Hotels

High season in Cairns includes 2 weeks at Easter, the period from early July to early October, and the Christmas holiday through January. Book ahead in those periods. In low season (Nov-June), many hotels offer discounts or are willing to negotiate.

Cairns has a good supply of affordable accommodations, both in the heart of the city and along the northern beaches. You can also stay in the peaceful village of Kuranda, or get away from it all at an island resort.

Don't think you have to stay in Cairns city if you don't have a car. Most tour and cruise operators will pick you up and drop you off in Cairns, on the northern beaches, or even in Port Douglas.

In Cairns -- Unless noted otherwise, all accommodations are within walking distance of shops, restaurants, cinemas, the casino, the tourist office, bus terminals, the train station, and the departure terminals for Great Barrier Reef cruises.

On the Northern Beaches

A string of white sandy beaches starts 15 minutes north of the city center. Trinity Beach, 15 minutes from the airport, is secluded, elegant, and scenic. The most upscale is Palm Cove, 20 minutes from the airport. Here rainbow-hued shops and tasteful apartment blocks nestle among giant Paperbarks and palms fronting a postcard-perfect beach. It has several advantages over other beach suburbs: A 9-hole resort golf course and a gym are within walking distance, the Quicksilver Wavepiercer Great Barrier Reef cruise boat picks up passengers here daily, and it has the greatest choice of places to eat. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the traveling times above to reach the city.

Safe Swimming -- All of the northern beaches have small, netted enclosures for safe swimming from October through May, when deadly stingers (box jellyfish) render all mainland beaches in north Queensland off-limits.

Island Resorts

Several island resorts are within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off Cairns. They afford safe swimming year-round, because the infestations of deadly marine stingers that plague this area from October through May don't make it to the islands. They also offer snorkeling and diving opportunities every day.

The only true budget choice in the islands, the no-frills Fitzroy Island Resort (www.fitzroyisland.com.au), closed in early 2006 for overnight visitors for a A$10-million-plus (US$8-million/UK£4-million) redevelopment which will see an upgrade of the existing cabin/bunkhouse accommodations and the addition of 48 new two-bedroom apartments. You can still make a day trip to the island. The resort is set to welcome overnight guests again by the end of 2007. The project will also include a new spa, bar and restaurant, dive shop, general store, coffee shop, bakery, and conference rooms. It had not reopened at press time.