where_to

We are looking at 3 hotels north of Cairns, staying for 5 nights, have a rental car:
1) Peppers Resort & Spa in Palm Cove
2) Thala Beach Resort in Port Douglas
3) Kewarra Beach Resort
Which one is the best experience in terms of most beautiful & accessible beach, wildlife & service.
Thanks.

lanejohann

stayed at kewarra years ago
it was beautiful
but i cant vouch for it now because it surely wouldve needed a revamp by now
it was close to the beach and the pool was gorgeous with a little waterfall/ cave feature
we stayed in the huts which were spacious and well appointed

thala is rated no.3 according to trip advisor
ive been past it...on a bus picking up others for a day trip
ive been to palm cove- there are lots of different types of accommodation right on the beach road which is only a narrow little street anyway
thala is a bit removed so if youre wanting a stroll at night in a romantic atmosphere id go to palm cove
more upmarket is port douglas but there are only three beachfront places right in town
thala is not really close to anything
and dont let anyone tell you about walking distances...if its hot...then youre not going to walk anywhere..so you might have to settle for the shuttle bus...dont know about parking...i think you can park in the supermarket parking but do check
the mai tai was number one on trip advisor but i think its too far from the centre
latitude the mowbray by the sea was # 2..thats not too far from the action
im heading to port douglas in august..ill keep an eye out

pat_woolford

Trip Advisor constantly changes its rankings, the other day when I looked Kewarra Beach Resort it was ranking No 1. It is an older style resort which wouldn't worry me in the least, its tropical design is highly suited to its environment. Acres of established tropical gardens on level land, lagoons, pool, wildlife, beachfront. Kewarra Beach is a residential suburb of Cairns so apart from resort there's not a lot of dining choices, but only about 5 mins drive from Palm Cove, Trinity Beach etc where there's plenty of dining choices. The resort is tucked away from houses, so you wouldn't know they were there.

Thala Beach Resort is not in Port Douglas, its at northern end of Oak Beach, about 15 mins drive from the centre of PD. Once again, wildlife, lots of natural eucalyptus bushland, beach is short walk down hill from resort. The elevation of the resort makes for stunning panoramic views of Coral Sea.

Most accommodation at Palm Cove is beachfront, most at Port Douglas isn't. Peppers is just across esplanade from beach, Palm Cove has a very attractive foreshore where the giant and ancient melaleucas have been retained. Lots of dining options within easy walking distance.

I have lived in the area for 16 years and am well acquainted with weather, its not always hot in fact at midday yesterday was only 22C and chilly at night. Much warmer in summer of course, but I walk every day of year, in summer early morning or early evening.

Hope this helps ..

where_to

so pat_woolford, if you were going to Cairns for the 1st time and wanted to stay on a nice beach & be relatively close toe verything, would you stay @ Kewarra or one of the resorts like Peppers, Angsara, DSea Temple, etc (on the beach)

pat_woolford

Where_to, in terms of being "relatively close to everything" it would be one of the three you just mentioned in Palm Cove. Your first post was asking about wildlife, if that was my priority, it would be Kewarra Beach Resort or Thala.

PRLCH

Just returned from a week in Port Douglas. As other say - Port Douglas accommodation is mostly not "beach front" while Palm Cove is. When I return again I will definately stay in Palm Cover over Port Douglas.

where_to

pat,
i was looking to see wildlife but our travel agent from Swain Tours is advising me that we would not see much wildlife...

LizzyF

where_to, where specifically was your T.A talking about when saying that you would not see much wildlife and where is he/she from because I think he/she is talking through its hat!

iindiamth

Hello where to. We stayed in Cairns City so cannot offer assistance with your question on North of Cairns but can say we were able to photograph many beautiful birds both on the tidal flats in front of our hotel on the Cairns Esplanade and in and around the township at places such as the beautiful botanical gardens.

Kangaroo Island offers an abundance of wild life such as Kolas in the wild, Kangaroos, Sea Lions, Seals and a variety of birds. Lizard Island was wonderful for Marine life of every description and many birds as well as the large sand monitors. We also conducted the Cape York Day Tour with Daintree Air and spotted crocodiles on beaches from the plane. Turtles were also in abundance in the sea at the top of Cape York.

You can see many kangaroos and Wallabies ( small kangaroos ) around the accommodation at Uluru but I’m not certain how wild they are. Perhaps they come in occasionally because they know they can find food. There are many unique creatures in Australia, I think you just need to know where to go to see them.

where_to

our travel agent is telling us that we won't see much wildlife at kewarra resort or thala.

Smeagol

We stayed at Thala last Christmas for 5 days. Whilst it was beautiful and very tranquil i thought it was WAY overpriced for what we got. I would also prefer a hotel nearer to Port Douglas itself. (we loved PD)
Thala is a great resort but i think the "Eco" tag can be an excuse to under deliver/overcharge. However the views are to die for but i wouldnt class this hotel as luxury.
The service was generally very good and the staff very friendly.

If you want to know anythink more specific let me know, happy to help.
Port D itself is a GREAT location and i liked it better than Palm Cove.(but thats just my opinion)

spedersen98

I Love Palm Cove!!!! I have been there twice and am going again on Sunday!! The town is only a couple of blocks long but it has everything you need, restuarants, shops, groceries, etc. Nice beach and the pier (right in town) is often where you can catch a boat for tours to the reef, etc. Palm Cove is my favorite place in the world!!

traveljunkie28

I agree with your enthusiasm for Palm Cove. My hubby and I say that Palm Cove is where we want to spend the last of our years.