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Sharon recounts her recent journey up to North Queensland with a week of relaxation in Port Douglas!
I was lucky enough to spend a week up in Port Douglas in November this year for a break away from what’s been a very busy year. Having promoted Australian travel for a number of years now, I thought it was time to get up there and see what all the fuss was about. I have to say – I wasn’t disappointed! |  |
Our itinerary was simple – we had 5 nights in Port Douglas and then a remaining night in Cairns due to an early morning flight home. Our plan was a simple combo that I’m sure many couples have –I wanted to relax and read a good book, and while my husband can appreciate the doing ‘nothing’ part of a holiday he wouldn’t be happy unless we saw a few of the local attractions while we were up there – I am happy to report that we managed both without any fuss or disappointment from either party.
Port Douglas is approx 1 hrs drive from Cairns – it’s an easy drive that is well signposted and promises some gorgeous views along the coastline as you head on up – a nice welcoming touch to the start of your break away!
We hired a car for the duration of our star and this is something I would recommend. While Cairns and Port Douglas are both small locations, some of the properties can be very spread out from the centre of town (i.e. restaurants, cafes, shops, beaches etc) and we found it very easy (and also very convenient) to have a vehicle at our disposal. Having said that, if you would prefer to not hire a car, transfers are easily arranged from Cairns airport to Port Douglas accommodation and most attractions (i.e. Barrier Reef, Daintree tours) will provide a pick-up and drop-off service at an additional cost.
The weather up there is basically hot and humid. The changes of seasons while varying oh so slightly are officially defined as:
Summer (wet season): December – February (average temp between 23ºC – 31ºC)
Autumn: March – May (average temp between 19.5ºC – 29.5ºC)
Winter: June – August (average temp between 17ºC – 25.5ºC)
Spring: September – November (average temp between 19ºC – 31ºC)
We had a mixture of sunny/hot days and rainy/hot days. Because of the even temperature (i.e. hot) up there – the rain was more of a welcome break than a dampener to our trip. We found that it was still enjoyable to have a quick dip, check out the shops or (my favourite) sit on our balcony with an icy-cold drink reading and listening to the rain. And the rain was never constant, maybe half an hour to an hour rainfall and then it would stop. So if you’re thinking of heading up at the end/beginning of the year – don’t let the term ‘wet’ season deter you – we did it and it was still an unforgettable holiday.
Something however to note when heading up to North Queensland is ‘stinger season’ typically from November – March is when marine stingers tend populate the water due to the warmer weather. A sting can be very serious and vinegar is the tried and tested method for treating a sting. A bottle of vinegar can be typically found at the entrance to most beaches in case of an emergency. Some of the popular beaches in Queensland (Including Port Douglas and Cairns) have stinger-resistant enclosures (similar to nets) in which people can swim safely.
Port Douglas has some of the most gorgeous places to stay – we opted for an apartment style accommodation this time round and found ourselves at Mandalay Beachfront Apartments. This was one of the best decisions we made for our trip away – locally run by Jacqueline, Raelene and Pauline our stay was easy, luxurious and peaceful. Located across the road from Four Mile Beach (the main beach in Port Douglas) with private access onto the beach and a 10 min walk into the heart of Port Douglas these apartments did not disappoint. With a boutique feel we found ourselves surrounded with well manicured grounds, several BBQ areas, a tennis court and 2 pools to choose from.
Our check-in was personable and a very easy. A few tour options were presented to us based on what we’d mentioned we wanted to see and also an upcoming weather report with recommendations as to what would be best to see on what day were also given – fantastic! All the leg-work taken out for us!
The apartment was amazing! First floor balcony, fully equipped with all the mod-cons you would expect! It was very spacious and extremely comfortable. I would highly recommend these apartments as they were above and beyond the usual holiday apartments that are often on offer. They have all the comforts of home and are designed for those who want a peaceful break away. Another point to note which was also impressive is their proximity to town – whilst a lot of resorts would involve a car or taxi ride in – the Mandalay Beachfront Apartments are an easy stoll to the local resturants, shops etc. Having said that however, transfer services are frequent from town to the outer resorts in Port Douglas.
Apart from the ‘down time’ the activities we got up to included:
The Barrier Reef day trip we did with Quicksilver Tours. Quicksilver are amongst the larger tour operators to visit the Reef. The trip we did took us to Agincourt on the Outer reef, what you would typically think of when thinking the Barrier Reef. Beautiful coral and a unique variety of marine life. They have their own pontoon where the boat docks and for those who don’t want to get wet they have an underwater viewing gallery and also have semi-submersibles doing little round trips throughout the day, helicopter tours are also on offer for those wanting a birds eye view.
For the slightly more adventurous you can snorkel (within a roped off area which is under constant supervision from lifeguards) or choose to scuba-dive with the professionals. They have a variety from beginner to the more advanced diving tours. And for those not wanting to dive, but wanting to get outside the roped off area there are also a couple of snorkelling tours throughout the day – the benefit of this is having an experienced marine biologist point out the various fish/coral and aqua life etc and occasionally pick up some animals and let us look (and touch!). We opted for the marine biologist snorkelling tour and although our weather was not the best – this was definitely a highlight!
The day with Quicksilver also includes unlimited tea, coffee and a hot/cold buffet lunch and they will pick you up and drop you off from your accommodation for a minimal fee.
We also ventrued on a Daintree Rainforest walk with Pru from Cooper Creek Wilderness. The day we went up there was one of our rainy days of the holiday – typical!
This actually worked quite well as the rainforest can be a very humid location (be warned people who wear glasses (as I do) – try to wear contacts or take your glasses cloth – frequent fogging up may happen!), the odd sprinkle of rain is a welcome cooling relief. Cooper Creek Wilderness Walks is a family run company who have a property in the Daintree (where the walks depart from) which Pru and her family have been running for over 16 years now.
They have preserved their local patch of rainforest and are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the local flora and fauna. As it was ‘off season’ hubby and I were lucky enough to be the only people on the tour – essentially having our own private guide walk us through the rainforest, answering any questions, stopping for our photographs etc. The sheer amount of knowledge that was handed over in our 2 hour walk is amazing, you can tell that they love their part of the world and as its a family run operation, will be looked after for years to come.
Other must dos whilst up in Port Douglas are Cape Tribulation (where the rainforest meets the ocean) and Mossman Gorge where you can see the rainforest from a local Aboriginal perspective.
All in all it was an amazing trip – went far too quickly (as they always do!) but is definitely somewhere that I would go back to again and again. It has something for everyone, young and old, couples and families.
Recommended Tours:
Quicksilver Barrier Reef Tours (larger company)
Silversonic Dive and Snorkel (smaller – max 80 guests)
Silverswift Dive and Snorkel (smaller – max 80 guests)
Daintree and Rainforest Habitat
Cooper Creek Wilderness Experience (small groups with a localised personable touch)
Many other tours available – please speak to one of our specialists for details
5 Star accom Port Douglas includes:
Mandalay Luxury Beachfront Apartments (10 min walk from town)
Peppers Bale Resort Port Douglas (5-10 min drive into town)
Peppers Beach Club Port Douglas (5 min walk into town)
Sea Temple Resort & Spa Port Douglas (10-15 min drive into town)
Shantara Resort & Spa Port Douglas (in town)
Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas (5 min drive into town)
5 star accom Cairns includes:
Shangri-La Hotel, the Marina
The Sebel Cairns
