My hotel provides complimentary coach transfer from the Cairns airport to Port Douglas, and we'll be happy to take it. However, I was wondering if there was a sightseeing advantage to using a private car/driver instead,i.e. are there points of interest along the way that we might want to stop off at? We arrive Cairns at about 5:30 PM on a Monday in October. Thanks for any advice you can give us.

Stick with coach transfer - the road from Cairns to PD is one of the most scenic in the country. It'll start to get dark at about 6.30pmin October (we have very short twilights here) so there wouldn't be much opportunity for stop-offs on way to PD. Have a great holiday!

I agree with pat,
Also I am sure you will want to get to PD and drop all your bags off and shower before going sight seeing.
Your time will be better used in PD.
We took the trip from Cairns to Palm Cove and it was quite muggy, that was October too, we just wanted to get to the appartment and shower.
Plenty of time for sight seeing later I guess.

Have fun

Muck

Thanks,Pat and Muck, for your common-sense and very helpful answers. I'll arrange for the coach transfer and forget about a private driver. It helps to hear from people "in the know".
Martha

Your welcome.
If you get the chance, do drop in to Palm Cove its so lovely and a bit smaller and quieter that PD.
Have a great time
Muck

Agree with Mucky - Palm Cove has the most magnificent huge old paper bark trees (melaleuca) along it's esplanade and one of the very few absolute beachfront restaurants in the area.

Pat, can you get me the name of the restaurant in Palm Cove? I'd like to check it out on-line before I leave for my trip. Thanks to everyone for the helpful information. I leave for Sydney in 4 weeks....am sooooooooo excited, and will probably have a few more postings/questions before I depart. Three years of research and now our trip is almost here!

Marthag - beachfront restaurant is in Angsana Resort and Spa - 1 Vievers Rd, Palm Cove - it's called Far Horizons Restaurant and Bar. Enjoy it!

Just to add...
If you walk a little bit further up towards the jetty at PC, there you will find the lifeguards club. We had great food and drink with great local company and it was just such good value.
We ate out in the rear garden.
If you get the chance to try it do so.
Have fun
Muck

Try this site:

www.palmcove.net

muck