Pottering around Palm Cove and Port Douglas

[kookaburra75]

I was prompted after reading @bpeteb most recent trip report - The last supper? New years in Cairns and Palm Cove (again) , to get around to putting together a Trip Report of our most recent soiree.

MrsK and my birthdays are only 9 days apart, in October. We try and plan something that spans one or both of our birthdays. and living in Canberra we usually head north to get a bit of warmth in our bones. It's a good time of year to travel, as it's after school holidays, and ahead of the Christmas rush. Last year we spent our break at Palm Cove, staying at The Reef House, which we have fallen in love with. So, after coming back from Palm Cove last year, we rebooked to spend four nights at The Reef House again (making use of the 10% returning guest discount), upgrading to an Ocean View King Room. But, as we intended to spend at least 8 days away (leave home on Saturday, back the following Saturday), that left a few days spare. We had always thought about checking out Port Douglas, and I found a three day package through Luxury Escapes, at Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel which fitted the bill (Ocean View Room, and no kids).

11 months out I looked up flights on points, and secured bus class return from Canberra to Cairns. Originally they were direct flights, but those got cancelled a few months later and we ended up transiting through Brisbane. To make matters worse, the Canberra-Brisbane leg was on an economy only 717. I rang Qantas a few times trying to get the flights confirmed, and get a refund on the points I had used, as only half the flight was in business. Each time I was told it was all ok, we would be in bus the whole way, but that wasn't what My Bookings page was telling me. Thankfully, I finally got through to an agent in Hobart, who could see what had happened and sorted out the flights, and the refund of points. All good - except for the flight leaving Canberra at 7am, although my offer of buying a glass of bubbles at the airport bar soothed MrsK's nerves over such an early start.

The flight to Brisbane from Canberra was uneventful. We had seats together, and being able to board first I got our bags up into the overhead locker without any issues - we were travelling hand luggage only, as the hotels had guest laundries. The service was friendly, and the meals as good as you get in economy on QantasLink.

Breakfast service

It was actually quite tasty.

Leaving the cold of Canberra


Descending into Brisbane


After an hour in the Bus Lounge in Brisbane, we boarded our next leg to Cairns - and all was good in the world.

A nice grains salad for an early lunch, with bubbles of course.

 

[kookaburra75]

We arrived into Cairns and was quickly off the flight. For our transfers, I tried to book using the service from our last trip, Northern Beach Transfers, but unfortunately they don't seem to be in business anymore. To make things easy, I emailed Exemplar Coaches and Limousines with our itinerary, and they organised the transfers from Cairns to Palm Cove, Palm Cove to Port Douglas, and Port Douglas back to Cairns airport.

We only had to wait 10-15 minutes for the mini-bus to arrive and headed off to Palm Cove. Due to our early start, we arrived at The Reef House at noon. As our room wasn't ready (MrsK was just happy to be there) we headed off in search of lunch.

A happy MrsK at The Reef House


We wandered up the street, and couldn't go past Rattle and Hum, and had a relaxing drink and lunch.

Life is good


We wandered back to The Reef House, and checked into our room. It was on the second floor, on the corner above the coffee shop. It was everything we wanted and more. On our most recent stay at the hotel, I had noticed that it was starting to look a bit tired. However, they have obviously done a lot of maintenance, and the place looked very fresh and new, besides the carpet down in the lounge area.
Our room


Out on the balcony


View from our room

 

[kookaburra75]

We quickly settled into life in the tropics, enjoying coughtails by the pool, coughtails by the beach, and lunch.

coughtails by the pool


Breakfast at The Reef House


Lunch at The Surf Club


Palm Cover is a very relaxing place, as it's not a main thoroughfare. You can just sit and relax at the many bars and restaurants, and not be bothered by traffic. The most noise comes from the kids pool at the Mantra I think (@bpeteb can probably confirm that)

MrsK waiting for a car to go past, at Chill At Portofino


Walking along the beach front, out the front of Nu Nu - dodging all of the Instagrammers


Our final breakfast at The Reef House

 

[kookaburra75]

Our time at Palm Cove came to a quick end, and we boarded the minibus to take us to Port Douglas. Neither of us had been there before, and after reading about the exploits of the Hollywood set, big game fishing, the the number of big resorts, we weren't quite sure what to expect - maybe a bit Gold Coast-ie. But, we were pleasantly surprised. We were the last to get dropped off, and the driver looped through town so we could get our bearings.

We got up to Port Douglas before noon, and dropped our bags off at the hotel and went in search of lunch. A lot of places were closed for lunch (it was a Wednesday) and operating limited days/hours, another sign that our tourism industry is still short of staff, something we had experienced in Margaret River back in July.

We came across the Watergate Restaurant, and settled in for a really good lunch. The Watergate theme seemed a bit out of place, given how long ago that was, but the food was great. Being tucked away in a lush setting, made us really feel that we were in the tropics. We had a long chat with the manager, and he confirmed that staff shortages were hitting them. He mentioned that some of the bars and restaurants were co-ordinating their opening days/hours, so staff could work at one venue, and roll onto the next, or work at different places on different days.

