Your Hosts
We are all dedicated to helping you have the best vacation of your life - by providing friendly, personalised service, a relaxed, homely atmosphere, and a variety of interesting activities - or just peace, quiet and relaxation if you prefer.
Mark our resort manager has 24 years experience in some of the finest 5 star hotels, luxury resort and Michelin rated restaurants in the world as an executive chef and manger taking care of the worlds dignitaries’ and famous ensuring a world class experience for all. Having worked and lived in 4 of the world’s continents and travelled throughout 6, Mark has extensive knowledge of some of world’s unspoilt frontiers having a passion for wildlife and unexplored territories coupled with a love for gourmet food and fine wine.
Mark Renee, who jointly manages the resort and accompanies Mark on the life adventures. Stemming from the Blue Mountains hotel school, Renee has worked in small luxury hotels of the world and leading hotels in Australia within chef’s hat rated food and beverage operations. From opening 5 star deluxe corporate hotels in South East Asia and more recently to managing bespoke Safari Camps in East Africa, Renee has a zest for life, wildlife and travelling to unspoilt areas, with a passion for creating the fine and personal hospitality experience one so rarely finds.
Renee Nick is one of our passionate gourmet chef’s with a flare for fine food. Your taste buds will be amazed and tantalized, awaiting with anticipation for the next experience. Nick has a keen eye for combining fresh produce and flavours to produce the grand finale of dishes. He has been fortunate to train under some of the Hunter Valley’s top chefs in the remarkable Pokolbin vineyards. Leaving the hustle and bustle of city living, Nick has the time and opportunity at Paradise Bay to serve nothing but the best. His passion for fine food is only fulfilled when you, the guest, experience a meal matched with the amazing wines that accompany your gourmet event. Nick is a down to earth and fun loving person so don’t be scared to ask him to whip up your favourite dish!
Nick Natalie (Nat) in one word is a perfectionist. Nat’s left the heat of the kitchen and swapped it for hosting our guests and the views of Paradise Bay. She has an amazing eye for detail that allows you, the guest, to experience nothing but the best. Natalie trained as a chef throughout the Hunter and represented Australia in the La Chaine Des Rotisseurs Commis competition. Working along side amazing chefs and managers Natalie swapped backwards and forwards her gift of cooking and hosting. Relocating to Paradise Bay Natalie has taken a step out of the hustle and bustle to wine and dine our guests to a standard that is unmatched and unrivalled.
Nat Ben is one of our Gourmet Chef team. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for food Ben has been fortunate to travel Australia working in varied restaurants and hotels in amazing locations, including the Kimberley's, Ayres Rock, Coonawarra and Clare Valley. After a three year absence from the Whitsundays Ben has returned here to Paradise Bay.
"Cooking for small groups allows me to use my creative flair building a menu to suit our tropical conditions and work closely with our guests to ensure all dietary requirements are met. And with a beautiful ocean view from the kitchen what an amazing place to work."
Ben Kelly is never seen without a smile and has a bubbly personality which allows guests to feel at home and welcome straight away. With a background in tourism and retail, Kelly prides herself on providing a high level of service. After working alongside partner Ben in some of Australia's must see destinations including, the Kimberley's, Ayers Rock, and the Clare Valley she now returns to the Whitsundays.
"By only having a small number of guests we are able to tailor the service. Guests become a part of the family and saying farewell is always hard."
Kelly Kyall skippers our yacht the "Wilderness Explorer", which sails from the Lodge every day except Sunday. He is originally from New Zealand, where his father is a boat skipper, but extensively sailed the east coast of Australia before settling in the Whitsundays.
His enthusiasm for the area, sailing knowledge, and sense of adventure makes him a great guide and companion while exploring the surrounding islands.
Kyall Rebecca (Bec) is our Sales and Marketing Manager. After working in 4 states throughout Australia chasing a career path in the fast-paced corporate world, she escaped to follow her dream of living in a tranquil paradise in the Whitsundays. For many years, a framed photo of the Whitsundays, aptly named Paradise hung in her lounge room and like magic she found it at Paradise Bay. Bec Managed the Resort for nine months in the hectic "start up phase" and during her time there impressed guests with her passion for meeting new people and educating guests from around the world about our unique paradise. She now spends her time encouraging new guests and old friends alike to experience the delights of Paradise Bay.
Bec Our main goal at Paradise Bay
Our main goal at Paradise Bay is simply to provide guests with an unforgettable experience in true peace and quiet - exploring one of the world’s most spectacular natural regions while staying in comfort and privacy - with a very high standard of personalised service, meals, accommodation and daily excursions.
Our philosophy is that by temporarily escaping from crowds of people and the normal distractions of modern life, guests really connect with themselves, those around them, and the environment - in a way that helps them rediscover the simple pleasures and natural rhythm of life. This is much more than a normal vacation - it can be quite a life changing experience for many of our guests.
We also aim to help preserve the pristine nature of this environment by catering for small groups only, being as self sufficient as possible with no negative impact, making people aware of what exists by providing safe access to wilderness areas which might otherwise be locked away and forgotten, and helping people understand the value and importance of preserving such an environment.
The Lodge generates all it's own power, treats all it's own waste water which is recycled onto the gardens, and is self sufficient for fresh water - using a combination of solar panels, batteries, a small generator, natural gas, and collected rainwater. The most significant environmental factor is that the whole Lodge complex consumes less energy than an average suburban house - simply by careful selection of appliances and fittings - all of which are currently available "off the shelf". The same careful selection applied to every household and industry could almost immediately halve the world's energy consumption.
“Welcome to Paradise” from the owner – Peter Spann
It has been an utmost pleasure to welcome guests to our little piece of paradise.
My love of the Whitsundays goes back to my childhood where I spent many a wonderful day visiting the islands, messing about in boats, swimming in the ocean and making sandcastles on the beach.
Our love of this area is easy to maintain when you discover how breathtakingly beautiful Paradise Bay is. So secluded is it, so pristine, so isolated from the maddening crowds even though I have spent years in the area prior to finding it I didn’t know it existed. It really is your own piece of paradise. Our primary goal is to protect and preserve the pristine environment we are custodians of (you can see how we do that by reading the Environment and Ecology page on this website).
Our goal is to welcome you like an old friend. Relax, enjoy and rediscover yourself.
A guest recently wrote a fabulous review of the resort and I have incorporated what she wrote into our philosophy on luxury… Luxury is peace, quiet, getting close to (and sometimes touching) nature, being able to see the stars in the skies, private beaches, wilderness and snorkeling in place where there is nobody else, nothing except you, the fish and the turtles. It means friendly, warm, personal service from people who actually care. It means space, it means afternoon naps in a hammock and sundowners on the beach. And it means the little things that most people may not notice but we certainly do, knowing you are making as little impact on the environment as possible, super comfy beds with crisp sheets and views across the water without even getting up, little touches to make your stay enjoyable like gourmet food and handpicked Australian wines, and those friendly smiles from my team.
My goal, in addition to providing you with a place to relax, genuinely get away from it all, and experience a holiday like you dream of, is to, over time, turn our little piece of paradise into a world class eco-escape blending a little bit of luxury with a lot of friendly service to create for you a truly delightful place to repose. I hope you will enjoy the result and visit us in Paradise soon.
Feel free to contact me direct at any time – peter@paradisebay.com.au
ICON Hotels and Resorts Pty Ltd