Hi everyone.. my fiance and I have definetly decided to go to Australia for 10 nights.. we have never been there nor do we know anyone that has gone there..so we're depending on you guys to help us! =)
As of now or itinerary looks like this:
NY-LA
LA-Sydney (stay for 3 nights)
Sydney - Cairns (stay there for 7 nights)
Cairns -LA
La - NY
Is seven days in Cairns a lot?? Do you guys have any suggestiosn where else we can go to that doesnt require a long plane ride?? Is it worth splitting 3 days in Cairns/ 4 days in Port Douglas??
What is the best hotel to stay in Cairns that is in the middle of everything?? We love to try out different restaurants, bars, etc! Any advice anyone can give us would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks!

I normally move around quite fast, and I'm spending 9 days in the Cairns area. The more I read the more I wanted to do!
We're spending 4 days on the Atherton Tablelands and Undara, 2 reef trips, and some days for hiking and enjoying the rainforests, gorges, towns, oh and the Daintree Spa.

I think 7 days in Cairns would be too much. Also, remember there's no swimming beach in Cairns so if you want to lay on the beach, etc, you should plan to go to Port Douglas. The Four Mile Beach there is great. (You don't mention when you plan to go to Australia. If it's from Nov - Apr, you have to watch out for stingers off the beach in north Queensland and if it's Dec - Feb, it's really hot and humid up there.)

5 star hotel in Cairns which are in "middle of everything" are Sofitel Reef and Shangri-la. But there's plenty of very acceptable others, Cairns is not really very big and nothing is more than a few blocks walk. There is a far greater choice of night life and restaurants in Cairns than Port Douglas or Palm Cove.

Stinger season starts on 1st November and often continues until June, so coastal waters (not GBR) are not swimmable then, except in netted enclosures on some (not all) beaches. Cairns does not have a sandy beach, although it once did - its also a port for ocean going liners and dredging for deep water anchorage turned the beach into a mudflat. This is not all bad as the mudflats have encouraged migratory seabirds from all over the world and its now a birdwatcher's "must see". There is a large, safe, stinger proof swimming lagoon for all-year use right on the Esplanade and hotels and resorts all have pools, some are quite stunning.

Although Dec-Feb are hot and humid in a tropical summer these months can provide some of the best snorkelling conditions of the year as they're well past winter southeasterlies which can make a reef trip bumpy, to say the least.

If you have seven nights then I would suggest not staying in Cairns at all but if you must then the Hilton is by far the best since it's very recent refurb. The sofitel is OK but overdue for some work and the shangrila I am sure will get it's act together eventually, we stayed there very recently and were very dissapointed, the Hilton was fully booked.
We are very regular visitors to Cairns as have many family in the area but prefer independent accommodation. We bought a place in Oak Beach near Port Douglas but our daughter is living there while she builds in Mossman. We only stay in Cairns if overnight required for connecting flights to Cooktown. We fell in love with the region over 30 years ago on our honeymoon, we stayed at the original Reef House in Palm Cove.
My recommendation would be 3 nights Palm Cove, it's only 20 mins north of Cairns and 4 nights Port Douglas just over an hour north. Places to stay at Palm Cove, The Sea Temple or Outrigger perhaps Angsana there are plenty depending on your budget. In Port Douglas, Hibiscus Gardens Spa, Cayman Villa's or the Peninsula, perhaps Mandalay or Shalimar all come to mind as appropriate for a honeymoon. There is also the option of a romantic escape to one of the Daintree retreats. In Port in particular you will find an abundance of restaurants and bars, the beach is fantastic, outer reef trip also easy to access as is the rainforest. In Palm Cove, ample restaurants, great beach, both Cairns and the Tableland also easly accessed. If any of this appeals and you want more info then let's know, I will keep an eye on the posts. All the best for a great honeymoon.