Lunch with a nice bottle of Riesling


After a relaxing lunch, we wandered back to our hotel and checked in. We were on the top floor (two storey building), with a view across the road to the Four Mile Beach - perfect.

View from our balcony


Our room was large, with a kitchenette, so we could eat in if we wanted to, which we did one night. It was very light and airy, with a large bathroom, and a nice deep bath we could both soak in. It wasn't a spa bath, but that suited us, as we're not a fan of those.

Bedroom


Bathroom (separate shower is to the right of me)


View into the lounge area from the bedroom (fridge and kitchenette on the left)


We tucked in with our complimentary bottle of bubbles, and a fruit and chocolate platter (sorry, forgot to take a photo before we ate it)

 

[kookaburra75]

After a good lunch, we weren't that hungry, but headed out anyway to see what Port Douglas had to offer. We walked the length of Macrossan Street and ended up at The Court House Hotel. A great spot to relax and people watch.

Relaxing, deciding what to do for dinner

While the menu looked good, we decided to try out the The Tin Shed over the other side of the park. It was busy, but we managed to find a table outside on the balcony. Good pub-grub meals, a few drinks ands chatting to the locals made it a good night.

The next day, we went down and had breakfast by the pool. It was a bit of a funny setup. The breakfast was a continental buffet, although they provided you with a menu for cooked items, that were an extra $10 - it wasn't that well explained. The hotel also has a separate cafe out the front, High Tide Cafe, which I think would have been a better breakfast option, except the included breakfast was by the pool.

Breakfast by the pool


After breakfast, we retired to the cafe for our morning coffee - another of MrsK's holiday rules, along with bubbles to start a holiday, there must be a good coffee around 10, and a pre-lunch drink at 11, or vice versa.

Morning coffee "juice"


Before travelling up to Port Douglas, we had look at different options for tours and trips. We picked two. The Sunset Sail on the Shaolin Junk, and the Low Isles Reef Snorkelling Tour with Reef Sprinter.

Given it was a sunset cruise, we spent the day wandering around the back streets of Port Douglas, across to the marina to get an idea of how long it would take to walk there from the hotel.

How the other half live in Port Douglas


It wasn't too far, but in the heat and humidity, it seemed like we had walked for ages. Sadly, a lot of the venues were shut at the marina, or only open for restricted hours. We had a drink at Lure Restaurant & Bar, to support the local economy. We also had a quick wander around the marina, to see what might be available if we needed to get a new 'tinnie'.


Anyway, it was time to get onboard the Shaolin Junk for our cruise - just one problem, it was cloudy. Off we went with a bunch of good people, and enjoyed the snacks, drinks and travel conversations, along with tips and suggestions. As we sailed out, the master provided a interesting commentary on the history of Port Douglas and the features around the harbour. We did see a bit of a sunset as the clouds parted.

On our way out


Looking back to Port Douglas


Sunset from the shore the next night


Overall, it was good experience and one we'd try again to see if we can get a clear night. We walked back to our hotel, via The Tin Shed and The Court House Hotel. After such as hectic day, we retired back to our hotel, picking up a few things at the supermarket, and had quiet night in, and had a good night's sleep - all that fresh air.

 

[kookaburra75]

The next day dawned in Port Douglas, and we had a leisurely breakfast by the pool. We didn't bother trying the pool, as Four Mile Beach was just across the road. It was funny reading some of the reviews on TripAdvisor, where there were comments about the pool being too small, or there weren't enough lounges around the pool. I thought the hotel was very polite in their responses, where they pointed out that you could borrow deck chairs and an umbrella for free from the hotel and set up on the beach, which was much better than any hotel pool. But each to their own. MrsK and I did spend a while relaxing on the beach and going for a swim.

Four Mile Beach


On Friday, we had booked a snorkelling trip, out to Low Islands that are relatively close to Port Douglas. A bit of background. A long while ago, before I met MrsK she was in Townsville visiting a friend up there, and did a snorkelling trip out to the reef. It tool about 1h 40m to get out, and a lot of people got seasick. There wasn't good supervision, and the mask she was given leaked badly. And then of course, she had to endure the trip back. I scuba dive, and know what a bad trip can be like, so I picked this tour as it was only 15 minutes to Low Islands and they responded quickly to my questions about the equipment and supervision. Reef Sprinter weren't one of the big operations, and use high speed boats to get to where they want to be - and they were fast.

We headed down to the marina, for our briefing and getting fitted out with gear. They had stinger suits available, which although it wasn't stinger season, provide good sun protection and aren't clingy. The masks and fins were of very good quality, and fitted well. We got onboard the boat and after clearing Port Douglas harbour, the skipper opened up the throttles - I was happy, as it met the "Need for Speed" factor. The only minor downside, was we went through a couple of showers. The skipper warned us that due to our speed (80 kph) that it would feel like being peppered with gravel, if we went through a shower. Having ridden motorbikes for years, I knew that feels like, and it did. But that was only for a short while. I covered MrsK with a beach towel for protection.

