem harness, trawling behind the back of a speed boat had we been completely sober. As it was, we were too hungover to argue as we were hoisted into the air.
Once our terror subsided, we prised open our eyes to discover the view wasn't half bad. In fact, it is pretty peaceful floating 60m above sea level.
As we drifted back to earth, landing on the back of the boat, we both declared parasailing our new favourite hobby and vowed to do it again.
Back on the jetty, we were given a quick briefing on jet-ski safety before being let loose on the glistening harbour. A quick blast out to an abandoned trawler was all we had time for before we had to head back for our next excursion, horse riding.
It was on our way home from this last adventure - where we had another look at Australia's native fauna - that we contemplated joining the backpackers for a midday drink. But, with our heads still heavy from the night before, we retreated back up the hill to our private paradise, indulging in an afternoon of relaxing spa treatments.
There's nothing quite like a massage and facial to make you forget the "stresses" of your week. Combined with the stunning vista and gentle sea breeze from our balcony location, it was heaven.
Refreshed from our afternoon's pampering, we had just one adventure left before we had to leave Airlie Beach - a bird's-eye view of the surrounding region.
In a small, doorless bubble-copter, we bumped skyward above the coast. After three days of faultless weather and glowing sunshine, it was only fitting that the skies had darkened for our departure. But no bleak skies or bad weather could take the dazzle off Airlie Beach and its Whitsunday neighbours. A true gem in Australia's tourism crown.
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