All Seasons Cairns Gateway Resort, Cairns

Advantages: gateway to areas of stunning, natural beauty
Disadvantages: lack of history, no real beaches

...a plethora of bars and PJ O'Briens and the Fox & Firkin became regular stop off points of an evening simply to have a pint or three of ice cold Guinness and some live music. By then we re ready for bed as the trips we were on were had early starts. Cairns is largely a budget town although does however cater for everyone. In all the bars the clientele was a mixture of back-packers, locals, seasoned travelers and pensioners alike. The atmosphere is very buoyant which is what you would expect from what is effectively a major tourist resort. However, there was no sense of any trouble brewing or things getting out of hand. Everyone was in holiday mood and nothing was going to spoil that. ***What we did*** Cairns is the gateway to three natural wonders which are Atherton Tableland which is the vast area of rainforest to the West, Cape... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheap base for the area
Disadvantages: Not that much in the town itself

...sell the same things at the same price, yet you feel obliged to go in all of them. For proper (non-souvenir) shopping Cairns Central is fab and was where I bought several Christmas presents and some be-aut-if-ul board shorts. Accommodation is wide ranging and based along the Esplanade and the associated back streets. There are many holiday apartment complexes as well as hotel and hostels, and these work out very cheap for families. ~~~ Summary ~~~ Most people use Cairns as a base for trips to other places - it's not a destination in its own right - but I very much enjoyed my time in the area. Not somewhere I'd choose to live, perhaps, but an essential part of any trip to Australia, for the gateway it offers to the reef and rainforest if nothing else. The weather is fantastic - I was there in summer which is their off season due... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: easy base location
Disadvantages: be prepaired to meet many of your fellow travellers there.

...has recently put in a wonderfully large pool at the esplande and guests to the city take advantage of the lagoon type pool. It has the expected white sand and is salt water with a graduated bottom. And.. it is also free. Brought to you by the good tax payers of the town no doubt. If you are leaving Australia from Cairns you will be able to pick up many last minute buys. The tourist shopping is quite good. Do pay a visit to the "night markets" Karanda also has an interesting market/village feel to it. Located on the tablelands you can take a train up and encounter many tunnels along hte way as well as a good view of the Barron falls. A must see during the wet season when it is in full flood.... Read review

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