The weather on the way out.


MrsK ready to get into the water


Snorkelling around Low Island was relaxing, and MrsK enjoyed it, which washed away the memories of her last snorkelling experience. Unfortunately the turtles were hiding somewhere else, but we'll go back and try and get a clear day, and turtles. Overall, it was very well organised, excellent briefings and care, interesting information and again, and great opportunity to chat to people about their travel stories and experiences.

We got back to Port Douglas, to be greeted by more rain.


So we hid in Hemingway's Brewery and supported the local economy again - I can recommend The Prospector.

 

[kookaburra75]

As it was our last night in Port Douglas, despite a busy day snorkelling, we decided to have a farewell dinner and managed to get a booking at Wrasse & Roe. No photos of the food, but we'll be going back there. Excellent food and service. The waiter on our table was very new, his first job in hospitality (and looked like he could play for the Wallabies), but if he didn't know the answer he'd go and check. We gave him a big tip and gave feedback to the manager about how good he was, with the right attitude.

And then of course, it was time to start heading south. MrsK was in her usual "I don't won't do go home" mood. As our flight left at noon, there was no need to go into the Qantas lounge, so we spent an hour in the Mangrove Jacks bar, and sipped on a couple of "holiday is nearly over" bubbles".

MrsK not happy


But then we started making our way down south. It was a quick change over in Brisbane, walked off one flight onto the next (thank goodness for Hand Luggage Only), and then back to Canberra, to be reminded how cold it was there.

Back home


Summing up the trip. We'll go back to both places - in fact we've already booked for October this year. I'm bringing up my parents who live in Hervey Bay to spend three nights with us at The Reef House, after a stressful 2022, and then head up to Port Douglas back to The Peninsula. Hopefully the weather will be clearer. We'll be taking the snorkelling tour to out to the main Barrier Reef, and hopefully I might be able to sneak in a scuba dive.

As we're repeat visitors, we get a 10% discount for both places. For The Reef House, we're going the next notch up, with a Ocean View King Suite room, while I've booked my parents into the ground floor Brigadiers King Studio as they're in their 80s and it's a nice setting at the front of the hotel. At The Peninsula in Port Douglas, I've asked for the same room.

The Reef House has brilliant service, and Cedric the concierge keeps an eye on every small detail. On all of our trips, he calls a couple of days in advance to introduce himself and check on anything we needed. I know he will be a huge hit with Mum and Dad. The only downside was the guest laundry, which was very old and relatively expensive at $8 a wash, and $8 dryer.

The Peninsula Boutique Hotel was a great find. It had the right location, across the road from the beach, and in the middle of the main part of town so we could walk everywhere. The room was perfect for us, as we could be self-contained if we wanted to. The guest laundry (there was one on each floor) was a big plus, as it was free and they provided detergent.

Anyway, another trip over, and now to start planning our next big trip. Although we have already locked in Samoa for this July to escape the Canberra cold in July, and then back to north Queensland in October.

 

[drron]

Great TR. We are definitely must go back to FNQ. but a full schedule through to mid 2024.

 

[bPeteb]

We wandered back to The Reef House, and checked into our room. It was on the second floor, on the corner above the coffee shop. It was everything we wanted and more. On our most recent stay at the hotel, I had noticed that it was starting to look a bit tired. However, they have obviously done a lot of maintenance, and the place looked very fresh and new, besides the carpet down in the lounge area.

Agree, looked very freshly painted. Had they replaced the rotted timber on the side of the dining room facing the little pool?

Glad you both had such a good time again. We did sunset Shao Lin and then also went with them out to Low Isles. Really great crew. I wonder if you’ll end up in same room we had at RH. It was behind the room you were in and had a big spa out on the verandah.

Not sure we’ll go back up this NY but I won’t be surprised if we do

 

[jastel]

PD was dead during covid, the Marina was basically empty...now a few shops open.
The Marina was bought by Crystalbrook, they have 3 hotels in CNS...there were plans for a giant makeover and of course a new hotel...not heard much since.

CNS has gone a bit quiet...it is the wet season (you got lucky)...but even so many businesses up here still have lack of staff affecting opening hours and service quality.

 

[Cossie]

We had booked the Mantra again for June, but a Luxury Escapes package came up and also reading your reviews of it, no brainer to cancel other and rebook The Reef House, thank you! A bit more, but it's a special occasion.

 

[kookaburra75]

We had booked the Mantra again for June, but a Luxury Escapes package came up and also reading your reviews of it, no brainer to cancel other and rebook The Reef House, thank you! A bit more, but it's a special occasion.

You won't regret it. When you get there, book for the coughtail making classes, and the wine tasting. And go to the Brigadier Punch in the late afternoons. While the punches aren't anything special you get the chance to chat and mingle with the other guests.