amsimon

Hello-

We are going to Australia on our honeymoon in January 2009 and have a flight into Cairns on January 10 from Ayers Rock and a flight out of Cairns to Adelaide on January 15.

Therefore, from January 10 to 15- should we stay at a hotel in Cairns? Go to Port Douglas? Anywhere else that is recommended, etc.

We definitely want to snorkel/dive/see the GBR, and see what else the area has to offer.

Any hotel suggestions as well would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance- looking forward to hearing!

- Allyson

Bushranger

Phew!, you've picked a hot time of the year to come, and it'll be red hot at Ayers Rock or Uluru (aboriginal name) as it is also known but the resort there is well set up with shading and pools.

You may get told how wonderful the weather can be in Cairns this time of year and a local fully adjusted to a very humid climate and lapping that up may see it that way, but not only can you expect it to be very warm, humidity is likely to also be high and there can be possibility of tropical storms and torrential rain, not a certainty but a possibility, so make sure wherever you stay has airconditioning and ceiling fans preferably and also a great swimming pool, be it PD a smaller more upmarket version of Cairns, though expanding, Cairns or between Cairns and PD but close to Cairns you have some more relaxed, more tropical feel locations, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove and Ellis Beach being some locales to consider.
You can do reef trips from Cairns or PD and there'll be shuttle transport most accommodation places will organise for you if staying out of Cairns a bit

If you have a scan back through some recent threads you'll see a few about the Cairns region and some where particular accommodations and trips have been mentioned, that mention being by both owners and also people who have stayed at places - there'll be plenty of options open to you because the weather does deter many people from visiting at that time of the year.

http://www.thetourspecialists.com/tours-reef.html will give you a heap of info, and if the weather is very warm/sultry and you're looking for a break, see about getting yourself out on a hinterland/daintree tour as there can be some relief in hinterland higher country.

I stayed at Fitzroy Island a few years back before redevelopment commenced and it is a reasonable island with some beaches, snorkelling opportunities and other activities available, and would be worth checking if any specials might be available seeing as opening is now scheduled for December. http://www.huntgroup.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=122

nanabee

We stayed in Cairns and Port Douglas. Overall I like the city of Port Douglas better. It is smaller, more upscale and not as busy or large as Cairns.
We stayed at the Lilybank B & B in Cairns, which we loved. Lilybank is about 10 minutes out of town in a quiet, lovely residential area. I didn't particulary like the downtown area of Cairns.

For trips to the GBR I recommend taking smaller cruise operations, where you have less people and more attention from the operators.

jerseygirldawn

We are going to be in Australia this Decemeber. It has been my dream vacation. I was wanting to stay on one of the GBR island hotels because they sounded so awesome. However after looking into it a bit further we decided to stay in Daintree RainForest in a place called Silky Oaks Lodge. We wanted something unique and this is a treehouse resort! I will let you know how it is but we are soo excited.

jerseygirldawn

i just booked silky oaks lodge!
i thought the idea of treehouse rooms sounded unique & awesome. Was there much wildlife around the resort? How was the free tours? I guess I'm reaching for ANY poitive feedback from it cause we're staying 3 nights! lol. Let me know before I call my travel agent.

thanks
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