Your Hosts

The Paradise Bay staff 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.

Jason has successfully studied Recreation Management and Social Anthropology and in the past ten years and has made a career in the tourism and customer service industry.
Jason was born in Rhodesia and has had the opportunity of living in The Middle East, New Zealand, Australia and Zambia and as a result he is a very keen and enthusiastic traveler.
Jason is passionate about protecting the environment and has had the opportunity to work in exclusive eco lodges in various locations around the world.
His extensive career in customer service, hospitality and tourism has been both successful and rewarding and Jason enjoys the challenge and experience of Paradise Bay. He also enjoys meeting and interacting with people of different ages and nationalities and takes pride in enhancing guests holiday experience.

Jason
General Manager

Kayla spent as much of her childhood as possible in the outdoors of the South Island in New Zealand. Her passion for the environment and outdoor pursuits led her to study and complete a degree in Recreation Management. During her studies she met her husband Jason and they then began their journey to Africa. Managing Safari lodges in both Zambia and Zimbabwe Kayla has gained valuable hospitality experience, combined with many years of customer service she excels at making guests feel welcomed, comfortable and at home. Kayla has managed in both Melbourne and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and enjoys the challenges and spectacular rewards of living in remote locations around the world. Kayla takes pride in providing Paradise Bay guests a unique and personalized experience.

Michaela
General Manager

Since starting his career in the Vineyards of the Hunter Valley, Todd has travelled Australia working alongside some of the country’s finest Chefs in Fine Dining Restaurants and Boutique Resorts.

Being a part of Paradise Bay Eco Escape gives Todd the opportunity to source the regions amazing fresh produce, allowing him to create beautiful dishes and match them with an extensive range of Australian wines.

Todd - Chef

Sophie’s career in the Hospitality and Tourism industry began in the internationally renowned wine region of the Hunter Valley. Sophie has experienced working in Boutique Resorts and a variety of Restaurants throughout the East Coast of Australia.

She has a passion for great Australian food and wine, Sophie consistently strives to provide a friendly and professional service that makes each and every guest at Paradise Bay feel welcome and special.

Sophie - Hostess

After completing his apprenticeship in an award winning hotel in the Yarra Valley, Victoria Nick travelled overseas gaining experience in London, France and Greece. Here at Paradise Bay Nick enjoys creating innovative food with all the fresh local produce the region has to offer.

Nick - Chef

Louise is originally from England where she has gained a wealth of hospitality experience working at exclusive events & functions throughout London. Louise met Nick whilst working at a restaurant in the Greek Islands, and after 3 more seasons living and working together there, the couple returned to Nicks native Australia. Louise loves the relaxed “ family” atmosphere of Paradise Bay, and having the opportunity to look after and get to know her guests whilst working in such truly beautiful surroundings.

Louise - Hostess

Matt skippers our yacht the "Wilderness Explorer", which sails from the resort every day except Sunday. He is originally from New Zealand, but has sailed extensively throughout Australia and overseas.

His enthusiasm for the area, sailing knowledge, and sense of adventure makes him an excellent guide and companion while exploring the surrounding islands.

Matt - Skipper

Tanya Hawdon is our Sales and Marketing Manager and has a passion for combining both Marketing and Travel. Having completed a Tourism and Leisure degree and a Masters in Business Marketing on exchange in California, Tanya has travelled the globe and predominantly marketed international destinations before discovering Paradise Bay. She enjoys the thrill of marketing her own backyard and is passionate about the unique experience that Paradise Bay has to offer to the world.

Tanya
Sales & Marketing Manager

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