State of Queensland Travel Forum

My husband and I are traveling to the area in August and are looking for advice on where to base ourselves. We want to travel out to the reef, to the Daintree Rainforest and Kuranda while in the area. We are in our mid-thirties so while we don't need to be in the centre of the action, we also are not interested in an area that is too laid back. Price also is an issue as we cannot be spending $200 + per night.
Which of the two locations makes for a better hub to base oursleves out of? We fly into and out of Cairns, but it seems as if Port Douglas is well connected with shuttles. Is this true?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Kuranda is closer to Cairns, the Daintree closer to Port Douglas. If you have your own transport I would split the difference and stay in Palm Cove which is my favorite spot along the coast. Its smaller and therefore quieter than Cairns or Port Douglas but has some nice restaurants and hotels. Check out Tripadvisor.com for some hotel prices and reviews.

G'day from Cairns:)

You have picked a great month to visit Cairns and outer areas.
The weather will be great:)

You can get to the reef and also Daintree from Cairns or Port Douglas.
If you stay in Cairns, you can either self drive or do a tour to the Daintree.
I always recommend that you do a self drive thing as you can do as you like and stop at places you want for long as you want.
There are many car hire places in Cairns, there are all the usual ones at the Cairns airport.
Or you can book one in the city centre as you need it.

If you stay in Cairns you are an hour from Port Douglas.
For an example, if you booked a reef tour with Quicksilver, they would pick you up from your accommodation and bus you up to Port Douglas to get on the boat.
Then return you to Cairns...this is an all day trip, leaving Cairns around 8am and returning around 6pm.
For the Daintree/Cape Tribulation trip, you can do a tour from Cairns OR self drive. If you drive, leave Cairns early morning...6.30am...then stop in Port Douglas for coffee and breakfast, then onward to Mossman Gorge ( about 20 minutes from Port) arriving there about 8am.( missing all the tourist buses) then about 2 hours or less spent here. Then it's about 30 minutes drive to the Barge crossing at the Daintree River. ( you can call into the Daintree Village just before here) Once over the river you can take as long as you like to get to Cape Tribulation...no stopping, quick drive about an hour, BUT of course you would stop along the way. There are some eating places along here for lunch or snack.

If you would like to do the Train/Skyrail trip. this leaves from Cairns central station, also Freshwater Station.
Go up by train and down by skyrail as the skyrail runs all day.
Kuranda is a lovely little village, but if you haven't got time to do it, no real big deal...

Cairns also has the Botanical Garden area which is wonderful/fantastic.
Plus Esplanade to walk along and Peir area to see the Marina.
The Esplanade is great place to find cafe's etc.

Cairns doesn't have a beach as such, the beaches are out of town a little, these are referred to as the Northern Beaches.

I live in Cairns and love this area.( local for a couple of years now) BUT I LOVE Port Douglas. Fell in love with it 26 years ago and still love it.
The 4 Mile Beach is beautiful.
The town has wonderful Cafe's and Restaurants, Pubs and Bars etc.
There is always something happening up there in the High Season, music at the pubs etc.
Accommodation is plentiful. Everywhere!!
If you stay in Port and hire a car, you can drive to Kuranda through the hills...via Mount Molloy...that is a great drive.
If you want to do the Rail/skyrail thing, you can get a bus down, cheaper to hire a car...bus fare between Port and Cairns is around $28pp each way!!

You could always spend a couple of nights in Cairns and then a few in Port.

http://www.tropicalnorthqueensland.com.au ( check this site for accommodation in Port)

Wotif.com.au usually have some specials.

If you stay a little out of the Main street of Port, not to worry as there is a very good local bus service that goes late into the night.
Also Taxis...BUT dont' stay too far out of town, some accommodation is on the Cairns/Port road about 4/5 k's out...too far!

Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask:)

Thanks so much for the great advice! It's nice to get opinions from people who know the area! I think we may try to split our time between the two!
Thanks again,
A