where to go and stay on the great barrier reef

[hogan]

hi all,
we are off to nsw in may to activate our visa's but we were thinking of staying a couple of nights at the great barrier reef, has anyone got any recommendations on where to stay, we will be going with our 3 children 11,9 and 5 and dont want to pay a fortune, we just dont know where to start looking, thanks x

[claireg]

hi, when we went in Jan 09 we stayed in Port Douglas (flew into Cairns and picked up hire car), but there was only 2 of us so can't really give you any advice on where to stay with children and the best hotel facilities for children. Why don't you check out tripadvisor for reviews. That's how we chose our hotel.

Port Douglas was a lovely place, some really nice restaurants and only a short trip to the reef. From our base in Port Douglas we did a few other trips as well;

- cape tribulation / daintree rain forest
- hartleys croc farm
- sky rail / karunda (Cairns)

All of them we really enjoyed and sure the kids would enjoy too.

We went snorkelling on the reef with a smaller company (about 20 max) rather than the big boats that go from Cairns.

Happy holidaying

[hogan]

thanks alot will check website out

[galton]

Hi, I live in Cairns and have an 8 year old daughter, you would be fine staying in one of the Rydges hotels (maybe the one on the Esplanade). There is a really nice play/water park there and you could walk to the harbour (approx. 5 mins along the front) have a look to go on a trip to the Barrier Reef Platform with 'Quicksilver' best on with kids and is a whole day including food etc........If you stay on the esplanade you will also have access to the lagoon, shops and restaurants. I think the Rydges are around the $110 a night but they have a great website and are a bit like the UK Holiday Inn type of accomodation, clean, tidy and fab for family ...... cheers, Sarah (p.s. hope you enjoy our home town)....

[Bobj]

Any help, mate?

Whitsunday Holidays, Packages & Tours - Whitsunday.com

Long Island Resort, Whitsundays - Queensland Holiday Accommodation Whitsunday Islands

Daydream Island Resort, Queensland's Whitsunday Islands

Fantasea Adventure Cruising Whitsundays - Your gateway to the Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef

Whitsundays - The Great Barrier Reef

Cheers, Bobj.