We have party of 12 wanting to overnight in Sarina Beach next January. We have located the Sarina Beach B&B that looks good on its website and can handle 6 of us, but need another place for the remainder. Can anyone advise between Sarina Beach Motel vs Sandpiper Motel vs Grasstree Beach (Zelma Court) Holiday Units? We will be coming off a Whitsundays cruise from Airlie Beach late afternoon and are only looking to crash out overnight before heading south the next morning.

Hi,<BR><BR>You would be better off staying at a motel in Mackay, Sarina Beach is a good deal south of Mackay and off the highway. I used to work on a prawn trawler out of Sarina Beach and it was not a place that comes to mind as a must see place.<BR><BR>You will have a goud couple of hours drive just to get to Mackay from Airlie Beach.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Paul_S

Sarina is at least 1.5 hours drive from Airlie Beach and certainly nothing to write home about. I would be either stay on Airlie or perhaps Mackay but before you decide do a search for Cape Hillsborough National Park and see if there is anything there as that is a wonderful spot and about halfway between Mackay and Airlie Beach

Thanks for the suggestions. Cape Hillsborough NP has a resort (cabins and a motel) and I have e-mailed them about availability. There seem to be a fair number of motels in Mackay. Any recommendations if Hillsborough is full? Could only find one review (The Windmill) and it is fairly expensive. The Rose (Comfort Inn) and Blue Pacific Resort (Best Western) seeem more affordable.

Hi K.<BR><BR>Sorry I cannot recommend a motelin Mackay as I have not been there for some time and I am sure there are others here on this forum with more up to date info on Mackay. However you might like to check out some of the caravan parks in Mackay for overnight cabins if all you want is a cheap place to doss down for the night. Most caravan parks would have enough cabins to cater for your group size as most cabins can accommodate up to 4 people.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Paul_S

We stayed in Airlie Beach a few years ago at a wonderful place called Mediterranean Villas. 1-800-802-089. We actually spent 3 days and 2 nights on a sailboat from Airlie Beach that was very fun and economical. It sounds like you already have a boat trip arranged, but our contact for the Emma Peel sail (quite adventurous) was Tony at HB Cruise Travel Centre in Airlie Beach (hbtravel@airlie beach.com). This was a highlight of our 3 week trip in Australia.