The ole' PD vs. PC question...Help!!
 

I know this has been discussed at length, but I still can't decide between Port Douglas and Palm Cove! We'd (couple, 30's) like to be on the beach with a water view. I know PC is quieter than PD, but would some consider it boring? Is it doable to split 5 nights between the two?

We like to have fun, but are more into good food & wine/pubs than night clubs. We will do the reef, rainforest, etc. too. Right now I'm thinking Sebel, Thala, or something in PD. We would like to be on the beach and somewhere w/ a nice pool(s)
p.s. this is for mid-Feb travel.

By the way, to all the contributors to this forum - THANK YOU! I wish I had back all the time I spent researching this trip on other sites.

Hi MaryVic - you could easily do both with 5 days - more likely to get a sea view from Palm Cove than PD as the major part of PC faces the beach. I think PC is more attractive - enormous old paper bark gum trees on the esplanade and the beach looks out onto a couple of small islands. Of course, no swimming at either beaches in February. The next beach up from PC is Ellis - hardly any infrastructure and its a wonderful for a long walk - very few people to be seen. Thala has wonderful views, but it is about 15mins south of PD so it's a bit isolated. Far Horizons restaurant at PC is in Angsana resort which is right on the beach - the best dining in PD is Sassi's - Italian chef with a marvellous way with local produce - try the chili mud crab or the barramundi. It's on the corner of Macrossan and Wharf Sts, PD. Have a great trip

If you cant decide, I'd split the days. We stayed in Palm cove and were bored to death. It was windy when we were there, and without the beaches there really wasn't anything to do! Loved the restaraunts at Angsana and neptunes though. I'd recommend Sebel or angsana if you do choos palm cove.
We drove up to Pd a couple of times, and wished we had based ourselves there. (we tried to leave Palm cove early, especially since the weather was so awful, but the owner was just awful)The rainforest habitat in PD is great and there were lots of shops, casual restaraunts and much livlier night life.

Sorry, forgot to mention - PC is on bus route to Cairns where there's plenty of night life. Some say too much!

Thanks everyone. I think I'll make a 3-day reservation at Sebel (They have a summer deal going on) and then decide from there if we want to go to PD. I forgot to mention we're thinking of renting a car, so we'll definitely get to see everything.

I guess that brings me to my next questions...is renting a car a good idea. Also, while in Sydney (for for 4 nights) are full day tours to Hunter Valley Wineries and Blue Mountains on 4x4's worth it (they're free to us) or are we better off in the city. We've been to plenty of cities in the US, so we are leaning toward the tours, but we are not big tour fans. They both seem pretty long. As much as we love wine (I am currently guzzling some Aussie wine as we speak in freezing cold Cleveland) the 2-hr drive seems like alot and so does 8 hours in the blue mts.

Thanks again and stand by for further abuse of your Australian knowledge...

Oh and by the way, I promise to repay my debt of all of your help with a FULL report of my own...

>>>>>>We've been to plenty of cities in the US<<<<<<

On a scale of 1 to 10, Sydney is a 12, in my opinion. I don't want to praise it so highly that I set you up for disappointment. However, I do believe it's fair to say that Sydney is in a league of its own.

I would say Sydney in its own right deserves AT LEAST 2 full days. The relatively central sights (harbour cruise, opera house, Art Gallery of New South Wales, etc.) would take up a day. Exploring the northern beaches, like Palm Beach, as well as the Pittwater, could take up another day. That's just scratching the surface.

The Hunter Valley is really nice, but if I had only 3 full days in Sydney, I would not use up one of those precious days on the Hunter Valley.

Maybe, just maybe, it's worth devoting the third day to the Blue Mountains. I like the Blue Mtns a lot, but this is a tough choice to make, because there are so many worthwhile sights and activities in Sydney. If you are not forced to commit ahead of time, perhaps you could wait until you've spent your first day in Sydney. By that time you might have some idea of whether you want to spend every available second in Sydney or whether you want to go to the mountains.

If you do go to the Blue Mtns, be prepared for the fact that you may not regard them as mountains at all. Learning to suspend comparisons is a practice that stands a traveller in good stead. If I hadn't been able to put thoughts of the Canadian Rockies aside, I'd have been in a heap of trouble. Luckily someone had given me a pep talk ahead of time about accepting each landscape on its own merits. And the Blue Moutain environment is delightful in its own way.

I haven't done it myself, but every friend who has climbed the Harbour Bridge has raved about it. Someone here at Fodors said it was a nice thing to do at night.

Based on what I read in your message you'd like Port better. Especially with the incredible restaurants. check out www.pddt.com.au for a listing of the restaurants that have been mentioned.

Don't miss Sassi's or Nautilis! : )