# of days, what to do, where to stay in Cairns
 

We are looking at a few hotels in Carins to stay during the second week of August 2008.
Fodors has some recommendations in our price range:
Hides Hotel
Lilybank B & B
Gilligan's Backpacker Hotel & Resort
(The Gilligan sound nice but it also sounds like it is for the younger, hipper traveler.)

Do you have any thoughts or experience with any of these hotels?

We are also looking at the following activities:
Cairns Regional Gallery
Reef Teach
Kuranda
Tjapukai Abor. Cult. Park
Australia Butterfly Sant.
and 1/2 day snorkling on the Reef

Will two full days be enough?
We also want to travel to Port Douglas for 2 days and Lizard Island for 1 day.

ttt

Most of the backpacker Hotels and resorts are for the younger traveller and are usually located in the CBD or the Esplanade areas of Cairns. I personally do not know about Hides Hotel and Lilybank B&B is owned and run by Pat and Mike Woolford - Pat often writes on this forum with good advice for travellers. She knows the best tours available and does the bookings for people so is a one-stop information/accommodation centre. The tours pick up from her place and as I have stayed at her place I can guarantee that you could not have a better "Queensland experience". The B&B is situated within walking distance of good restaurants/eating places and as I said the tours will pick up from their place. They make a really great breakfast which would generally sustain you from morning till night and the price is very reasonable. It would be a great place to stay for someone on their own. Also has a nice swimming pool and Internet is available. I would extend your time in Cairns if you possibly can because 1/2 day on the reef is really not enough time because the only place you can have a half day trip really is Green Island. Port Douglas is not really a place you would go to just to "see" as it is a stopping off point for trips to the reefs as is Cairns but you have a great deal more choice from Cairns than PD - also you go from Cairns up to Kuranda and the Tjapukai Abor. Cult Park either via train or Sky cable or one one way and one back to Smithfield which is near where Lilybank is anyway ( correct me if I have got that wrong because I get the suburb names of places mixed up sometimes). I think Lilybank's email address is [email protected] and you can check prices and information with Pat when booking anyway.

Thanks LizzyF!
We will definately book at the Lilybank B&B - your information is so helpful!!
We 'd like to stay two nights and three days at Cairns.
Can you answer a couple more questions:
We thought about staying one night at Port Douglas as a base for Raniforest Habitat Wildlife Sant. the next day.
Then we thought about staying one night at Mossman to see the Gorge and splurge and stay at the Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa OR Voyages Silky Oaks Lodge.

Before you make a decision about where to stay and with whom around P.D. perhaps it may be wise to check out what other people have said about some of the tours for wildlife etc because some are better than others and its too long ago since I did one of them to give you any updated advice about them.
Perhaps I should take the opportunity to say WHERE ARE YOU PAT WITH INFORMATION ON THIS ASPECT
- with luck she may see it and come up with the best tour for you but do get her to book because she will get the best deal for you.
Also I asked my neice who lives in Cairns what the Hides Hotel and Gilligan's Backpacker Hotel are like and this is what she said:
"Its about the oldest standing pub in Cairns, that's OK, but the clientele who drink from opening hours in morning are not exactly top class. Enough to scare the devil out of a tourist. But its not as bad as it used to be. Gilligans is the biggest backpacker's I have ever seen, its modern and new, but bars everywhere and live bands nearly every night. Forget it if you're over about 22. Maybe the lady could check the reviews on Trip Advisor or Lonely Planet"
I hope this helps with your decisions. As for Port Douglas, I stayed there fairly recently - 2 yrs ago - but only in a "run of the mill" apartment complex. It was very comfortable but nothing special and when I was there I would have booked somewhere closer to the town proper had I known it was out a bit and also not near the beach either. So it does pay to check these things.
Anyway lets hope that someone with recent news can help you with those issues. I love the whole area up there and I am sure you will have a wonderful time wherever and whatever you do and go.

Hi Lizzy
I emailed and received a reply from Pat at the LilyBank B & B. Unfortunately they are booked for the days we will be in Cairns.
I plan to call her and speak to her directly either tonight or tomorrow.
Thank your neice for her update on the Backpackers Hostel. We think based on what she's said that it is not for us. (Our party days are long gone...) LOL

Well thats a shame but I am sure she will be able to tell you where another good place is that will fit your needs.
Have fun