Flew to Palm Cove on Saturday 30th January 2016 with my partner where we had 4 nights of incredibly hot weather.

Arrived at the Reef House Resort and Spa from Cairns Airport with our bus transfer organised through the resort.

http://www.reefhouse.com.au/

Upon arrival at reception we were kindly greeted and the hotel upgraded us from a veranda room to a 1 bedroom spa room. We were grateful and so happy to receive an upgrade.

Our 1 bedroom spa room was clean and comfortable. The spa is huge and a delight to have in the evening whilst sipping on a glass of wine. Our 1 bedroom spa room was located adjacent to the pool in a private area and was a great way to start our relaxing holiday.

The resort’s very deep pool is great and for someone who can’t swim I was amazed how I was completing a couple of laps daily. I definitely gained some confidence in swimming at this resort. There are actually 2 pools but the 2nd pool is tucked away behind the apartments which appears to be more likely for children and not as appealing.

Complimentary cocktails and a canapes are offered at 5pm daily. Arrive 5pm sharp otherwise you can easily miss out on the canapes. It is also a good way to meet other guests if you like or you can sit at a table and unwind over sunset.

I highly recommend a visit to this resorts spa salon. The staff are lovely and the spa salon is peaceful. My partner treated me to a Valentine’s Day treatment, I had an amazing full body massage that made me feel thoroughly relaxed.

http://www.reefhouse.com.au/day-spa-palm-cove2

Over the course of 5 days we dined at a few places:-

1. Coffee Haven cafe makes a delicious bacon and egg roll. It was not on the menu but the staff were accommodating.

2. I personally can not recommend a coffee however my partner mentioned the Reef House Resort and Spa’s barista in front of the hotel makes a great coffee.

3. Jasmine Thai make really good food and the quantity is substantial.If you decide on takeaway be prepared for a 30 minute wait although it is worth it.

4. I do not recommend Choc Dee for thai food as it seems too expensive and we found the quantity was lacking.

5. Apres Dark pizzeria made a great takeaway chicken tandoori pizza. We attempted a return visit but the pizzeria was closed the next day due to it being a quiet season. Ensure you check operating hours of the venues before arriving.

6. Il Forno Italian make delicious thin based pizzas. Super Supreme always goes down well and if you like anchovies do not forget to add it for that extra yummy taste.

7. Reef House Resort and Spa make a good buffet breakfast with your standard options of bacon, eggs, sausages, roasted tomatoes and steamed mushrooms. You also have pastries, bread, condiments, yogurt, cereals and the standard beverages provided. The A la carte breakfast menu is also available. I enjoyed the omelette on the al la carte menu on our last morning and regretted I had not eaten their delicious omelette daily.

During our stay in Palm Cove we only did 3 activities as this was one of our many visits to the Cairns area where we had already visited several Tourist Attractions e.g  Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, Green Island for snorkeling, Port Douglas where you can do a sunset tour and a Low Isles Great Barrier Reef tour.

Activities experienced on this stay:-

1.The Double Island half day kayaking and snorkeling tour from 8.30am-12.30pm with Palm Cove Watersports is a good experience for a novice however there is not much to see when snorkeling at Double Island. If you are more interested in snorkeling continue your holiday at Fitzroy Island. The kayak tour is still a good activity and you see Palm Cove from a different perspective. Plus you never know what kind of sea life you may encounter. We saw a turtle and some jumping fish.

http://www.palmcovewatersports.com/tours.html#halfday

2.Jet skiing was a brief experience for me as I am not a fan of huge waves. My partner unfortunately did not have a good experience when he jet skied towards Yorkey Knob as the ocean was quite rough around 2.30pm and visibility was hard due to his sunglasses fogging up with salt water. Ask for a test run to see how you feel and then make a decision based on the current water conditions. Keep in mind you may not know til you get to Yorkey Knob.

