Hi Everyone,

I'm thinking about going on a last minute get-away holiday for 4 days to Cairns (by myself) to take a break from work and Melbourne city life!
It will be my first time to Cairns and the rain forest region. I have just realised that Cairns isn't too far from Cape Tribulation and the Daintry. Whilst looking at the reviews and websites of these two places: PK'S JUNGLE VILLAGE and CROCODYLUS they both look like amazing places to visit! Can anyone recommend any alternative places to stay around Cairns and things to do to unwind for a few days for a slightly stressed 35 year old who is in desperate need for a bit of R&R? Any experiences / positive or otherwise about PK'S JUNGLE VILLAGE and CROCODYLUS?

Any feedback will be appreciated!

Regards,

Steven

P.S. I would love to hear from anyone who will be there between 1st -4th Feb who wouldn't mind meeting up.

With only 4 days, I'd use Cairns for the airport only! I didn't particularly rate Cairns itself but the surrounding areas are gorgeous. The Mossman Gorge and the Kuranda skyrail are nice but both very busy/commercial and Kuranda itself doesn't have a lot going for it.

BUT

I rang www.dougies.com.au on 1800 996 200 and they picked me up from Cairns airport (I got lucky an rang on arrival aand waited only 10 mins but best to book in advance) and took me straight to their very chilled hostel in Port Douglas.

From there I travelled up to Cape Trib (they organised the pick-ups/drop-off etc) and stayed at PKs. The very shorrt walk to the beach, the beach itself and indeed all of the outdoors areas at PKs are really lovely and I wish I could have stayed longer. You can do night jungle walks and kayaking which were both fun too - they did lots of other stuff too. However if you can afford to upgrade from a dorm I would, as besides the restaurant/bar the communal indoor areas are not so great! They do en suite cabins I believe!?... but I was on a budget at the time.

Have fun - sounds like a nice break.

One word beachhouse, well maybe three more - sweat like a pig for if that's part of the destress plan you will not be disappointed anytime for next three/four months in Cairns area with Atherton tablelands offering some relief.

PKs may have younger party crowd from what I heard but I found the beachhouse great with mature mixed ages.

Have heard of www.onthewallaby.com and might be worth checking.

PK's has a good set up - don't know about Crocodylus. As Papparazzonina mentioned you have timed the trip perfectly to coincide with the Wet.

Sticky Icky - especially for you southerners. If you can handle that then by all means go up to Cape Trib. Otherwise, I would suggest you go inland to the Tablelands instead - maybe stay in Yungaburra or Kairi. There are plenty of caravan parks up there on Tinaroo Dam. The area has beautiful pockets of Rainforest, Milla Milla Falls. If you are adventurous you might want to walk up Bartle Frere (also one great big State Forest). That's something I still haven't gotten around to doing.


Enjoy

Hey,

Crocodylus is a pretty cool place and usually quite busy. The food from the kitchen is good as well if you dont want to cook yourself. Its also just a short walk away from Cow Bay beach which is once of the much quieter beaches in the area and just as idyllic. Oh and if you dont want to lose touch with the real world there is internet access there as well.

There is also a small motel on the main road if you didnt want a hostel called the Daintree Rainforest motel. They have nice chalet style rooms which are nice, more expensive than a hostel of course but if expense isnt an issue....

Cheers,
Chris

I stayed at PK's years ago. Granted, I was part of the younger crowd then -- I loved the place. I was travelling with 3 of my mates, so we had a cabin to ourselves -- that may have been the best part. It does seem frequented by the younger crowd, but not out of hand as far as the partying went. But I was also travelling during the mid-semester break from uni, so the whole Qld east coast seemed rampant with 20-somethings. Maybe the beginning of Feb will be quieter??

Good luck!

As others, I was up in that region about 5 years ago, but had an incredible time! I only was in Cairns for a night before doing a dive-aboard in the GBR which was definitely the highlight of my trip. I had never scuba-ed before and it was love at first dive. There is nothing wrong with Cairns...it is a very nice city, but there is so much right around it worth exploring! We rented a 4wd and drove up to Cape Tribulation and stayed at PK's. It was absolutely beautiful and a ton of fun, but it was definitely a young party crowd. We met a nice couple we were staying at the Beachhouse and loved it. If you like (or dont mind) a lot of action and noise, PKs is wonderful. Theyre night jungle tour was a lot of fun and pretty creepy. There is also some beautiful hiking and horseback riding that was worth it. A friend of mine participated in a tropical fruit tasting which she raved about (and it made my tastebuds jealous). there is definitely so much to do if you want, but also just beautiful surroundings to de-stress in. Boy I could use that now!
Enjoy!

It is definitely a treat to have grown up in the Cairns area (I actually grew up in the Air Conditioned suburb of Cairns). I had been scuba diving for years before I ever got my Openwater and still haven't bothered to do the Advanced as there has never been any need. But on that topic, Gettingouttahere, I do think that as a place to do your diving tickets, Cairns is right up there.