Sea Temple Port Douglas

[Sprucegoose]

We will staying there next month. We have a two bedroom apartment booked.

Where are the best rooms? We have. Choice of a penthouse or plunge pool.

Port Douglas are there any new attractions these days?

 

[samh004]

The Little Larder did some lovely designer sandwiches when I was there 3 weeks ago, that's my 2¢.

 

[Homer]

We stayed there a couple of times when they first opened. If you have kids I think the best apartments are the swim-outs, where you can join the large lagoon pool from the back door of your apartment. The penthouses are up high away from everything and they have a second level with a BBQ. But pool access isn't as easy. We've also stayed in one of the villas which had its own plunge pool. It was large and very nice - easily the best accommodation at the hotel - but the small plunge pool was cold and we wound up using the resort pool instead. The resort food was pretty bad and the service provided by young, disinterested locals. If you've vacationed in Australia before then you'll know what I mean.

 

[Isochronous]

We stayed there a couple of times when they first opened. If you have kids I think the best apartments are the swim-outs, where you can join the large lagoon pool from the back door of your apartment. The penthouses are up high away from everything and they have a second level with a BBQ. But pool access isn't as easy. We've also stayed in one of the villas which had its own plunge pool. It was large and very nice - easily the best accommodation at the hotel - but the small plunge pool was cold and we wound up using the resort pool instead. The resort food was pretty bad and the service provided by young, disinterested locals. If you've vacationed in Australia before then you'll know what I mean.

Australian service standards are definitely lacking - too much of the egalitarian bull**** that says we're all equal, so even if people pay for luxury service they won't give you what you pay for. No wonder people prefer to go overseas.

 

[Homer]

Australian service standards are definitely lacking - too much of the egalitarian bull**** that says we're all equal, so even if people pay for luxury service they won't give you what you pay for. No wonder people prefer to go overseas.

One of my favourite laments is "Ahhh, egalitarian Australia."

 

[lovetravellingoz]

We will staying there next month. We have a two bedroom apartment booked.

Where are the best rooms? We have. Choice of a penthouse or plunge pool.

Penthouse sounds grand...but the plunge pool rooms are way way better.

The Penthouse has un upstairs rooftop balcony with spa..all hard paved. So not that pleasant.

Plunge pool has a garden with plunge pool, bbq making a much nicer outside room. Onlya short walk to use the main pool if you wish. so gets the best of both wolds.
Swim out is handy if you have young kids...but have no privacy.
So if you are a couple plunge pool is IMO by far the best. We loved it.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

.

Port Douglas are there any new attractions these days?

No, but Salt is always good. But watch out for Friday and Saturday nights as Wedding Parties have often booked it out.

Always pleasant having a beer along the estuary at the Tin Shed or similar to watch the sunset......and we would often go to the Courthouse Hotel for an hour or so to listen to the live music over a drink....either before or after dinner at one of the nearby restaurants like Salt.

Silver Sonic is my favourite way to visit the reef Silversonic - Port Douglas Scuba Diving & Snorkelling Tours but it is for those that want to be in the water at 3 different reefs rather than having a gourmet lunch.


PD is basically a place where you go to chill.....

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Oh..at the Sea Temple we did the Degustation Menu and enjoyed both the food and matching wines.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Thanks guys, all noted..

 

[get me outta here]

I'm very envious. There is a dedicated link for 'which rooms' to choose (and why), if you want to see what recent guests say :

Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa (Australia) - Resort Reviews - TripAdvisor

 

[vetrade]

Going by the fact you posted again this afternoon Spruce, I'm guessing you haven't gone to PD yet - in which case the following info might be helpful....

We stayed at Sea Temple 12 months ago and had a room overlooking the pool which was really nice. We dodged their restaurant - can't remember now whether that was because it was too expensive for what was on offer or if the menu wasn't interesting enough but plenty of options in PD anyway. It's a nice walk along the beach from ST to PD but it can seem a long way on the return leg. We always have a car -
have used Red Spot at Cairns Airport several times and found them to be consistently good. PD hasn't really changed for years so if you've been before and want someting new then you may be a bit disappointed.

The marina area is pretty dead nowadays because a lot of shops are vacant and we were told it was to be re-developed to include rental units. We did a late afternoon cruise with Calypso Reef Charters on a 60 ft catamaran - a good quality boat, only about 15 other pax and very accommodating crew. It was just sailing with finger food - take your own wine and they provide glasses - so no snorkelling etc. We found it to be perfect because we didn't want to be committed to a full day out on the reef especially as the weather can turn easily this time of year - so check the forecast.

PD has suffered from a downturn in tourism (there seems to far fewer Asian tourists now especially). Still enough people around so that it didn't seem dead but was easy to get a seat in restaurants etc without booking. As for restaurants - just walk down the main street and pick a menu / price range that appeals - plenty of variety and we didn't find a bad one.

Can't get away from the fact that PD is a great location where you slide into "holiday mode" very quickly but don't expect it to be really any different to how you might have found it before.

 

[ms1]

Are the apartments with plunge pools private? From the reports I've read on tripadvisor it seems that some of the styles of accommodation on offer lack privacy.

 

[Homer]

I think only the villas on the front have plunge pools and they are very private. The pools are small, dark and cold though... The swim out apartments are probably the least private with people floating past fairly regularly but I think the ease of access to the pool, day and night, more than makes up for it.