http://www.beachfunco.com

3.Kuranda is a place to definitely experience once. We have visited Kuranda three times and enjoy the butterfly sanctuary, skyrail and the 100 year old Kuranda Scenic train. I recommend researching what you would like to do thoroughly before booking.

https://www.skyrail.com.au/

The best way to enjoy a day out in Kuranda is to catch an early morning bus transfer to the Skyrail for a Gondola. Skyrail now have a Diamond view Gondola where you can see below you for an additional fee. I personally do not think it was worth paying the extra money for the Diamond Gondola as the view below is just trees and a brief glimpse of the river.

https://www.skyrail.com.au/experience/diamondview

How amazing are the views on the following pictures I captured from a Gondola.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a 7.5 kilometre scenic cableway running above the Barron Gorge National Park. There are 2 stops before Kuranda, Red Peak Station and the Barron Falls Station.You have the option of hopping on and off the Gondolas to see the gorgeous view points of Barron Falls and maybe if you are lucky you may even see a Cassowary at one of the stops.We were told by Kuranda staff that we were very lucky to see 2 baby Cassowary’s and their Dad looking for food up by the Red Peak Skyrail station.

As you approach your first stop at Red Peak Station, your gondola will descend through the canopy layers and take you into the rainforest. The next Gondola stop is Barron Falls which I always love and you can only imagine how even more magnificent it would be after an evening of rain.

Try not to spend too much time at the 2 stops so you can have enough time to enjoy Kuranda. You would be amazed how time flies.

When you arrive at Kuranda there is a river barge you can do. We chose to not go as we found it a tad underwhelming on a previous trip as you do not see much on the river. However, it might be nice to try once. All we saw were butterflies and a snake. I would suggest organising the river barge time as soon as you arrive in Kuranda then you can work out your day.

http://www.kurandariverboat.com.au/

Also, allow some time to visit a few of the shops in Kuranda and show your support for the locals plus you might be pleasantly surprised and find a few items you may want to buy.

The butterfly sanctuary is a must do, it is such a wonderful experience being in a room full of butterflies fluttering around you. Wear something bright and you will surely have one or two land on you. There is an entrance fee to pay when you arrive at the Butterfly Sanctuary otherwise please see more details attached in the following link to pay prior to your visit.

http://australianbutterflies.com/book-now/

Do not forget to make time for the butterfly laboratory and see the different species of caterpillars being bred.

http://australianbutterflies.com/experiences/laboratory/

There are 30 minute guided tours through the flight aviary and presentations conducted regularly throughout the day. I suggest a maximum of 2 hours in the Butterfly Sanctuary.

After a great day out in Kuranda, we took the Kuranda Scenic train ride going down the valley. It would be to your advantage if you pre-purchased the Kuranda Scenic railway Gold Class ticket for comfortable seats, canapes and unlimited beverages to finish the day. We always love the experience of travelling in the 100 year old train and find going back down is the best option rather than in reverse. The following link advises of the Kuranda Scenic railway experience and also what to see and do at Kuranda.

http://www.kuranda.org/2013/07/kuranda-scenic-railway-gold-class-menu/

You will love the Kuranda Scenic railway and will have an opportunity to stop at Barron Falls and take a few quick selfies before heading to Freshwater or Cairns train stations.

After a pleasant journey down the valley, we met our bus transfer at Freshwater train station and headed back to the Reef House Resort and Spa just in time for the after 5pm canapes and cocktails. And even had a quick dip in the pool.

On our final morning, we caught a bus transfer to Cairns for part 2 of this amazing start of our January to February holiday.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Palm Cove if you are looking for a nice quiet place to relax and unwind in the sun where you do not have to do very much at all other than wine, dine and swim. However you still have the option of doing outdoor activities if you choose.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/Palm+Cove,+Queensland//@-16.744047,145.6359306,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x69787273f9dd9611:0x500eef17f210820!2m2!1d145.67095!2d-16.74405!1m0!3e0

The 2nd part of our journey to Fitzroy island via Cairns will be published soon.