haggis supper

We (me, Mrs Haggis and the 2 wee ones - 5 and 7 years old) are planning a wee trip up to Port Douglas in September and would appreciate any advice on good hotels and/or places to see, things to do etc etc etc.

Cheers.

Vin 'n Bin

It is twenty two years since I was in Port Douglas on holiday. At that time it still hadn't quite been 'discovered' as a top tourist destination . It was just beautiful, absolute heaven! You can drive to Mossman and enjoy the beautiful rainforest, or go a little further to Daintree (if you are hiring a car). There are some lovely suburbs between Cairns and Port Douglas . Then you can either get the wonderful train to Kuranda or the chairlift up there . I love the main street in Port Douglas....McCrossen St I think it is called or something very similar. The locals tell you that you can pluck mangoes from the trees in their gardens. To me it was a tropical paradise and I'd love to go back . There are now lots of different types of accommodation but it is a little pricier now...but to me it would be worth it.
Oh yes, you can also get the large ferry out to the Great Barrier Reef, which ties up to a pontoon and you can snorkel or dive if you wish to. A very good place for children also

h2oskineil

You may want to see the Barrier Reef? Recommend the Quiksilver cruise to the Low Isles. http://www.quicksilvercruises.com.au/wavedancer.htm

Just perfect with the kids as it's a short cruise to the island were you and the other half can take it in turn to snorkel on the Reef, or do a scuba dive (even a novice!) so one can go am and the other pm.

There's a guided tour from a Marine Biologist on the island and also a snorkling tour where the Biologist will explain the reef.
Tip... the boat leaves Cairns and THEN goes to Port Douglas. Make sure you book the tour from Port Douglas as it means less time on the boat (and a lie in bed).
Tip #2.... pre book the scuba diving if you want to try it, otherwise all the ones that get on in Cairns will get the first chance to book it!

Other places to visit...
http://www.crocodileadventures.com/
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures provides an innovative approach to viewing and interacting with wildlife, enabling visitors to become immersed in a natural environment with safety. A series of timber boardwalks provide elevated viewing of wildlife as visitors journey through a range of natural habitats.

Sky rail
http://www.skyrail.com.au/
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Cairns Australia, is a world first in environmental tourism taking you on an amazing experience over Australia’s World Heritage listed Tropical Rainforest canopy and deep into the forest.

Kuranda Railway
http://www.kuranda.org/?p=73
Take the train up and the Sky Rail back.

White Water Rafting (may have to leave the kids at the hotel! (joke)
http://www.ragingthunder.com.au/rafting.asp
The Mighty Tully River is regarded as the best rafting river accross Australia and New Zealand. This awesome adventure is located in spectacular surroundings only 2 hours south of Cairns, with departures from Port Douglas, Cairns, Northern Beaches and Mission Beach.

Time and weather permitting, take a trip further north to Cape Tribulation and the rain forrest..... don't swim in the water! (crocs)

We stayed at the Rydges reef resort.... looks as though it's had a big re-fit and re opens in June.
http://www.rydges.com/hotel/0/RQPDUG...rt-Douglas.htm

Have fun

Neil.

jajnlis

Hi Mr & Mrs Haggis

we were there in April this year with our 6 and 9 year old, it was only for 4 days as part of our validation trip but it was fantastic. We will definitely be going back for a longer holiday once we are out there (in about 5 weeks time )
we stayed in the Freestyle Resort, just a little way off the main street so it was a bit quieter. It was just perfect, as it had 2 bedrooms/bathrooms and kitchen (didnt use much though), swimming pool. Anne the owner is brilliant, really helpful, she sorted out trips for us to make the most of our few days. she also advised us about the Low Isles, it is perfect for the kids to see the reef. Both of them tried snorkeling and loved it as they could go from the beach and didnt have to go far out to see the fish. We also did the Daintree/Cape Trib trip which was great as we saw a croc and snakes on the river.

have a great trip, we cant wait to go back

jajnlis

tillysmum

We were there in March and its a lovely place, nice little beach it had such a relaxed atmosphere I could quite easily pack up and go and live there tomorrow.
As regards quicksilver we went on the outer reef cruise very commercialised hundreds of people on board but ok, dare I say had better coral reef experience in Egypt think as somebody has suggested the low or inner reef would have been better going to one of the reef islands and spending the day there and time on beach etc food was very nice and staff good too just not the experience we had hoped on reflection would of gone on much smaller boat.
Oh I wish I was there now.

qphreak

My (now) wife and I arrived in Port Douglas on Christmas Eve. It was a blast!

We stayed at the Breakfree Port Sea. They have an awesome pool complete with waterfalls and a swim up bar. The rooms are very nice, and it was nice and quite while we were there.

During the evening we would stroll along the main street and check out the little shops and pubs. On Christmas Day we did the Quicksilver Great Barrier Reef tour. I can't recommend this highly enough! It was great fun taking a speedboat to the reef, snorkeling among the fish, eating a nice seafood buffet, and jumping back in the ocean for more swimming!

The next day we drove the windy road back towards Cairns so that we could ride the Skyrail up to Kuranda. We didn't ride the train, but we saw it from high above. We also did a quaint little Daintree river cruise (about $14 each) where we partook the local flora and fauna, and saw a few crocodiles along the way.

We did not get a reprieve the next day, either. We headed north to Mossman where we explored the countryside looking for sugarcane (too bad it was all harvested ), and took a walk through the Daintree Forest. Hint: bring your swimming stuff because it's hot and humid and the river looks like fun!

Oh yes, driving back to Cairns at 2AM in a driving thunderstorm is great fun (and scary)!

youngy73

ive done the quicksilver but there are better value trips. quickie would cost around $600 for 2 adults and 2 kids. get the fry up at soul n pepper. the kids would like breakfast with the birds at the rainforest habitat.also have a look at mossman gorge for swimming holes and rainforest.

JoolsB

Rendezvous Reef Resort and Treetops Resort both v nice-both on the net. Quicksilver to the reef-helicopter ride over reef fab and snorkelling a must plus a croc river cruise and rainforest trip..have a wonderful trip

jules29

We absolutely loved Port Douglas . We also stayed at rydges reef resort. It was great as we had our own little house. There are loads of leaflets available in shops advertising trips and zoos etc. We went to the daintree rainforest and also had a trip on the river looking for crocs in the wild. We also visited a wildlife centre where a lot of birds and wildlife were free.

Another good trip was to Cape Tribulation. The water was lovely and warm.

Oh favourite was diving on the barrier reef. We took 2 trips. One with quicksilver to the outer reef. Good for the kids as there was a lovely island to go onto as well as a trip in a glass bottom boat whilst we took turns to dive. (don't think i'll be doing that again - I was terrified) He also went with HABA who he said did excellent dives and were really professional and not too expensive.

I'm sure you'll have a lovely trip and they'll be loads of things for you to do and see. I'm a tad jealous but we will be moving to Townsville soon so wont be too far away for us.

Jules x

Vanessa

Some friends of mine went there last year. Here is a link to her website which has details of her trip.

http://www.cookingdownunder.com/outa...glas/index.htm

PS - she is a cookery writer so will be alot about where to eat and what she ate!!!

haggis supper

Many thanks to you all - much appreciated.