Hi again folks,<BR>Getting closer to narrowing things down now but we're torn between staying at Thala Beach and doing day trips or splitting our time between there and Silky Oaks. Any advice on the availability/practicality of doing trips to Daintree/Mossman/Kurandu from Thala would be greatly appreciated.

hi! most day trip/tours will arrange for a nominal charge (or even for free!) to pick you up from thala and transfer you to cairns...OR for our daintree excursion, the shuttle started in cairns, picked us up in palm cove, and we continued to pick people up along the way (driving north), including thala guests, until we got up to daintree... I would definitely check with the &quot;concierge&quot; or &quot;tour coordinator&quot; at thala for more specific information. Silky Oaks has the same type/equivalent person and you will not have a hard time arranging day trips through them either. I can't remember how many days you said you have. But is it possible (financially) to spend like three days at Silky Oaks and the rest of your time at Thala (with a day trip to the great barrier reef as well as one to Lizard Island via Daintree Air?!?!). Either way, you'll be taken care of there and all guests are catered to regarding activities/day trips! From Silky Oaks, it's most likely that you will be daytripping from Port Douglas whereas Cairns based companies will work with you at Thala.

Hi and thanks for the response. We have a week so could split our time between Silky Oaks and Thala. I was concerned though that they are more or less in the same &quot;neck of the woods&quot; and that it wouldn't really be worth moving. Or is it?! Appreciate your feedback!

Hi! Thala and Silky Oaks are actually about an hour from one another and why Silky Oaks is actually in Daintree/Mossman Gorge...Thala is more on the coast - on a cliff overlooking the beach (although the rainforest rally does sort of meet the reef as seen at Thala - the trees to right up to the ocean in some places)...<BR><BR>As long as you go out to the reef for a day or two (if that's something you would enjoy) and maybe do a day trip to Lizard (to mix it up a little), you will see a lot and I think that Thala &amp; Silky are different enough to make it worth your while. While at Silky you can explore Port Douglas and maybe even Cape Tribulation. While you're at Thala you can explore the &quot;northern beaches&quot; like Palm Cove, Trinity and Clifton beaches as well as Cairns and the Lizard/reef trips. You can of course, also go out to the reef via Port Douglas! Thala &amp; Silky are different enough that you wouldn't want to miss their unique qualities! You will find them both to be five star luxury accomodations in every sense of the word!!!

Julie, well that's a wrap! It sounds like we're now finished organizing our trip and you provided me with just what I needed to know. The split between the two would be a change and would allow us to explore different areas so, a big THANKS to you for your help, it's greatly appreciated! I think I had better get booking now - happy trails!

Julie, I have now read some of your other posts and realized that you stayed at Angsana which also sounds great. Oh no, another option I hadn't considered! Maybe we should consider this now instead of Thala - I will check out Angsana's website to have a look/see but folks do seem to recommend it highly. Any other thoughts on this?

travelgirl,<BR><BR>well, angsana in palm cove was truly fabulous and they had a wonderful spa as well!!! what i might suggest (assuming you have two weeks total) is then staying at silky oaks for 5 days, thala for 5, and angsana for 4 (unless that's too much moving around for you). If it is, no worries. don't complicate your trip too much! i think you'll be very happy with thala and silky and you can always have the shuttle at thala transfer you to palm cove for a day at the beach/spa there (wiht a dinner at their restaurant on the beach/water - far horizons). although angsana was lovely, it sounds like you're wanting more hiking, natural atmosphere, birdwatching etc...(or am i getting you and another poster confused?!?! eek!) and thala and silky would be more tailored to your tastes?!? well, if i am confusing your requests/tastes i apologize. if you want to be really close to the water/beach then i would factor in a few days at angsana though, (even three would be enough) for a change in atmosphere. it sounds like you are going to have the vacation of a lifetime!!! i can't wait to hear your trip report when you get back!

Hi Jules, thanks for the reply and you have the right idea about what we're looking for. Will spend the weekend making decisions and go from there. Thanks again for your wonderful insight!

Our family (with three teens) are spending a week at Thala in July and they have been great with tour info. Ask them to e-mail you there options. We plan to to do all of our trips from there (as have friends of ours) without any problems. After a week in <BR>Sydney, our kids may want the option of beaching it and may need some quality time away from us.