HELP ! Port Douglas/Palm Cove, which one for 5 days
 

Staying in the area for 5 days, doing the tours etc. <BR>Would like some advice on where to stay, palm cove or port douglas, we want to do a few trips barrier reef, cape trib etc. <BR> <BR>Such a difficult choice help please. <BR> <BR> <BR>Can anyone recommend a place to stay, don't mind hotel or apartments, somewhere youve been recently that offers that little bit extra. <BR> <BR>

Hi Colin: <BR>Was in Edinburgh this past April for a day. Loved it. <BR> <BR>We were in Cairns in November, 1999. Must see is the Kuranda Rain Forest. Did not make it to Port Douglas. However we loved Cairns. Much to see and do. Took the Ocean Spirit to the Reef. About a two hour trip out. <BR>We stayed at the Rydges Hotel which is located in the CBD and close to everything. Lots of good restaurants. <BR>E-mail me for more info if you like. <BR>John

We were in Palm Cove for 1 week last November. A week was too long we found but 5 days should be about right. We were told to bypass Cairns and stay at either Palm Cove or Port Douglas. Palm Cove is a very quiet place and we enjoyed it there. Good restaurants and accomodations in Palm Cove. We stayed at the Sebel Reef House. (A very nice place) We did the tours as mentionned by John. Lots to see and do and most of the tours take up a good part of the day. <BR> <BR>You should enjoy your visit as we did. <BR>

Haven't sayed ar Plam Cove, but have at Port Douglas and loved it. Its a bigger town than Palm Cove and offers more conveniences, while still keeping a small town feel. Port Douglas is more convenient for tours as the Reef Trips leave from the Port Dougas Marina and its closer to Cape Trib, Mossman Gorge, etc. <BR>There are loads of choices for nice apartments in Port Douglas, but make sure you stay in the small area adjacent to the town and beach. Some places like the Mirage and Raddisson are a ggod bit south of the town.

We stayed at the Palm Cove marriott Courtyard last November for 3 nights. It is a wonderful small town feel. It is more convenient to Cairns (if you want to go to casino or catch early flights or Kuranda). Port Douglas is easier for GBR trips. Most tours will pick you up at either location but may charge more. PC has a netted area (jellyfish) for swimming. <BR>I would not stay in Cairns. I do not think you get the exotic feeling you would in PC or PD.

Thanks everyone for your comments, I think we are going to go for Port Douglas, though not sure which option yet. The apartments look really nice and am hedging towards those as we like to spend the evengings in the resteraunts and pubs, so i guess the closer into town the better. <BR> <BR>Will post when I get back and answer any questions . <BR>

i stayed at an apartment called the boathouse (www.boathouse.com.au) on macrossan st. they were really nice and although the location is off the main street, the units are set back and are quiet. close to everything! <BR>have a great time!

We stayed at the Marriot Courtyard , mainly because of reviews and more so because of the price . It did not dissapoint. <BR> <BR>Cairns was a dissapointment - stayed there 20 years ago and it blew us away . Unfortunately , it now looks Florida like - ie one main street that goes on for ever , with fast food emporiums and motel chains lining every inch of the way. <BR> <BR>Fort Douglas was nice , but we couldn't afford it - you get the high end and the low end and the low end isn't that great. <BR> <BR>Get onto Travelocity and find a deal in Palm Cove . Walkin' around , there were no lousy places to stay - as mentioned before , we stayed at Marriot but if you can't get a deal there , others will be more than OK . Get Fodors or Frommers to get a comparative ratings and prices - if you get a deal , go for it .

We had the same dilemma as you and opted for Palm Cove - we loved it. Spent 6 nights at the Sebel Reef House (an amazing property) and found that it was an excellent base. We were able to dive from both Port Douglas & Cairns. We particularly enjoyed the peace & quiet of Palm Cove, but if you would prefer more nightlife, you might prefer pD/

Go for Port Douglas, it is a beautiful town, nice and relaxed, good choice of restaurants and the four mile beach is fantastic. Night life can be good in the Iron bar where there is often live bands....also there is easy access to the reef and rainforests...a little piece of paradise!

just back from Palm cove..wish we had styed at Sebel reef house or Marriot or even the new oasis which is off the beach. We made the mistake of staying at villa paradiso- the rooms were only marginally clean, the shutters in the living room were missing louvers and didn't shut-letting all the world watch us in the evenings in our 2nd floor rooms, the small pool (which was fabulous in the web site) was dark,cold, and full of leaves, and the managers got out their rakes to scratch on the concrete walks below the bedrooms at 6 am! I will have to say the food in Palm Cove was great at all the other hotels, and it is very convenient to the Skyrail, Kuranda and to Cairns. We were there 5 days which was 2 days too long, and really had to rent a car get out and about. <BR>We drove up to Port douglas though, and wished we'd stayed there. Lots of shopping, nightlife, close to many other rainforest and reef places, and much more stuff to do in case of rain and choppy seas(if happens!)