Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report - Snorkelling out of Palm Cove

I posted a message here a couple of weeks ago, asking for advice about snorkelling out of Palm Cove, and I am glad I did.

We flew into Cairns on Jan 18, organised a shuttle bus to the Oasis resort at Palm Cove, and was on our way within 15 minutes. I also paid in advance for the return trip, making sure they noted that my flight departure time was 6.10 am in the morning a week later.
The Oasis was very well presented; our apartment had 3 bedrooms, and superbly appointed - the best kitchen we ever had for a holiday. And spotless too. The palm fringed ground, swimming pool and bbq area were very well maintained. Because it was a quiet period, we had the pool and bbq area to ourselves most of the time we were there. At nightime when we played in the pool, we spotted bats gliding over the water. In the daytime, it was butterflies over the water. And one particular day a kookaburra (I think) with a lizard in its beak.
The only thing lacking was a sea/beach view. For that, you'd have to pay about double at the adjoining Angsana, Horizon, etc. What we got was a very comfortable home away from home.
We had dinner at a 'Tavern' just across the road from the Oasis. Sally, our hostess pointed it out to us as a great place for a meal, and we heartily agreed.
That first evening, I called Wavelength to inquire about snorkelling with them. They assured me that the next day would be a perfect day for snorkelling. 'Steve' booked the four of us in.
We were picked by a shuttle bus 7.30 am the next day, taking less than an hour to Port Douglas. The boat was comfortable but not fancy. There were about 20 of us. It was indeed perfect condition for snorkelling. I think Wavelength is more about the destinations than the journey. Because it was snorkelling we were after, we were not disappointed at all. The 3 spots we snorkelled at were fabulous. Marine life and corals of all shapes in startling colours were in abundance. We saw lots of giant clams, parrot fish (you could actually hear them crunching on the corals), coral trouts, a huge maori wrasse, and myriads of colorful smaller fish (including Nemo and his friends). That day was the highlight of our trip, and we made a mental note to return one day. Wavelength crew was immensely helpful. 'Big G' converted my wife from a non swimmer to dedicated snorkeller. I told the crew that 'Fish Boy' highly recommended them.

The next 3 days we hired a car to drive around: Port Douglas, Daintree, Kuranda, Mareeba and Cairns town centre.
I must confess that I expected more from Daintree. The 'Discovery Centre' was less than what we imagined it to be. It was a very hot and humid day, so that might have affected our enjoyment of it. With hindsight, I should have taken the advice of Pat Woolford and Sally of Seattle, and went with a knowledgeable guide to appreciate the rainforest.

Kuranda has its charm if one overlooks its occasional tackiness. The walk to Barron Falls was immensely enjoyable and is highly recommeded. I thought the rainforest there was great. It had rained overnight and was still drizzling during our day at Kuranda. The falls were fairly robust. We actually appreciate the cooling effect of the rain during our trip.
We left Kuranda and drove to Mareeba on the Kennedy Highway. Lots of termite hills - a fascinating sight. About 10 kms before reaching Mareeba, we saw a sign which simply said 'Bowen Mangoes for Sale'. It was a mangoes farm. Stopping there was one of the best things we did during our trip. We bought a box of mangoes. But it was the farmers 'Bob and Bernadette Pascoe' who made it all worthwhile for us. Bob was genuinely pleased to see us take an interest in his mangoes. He invited us to examine his trees, telling us everything we wanted to know about mangoes - the varieties, the history, the reason for blemishes...Then showed us how his mangoes were prepared for shipment and sale. We took a number of nice pics with him. He also invited us to help ourselves to more mangoes off his trees. And before we left, cut up a mangoe, and asked us what we thought. I can asssure you - mangoes fresh off a tree was nothing like what we've ever tasted (and we are mangoes fanatic). And the box that Bob picked for us was absolutely the best we've ever tasted. I am weeping as I type these words.... Bob had wanted to show us the lychees as well but they were not fruiting then. Sadly we bid farewell to the Pascoes and told ourselves that this is a place we must return one day. Bob said he intended to name his farm 'Pascoevale'.

We checked out 'Coffee Works' in Mareeba. Not bad. Nice iced coffee. Bought half a kilo 'Queensland Blue'.

During out trip we enjoyed meeting the locals. We appreciate the uncomplicated easy going nature of the people we met. We stopped just beyond Port Douglas on the Cooks highway to buy some papayas and pineaples. The lady explained that they grew their own papayas - in fact one of the varieties on offer was named after her husband. 'Brunos Specials' was mouth wateringly delicious. And the pineapples were like nothing we buy in Sydney. Sun ripened, they were juicy and sweet from head to tail - no sour ends.
Probably the most disappointing aspect of our trip was a cruise out of Cairns to 'catch mud crabs' and fish. The cruise promised a meal of freshly cooked mud crabs. There were four of us, plus 24 Japanese tourists crammed into a most inadequate set up. My wife who had been fighting breast cancer, was particularly unhappy about being in close proximity with smokers and there were plenty of them. And there was no place to run. However I tried to make conversation with them. Finally got some of them excited by mentioning 'Dar-Vee Bar-Kum' (David Beckham). That resulted in some semblance of excitable chatting - mainly about soccer and the match up between Australia and Japan come the World Cup. If you are after a meal of crabs this is not the trip to take, either. I watched with some concern as a number of food handling regulations were ignored as the crabs were prepared. Better to buy some crabs yourself and cook them. Fishing shoulder to shoulder with handlines in a crammed situation was again most unenjoyable.
I was somewhat annoyed also because I gave up a trip with Ocean Spirit to take this cruise. I would strike this one out the next time, and definately do 2 snorkelling trips instead - probably with Wavelength and Ocean Spirit (which Pat said would be a 'different experience).
It was a terrific trip. Palm Cove was pretty. On our final day we had a meal at 'Nu Nu' - the coconut sorbet was something to die for.
We woke up early to catch the 4.30 am shuttle to the airport. I had called the day before expressing concern that we might be cutting it too thin given that our plane was scheduled to leave about 6 am. We walked down to the reception area at 4.15 am - and the shuttle was already there, waiting. Most impressed.
All in all, a most enjoyable holiday. We'll be back!!