Can anyone suggest the best place to stay either Cairns, Cairns Beaches or Port Douglas.Looking for something affordable, self contained and peaceful.

koornang - in 2006 my husband and I stayed at the LilyBank B&B in Cairns. Even though we were there during Cyclone Monica, they are the most gracious, helpful and informative hosts! I know that when we were planning our trip, the owner, Pat Woolford, regularly posted on this forum.

http://www.lilybank.com.au/

ditto the idea of lilybank, pat and mike r great hosts. our favourite restaurant in Oz , the garden room is just down the road
cheers
AndrewDavid

id only stay along the main drag in cairns
gets smellyround the pubs so ask if there are pubs nearby
cairns is cheaper than port douglas
we stayed at the mantra aqueous apts and were really happy
drab corridors but the apartments are beautiful

Hi Koonang,

I've just come from staying at Yorkeys Knob beach just 10 minutes north of Cairns and loved it. It was my favorite beach in the Cairns area – great for walking and swimming and is mostly used by locals who are pretty friendly. I even saw people fishing from some parts of the beach.

I found a great place to stay about 50 meters from the beach called Villa Marine www.villamarine.com.au. It's a well-run small place with self-contained holiday apartments, and I felt quite comfortable there as a single (solo-traveler). There were also families and retirees staying including Australians and overseas visitors, so it does suit a wide variety of people. There was even one lady I spoke to who stays there every year.

The apartment had a good well-equipped kitchen (lots of cookware and a full-sized gas stove), air conditioning, ceiling fans, a nice bathroom and an individual patio with a view of the pool and rain forest. It is a lovely retreat, so close to the beach, walking distance to a small grocery market and you can catch the bus into the city just around the corner. (The manager can also arrange car hires and tours from the office – the tours will also pick you up form the motel). Yorkeys also has a few restaurants and take-aways within easy walking distance.

The rooms are quite comfortable and the studio unit I stayed in had a nice layout. I also really liked that they are using solar hot water and rainwater tanks. The neighborhood is quiet, too, so you can hear the birds during the day and the frogs at night (and the ocean too if there is a bit of surf).

The main city of Cairns has no beach in cairns - just a large pool on the Esplanade which is often overcrowded, so I was looking for something close to Cairns but with a real beach and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The city can also be quite noisy. Locals call Yorkey's the closest “good beach” to the city. Port Douglas is an hour away and much more expensive.

In all I thought Villa Marine at Yorkeys Knob was excellent value and suited my needs well – I'll plan to stay there on my next visit.