Thanks so much! Yes, i think Port Douglas is nicer, but my understanding longer to get there vs. doing day trips to Port Douglas. I was under the impression more tours pick up in Cairns. I will research some more. Booking Fullerton! Thanks.

Not a fan of Port Douglas as Cairns is more interesting. More hotels, restaurants and activities. We were there in January 2025 as part of a 12 day Australian cruise on Queen Elizabeth.
Large cruise ships are ruining the harbour in PD so we had to have 3 nights in Cairns (which was a good thing!). We still wanted to visit PD so did a day trip but after looking around the shops and having lunch we were hot and bored. January is stinger season so we could not swim in the sea anyway it was too hot to sit on the beach. In June the weather will be different. We did the Skyrail Rainforest gondola trip up to Kuranda and back down in the vintage train - awesome trip. Hubby and I split up for a day - he went to the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum and I went to the art gallery and aquarium and a swim in the man made lagoon. Both were fantastic.
We plan on going back to Cairns as there's lots we have not done (but we are from New Zealand so it's next door).

Hello again - My trip has changed. I'm now going to Sydney for one week and Cairns for 4 days and back to Sydney. Can you recommend hotels in Cairns and also what airline I should take to get there? Thanks!

The three domestic airlines in Australia are Qantas, Virgin Australia (full service carriers) and Jetstar (Qantas low cost subsidiary).

Take whichever suits your timing & budget. Note: With Jetstar, there are add on costs for checked luggage.

I've not been to Cairns for a while but stayed at the Hilton when there last as it was a work related event and it was fine.
Have a look at Booking.com for your exact dates. Prices & availability will vary according to what's on.
Note - if you haven't already: The advertised price for accommodation (and everything except airline fares) is the price you pay. No extra taxes etc.,

And of course, you don't need to tip anyone in Australia, for anything, ever.

Can anyone recommend a hotel in Sydney? I need breakfast, friendly staff, a large surrounding area, and a swimming pool.

Derek- please start your own thread. You have piggy backed on someone else’s thread that has nothing to so with your query.
Include your exact dates, budget range per night inAUD.

What does a large surrounding area mean? A large lobby/foyer area? Gardens around the hotel?

Im sorry