That's interesting ionaz, with the Hilton I thought it was only certain floors that have been refurbished so far. Shangri-la probably needs a bit more time to sort out its teething problems, do agree that the extremely minimalist foyer looks a bit like an airport lounge, but it is an improvement on the plastic rainforest foyer of the former Radisson. Yes, you will find a lot more people and activity in Cairns than PC, was at PC for dinner the other night and you could have shot the proverbial gun down its Esplanade and not hit anything, also a very mediocre meal at the Greek restaurant there, far better Greek food and service in Cairns at either Fetta's or Yanni's.

Hi Pat, we were up a few week ago on the way to Cooktown and sorry to say had a terrible meal at Yanni's, on the Saturday night we had dinner at the Reef House in PC and it was as good as usual. Have not tried the greek in PC so based on your report we won't bother now. PC was buzzing busy but it was Saturday night. Stayed at the Shangri-La and as I said very dissapointed, they do have a lot of teething problems to overcome. Had a couple of nights at the Sofitel at the end of January and thought the rooms were really tired, great view over the river inlet but terrible noise from the plant at Trinity Wharf opposite. Stayed in one of the refurb Club rooms at the Hilton last December and it was great, they were working on the lower floors and we were told very close to completion. We have stayed at the Hilton whenever possible over the last 5 years and found the service faultless, the down side for us is that our trips are often very short notice and it's often fully booked so it has given us the opportunity to try some of the others. Have you tried Tamarind at the Sofitel, we have had some great meal there.

ionaz, thanks for that, it is a while since I've dined at Yanni's it wasn't fabulous then but certainly better than the one at PC, which was where I was making a comparison. Yes, have been to Tamarind and it was very good, I like Indian food so Marinades in Spence St and Tandoori Oven in Shields St are favourites. C'est Bon in Abbot St and Donnini's Ciao Italia in Pier I like but mostly eat at Garden Room and Lemongrass in Stratford, where the meals are great and we can walk.

Hi Pat, the only one's I have not tried are the indian in Spence St and the Garden Room but I do like all the others in particular lemongrass, so I will make sure we try your other favorites when we are up again at the end of July. We have a very dear old family friend now residing at the newish nursing home just out past Stratford. We are off tomorrow with two of the grandkids to meet up with their mum who is already on holidays in Thailand, we will spend a week together in Krabi and then we are off to the UK and home via the US where one of our kids is currently working, back in just under three weeks. I am now semi retired and have enjoyed the forums, it's great to read your stuff and see someone giving such sound advice on Cairns and FNQ, I have picked up quiet a few tips. We long for the daughters house at Mossman to be built so we can reclaim our house at Oak Beach and spend much more time up there. All the best.

My husband and I have just stayed at Peppers Bloomfield Lodge in FNQ. There were lots of honeymooners mainly from England and they all loved the place.
The trip starts with a short plane flight from Cairns, then by bus, and finally a boat to the Lodge.
Meals were excellent and all inclusive. The menus changed every day. Lovely seafood as well as steaks etc.
Cabins vary with price but are in the rainforest and quite luxurious. Our cabin had a view through the trees to the sea. The balcony had a day bed on it.
The dining area is open air with the pool is there as well. at night everyone gathered to arrange the next days activities - the reef, the river cruise, rainforest walk, picnics on the beach, tours to cooktown - or as we did most days, relax by the pool after a short walk.

Hi there,

We went to Australia for our honeymoon last August, it was a spectacular experience!

Did you consider maybe spending a few nights on an island on the GBR? Also, another option from our agent was a resort in the middle of the rainforest (Daintree I think?).

Across from the lagoon are a bunch of restaurants with outdoor seating, so choosing where to eat was very easy.

Good luck!

I had great fun at Yanni restaurant. I did a belly dance and people threw plates. I am not sure why.

BTW if you want central in Cairns then the Breakfree group have a few places and they don't charge an arm and a leg but still a bit of $$ but you get an apartment rather than a room which I have to have these days. I stayed at Outrigger which is THE location but very small apartment. Still a kitchen and a full washer/dryer. Better than a hotel room any day.

Also Breakfree have a place at Port and also Palm Cove and they do some good specials if you go slightly off season.

I love Cairns too because plenty of activity comapred to Palm Cove and Port. Palm Cove is great for a ooooh aaahh and now what do we do?