Port Douglas weekend

---

Blue skies and sunny days make me want to be out doors but the Cairns summers can be unbearable. "thank God for air con, we just stay indoors" so many people say to me. The idea of locking myself in on a gorgeous day just seems so bizarre to me... But something that I'm growing accustomed to after 7 years in Far North Queensland. However, this particular weekend, I had that urge to be out enjoying the great outdoors. So I jumped on Wotif to see if there were any bargains for any of our favourite close areas- Palm Cove, Atherton Tablelands or Port Douglas. A spontaneous weekend by a pool or a reprieve from the humidity on the Tablelands was getting me excited...

I found a "Mystery Deal" in Port for $132. After a little investigation I figured out the "Mystery" resort was Sgeraton Mirage. My investigation consisted of reading the hotel facilities. A golf course, bathrobes, 24hour concierge... It's the only place in Port with those features.

It didn't take much to convince Shane that we should head away for the night. After lots of little adventures I'm getting good at packing, so I grabbed the clothes we would require (beach and pool gear, some dressier outfits should we feel like eating at one of the many amazing restaurants and a few toys and books for the boys) while Shane loaded the bikes onto the ute. Port has flat, wide roads suitable for riding in and out of town should your resort be a little way out of Macrossan Street and as the sand is hard, we always go riding along the beach. We also made sure to pack the fire starters and marshmallows....

On arrival I was very impressed with the lobby- I'd heard this place was flash but WOW. My $132 Mystery Deal really was an absolute bargain. I mean, you can pay $700 a night here for a standard room.

We had arrived very early and our room, as we expected, was not ready. So I collected our pool towel tokens and headed out to explore the many lagoon-style pools with Mr 4 while Shane went for a drive with a sleeping baby.

The heat was intense and the water very inviting. In one of the far pools there was a huge blow-up style water park with slides, jumping pillows, kayaks and an array of water play activities. I enquirer at the little stand and was informed that they run hour sessions for $10 each. Little Archie was super excited by what he could see but I was a little reluctant- the park looked more suited to bigger kids/teens and I knew he would last 10 minutes max. After reasoning with him and explaining that he was not to say he'd had enough I agreed to take hi in. They were nice enough not to charge me as I was in there to help my son, not play myself (though I really really wanted to!). It was great. We splashed, jumped, slid and paddled together. The water was not as refreshing as I'd hoped, in fact it was almost warm! But still a relief and a ton of fun.

Shane and Lennon met us at the pool and by then Archiehad had enough(he lasted half an hour, I was impressed). We moved on to one of the other pools (and I use this term loosely- the 'pools' are sprawling lagoons with beach style entries, bridges, waterfalls and tropical foliage providing nooks and crannies to explore). The boys sat at a table nearby with an ice cream while we made use of the swim up bar. The beer was ridiculously over priced but so refreshing. And Shane had the good idea to keep the plastic cup that it was served in so we could 'byo' later- which we did.

Our room was now ready and once we found our room among the sprawling gardens we were impressed. The resort is expansive. There are golf carts to get you around if needed. There are waterfalls, lakes and bridges on the grounds and in fact on the way from the lobby to our room. We had a standard garden view room which was perfect for us. We were on the ground floor which meant we could open up the sliding door and the boys could play on the grassy area out the front. There are pool access rooms but for us with young kids the garden was more suitable. I believe the pool rooms, while lovely, would be quite noisy and lack privacy. The room was huge for a standard room. 2 double beds, a large bathroom with big spa and a seperate small eating area. Definitely the biggest standard room I've ever seen. Oh and the bathrobes were divine- such a novelty.

We ventured in to Macrossan Street via the shuttle bus (another novelty for the kids) as we had now consumed 1 too many beverages. While there's an abundance of restaurants to choose from, one of my favourite places to eat is the surf club. The views are amazing, the food is incredible and well priced and there's a playground. Ticks all the boxes for us.

