Stay in Cairns?
 

We are traveling to Australia for the first time in Dec-Jan and planning a visit to the reef. Should we stay in Cairns and do day trips or should we locate at a resort on one of the islands or along a beach? Any recommendations are most appreciated. Thank you.

We stayed 4 nights at the Rydges in Cairns last year and took day trips to reef and rainforests, etc. It worked for us. Rydges has a web site--www.rydges.com. It is an Australian hotel, which we wanted to stay in. Breakfast was wonderful.

Rick, <BR>We were just in Queensland on holiday and stayed in both Cairns and Port Douglas. Trips to the reef leave from both places. We caught the Quicksilver to Agincourt Reef for the day from Port Douglas and loved it. It's a big catamaran which holds a lot of people but it was very well organised and made the trip out to the reef reasonably quick (about 1 and a half hrs). Most people on the Quicksilver were bussed up from Cairns which added 1-2 hrs on to the beginning and end of the day, so I would recommend staying in Port Douglas and catching the Quicksilver from there. The day is full enough without the extra travel. There are other tours from Cairns that go to a different reef. <BR>Keep in mind Cairns is a big city and Port Douglas is more a casual village so it depends on what you like in a holiday. There are no beaches in Cairns itself and the beach at PD is lovely. Good restaurants in both places. <BR>Kay

Rick <BR>I visited both Port Douglas and Cairns (we stayed in Palm Cove). I would suggest staying in Port Douglas as there is more to do from that point as far as day trips. As the previous post said, although trips to the reef leave from both locations, Cairns adds an extra 1-2 hours to the trip.

Hi Rick, definitely stay in PD, very good place for day trips. Cairns isn't a big city at all, big country town more like it. Much better restaurants in PD, more choice and beach is great. Sheraton Mirage is a wonderful place to stay. Lots of self contained units to rent also. Enjoy yourself! <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR>Janine

Thanks to all for the great info!