Another place worth an afternoon visit is On The Inlet. While they seem to have that many rules you feel like you're in a classroom (particularly when you go with kids- I have fairly high expectations of my kids behaviour but hey, they're still kids), the bar snacks menu is great and if you get in early enough for a good position they have groper feeding at 5pm. All the boats come back from their reef trips around 4:30 so you really need to get in early. Whether the groper performs is hit and miss. We've seen him put on a right show in the past and other times he barely makes a fuss. But it's an exciting afternoon and the kids loved it. The staff member doing the feeding actually has to be harnessed to The fencing such is the power of the groper once he gets a good grasp on the dead fish.



By late afternoon we were ready to head back to the pools (with our plastic cups!) and we were getting that feeling of wanting to stay another night. There was still lots more we wanted to do ( we hadn't even been to the beach yet!).




We had a lovely evening and put the kids to bed while we watched tv and crashed out ourselves. Those beds,by the way, are so comfy.




So, next morning we really want to stay again.i rang reception and was told our room was booked. However, I was put onto a manager who said they could solve that and the cost would be an amount I don't recall but definitely way more than my Wotif bargain. When I asked about that price I was put on hold (they probably had to check the website, if the deal was still there I could have just booked through that again and they would have had to give us a new room) and he came back with the good news that yes we could have the room for that same price. Yesss!!

So we had an entire day and night to enjoy. And enjoy we did.

We rode on the beach up to the stinger nets (being summer, it's a death wish to swim outside of the nets) and had a swim, I window-shopped in the lovely boutiques and made the most of the "pools".

if you're looking for a relaxed place on the water for lunch and a beer and perhaps some live music, The Tin Shed (don't be fooled by the name) has wonderful food and a great atmosphere.

That evening we walked from our room, down a little track on the property and onto the beach where we had a fire and toasted marshmallows. This was the highlight for the boys and now a regular occurrence on all of our trips! whether on the beach or out on the property if we are on a farm or something. Of course we are very safety conscious and not only ensure the fire is put out but pour water over it and cover it with lots of sand to ensure it can't burn any feet. And we always take every piece of rubbish we find. In fact, it's now become an adventure with the kids to take bags and collect rubbish that's been left behind by others. My boys are only young but already can not comprehend how some people can be such pigs. They come to visit these places because of their pristine environment... Then leave their rubbish. What the...? Anyway, Port is actually very clean.




That night we ordered room service for the boys as they were exhausted. It was so cute watching them eat their spag Bol with their fancy robes, dishes and water in champagne glasses. Nice treat. Shane rode into town later to grab us a pizza from Rattle n Hum. It's funny, there's a Rattle in Cairns and Port with the same owner, yet the pizzas at the Cairns one is always so much better. Port ones aren't bad... Just not as great as the Cairns ones.

So it was another fabulous weekend in Port. We are always sad to go but buoyed by the fact that we only live an hour down the road and know we will be back soon. And that drive between cairns and Port is truly one of the most beautiful drives in the world. The only other I've seen that compares was part of the drive between Vancouver and Whistler in Canada.

We didn't fit in a trip to Mossman Gorge this time, we went last time. But if you're staying in Port it's well worth it especially on a hto day. You drive about 20 minutes to the information centre and cafe which is staffed by local indigenous community members. You then pay a nominal fee and are transported by open-air shuttle through magnificent Daintree Rainforest to the Gorge walking track. The rainforest is so dense and mesmerising. You can almost picture dinosaurs roaming about. The tracks have recently been upgraded and are well established. The swimming holes are pure magic. The water is crystal clear and can be so cold it literally takes your breath away. Get there early before the tourist buses arrive. I'm so lucky to live in the doorstep of this amazing place.

---

Photos

"Pools"
Just some of them

Mossman Gorge
From previous trip

Me
Just hanging out at Four Mile beach

Summer fun
Surf club lunch YUM

Sheraton Mirage
My boys on the property