Cairns & Port Douglas Day One - The Adventure Begins

Emma

Dec 27, 20203 min read

We were awake SUPER early as we were on the 6.30 am flight out of Brisbane thanks to a flight change. We were supposed to be on the 11 am flight, but as we were travelling just after restrictions were lifted heaps of flights were still being cancelled and this ended up being our only option. We didn't really mind as it means we could fit a bit more holiday in!

We flew with Jetstar, as I had some credit from a cancelled flight to Darwin to use up. We paid extra for “upfront” seating (in the first 5 rows) and checked-in bags. The plane was brand new and quite nice and considering that we were travelling during COVID everything felt pretty normal, aside from about half the passengers choosing to wear masks.

It was an easy two-ish hour flight and we had pre-booked a hire car to pick up at Cairns Airport, as we were at the front of the plane and had priority luggage, we were out pretty quickly and the first to the Hertz check-in counter. The process of getting the car was pretty smooth and once we had our wheels for the week (a Nissan X-Trail) we hit the road.

The drive from Cairns to Port Douglas takes about an hour, but as we were super early (it was only about 9am at the point) we decided to grab some breakfast in Cairns along the esplanade. Noel and I both ordered the same thing (an omelette, without mushrooms). His arrived without mushrooms, but for some inexplicable reason, mine had mushrooms?!?!?

We were spending 3 nights in Cairns later in the trip so after breakfast we decided to head to Port Douglas and try our luck for an early check-in. The road is super beautiful and runs right beside the water for quite a while.

We stopped at the Captain Cook Highway Rock Stacks to get a couple of shots for the Gram . Our next stop along the highway was a Rex Lookout. This is where the local paragliding club have their launch zone. We watched a man set up his parachute and jump off the side, he nearly hit a few trees on the way down which was entertaining (for us, probably not for him) before landing on the beach below.

We got a great deal at the Oaks Resort Port Douglas through Luxury Escapes. We paid $799 (which I had in credits from our cancelled Bali trip) for 5 nights in a one-bedroom apartment with a king bed, full breakfast every day, free parking, a $50 food and drink credit and two free cocktails. The resort itself was really nice and there was almost no one around. The rooms were a little dated but clean and comfortable and for the price, we definitely could not complain.

When we are going somewhere I never really like to book much for the day we arrive in case of flight delays. This meant we had the afternoon to explore and get acquainted with Port Douglas before our dinner booking. After checking out the hotel grounds and taking a dip in the very large pool we jumped in the car and headed up to Flagstaff hill lookout. You can drive or walk to the top and there is a really pretty view. We met some hippies who let me pat their doggo, so that was also great.

I had been to Port Douglas about 10 years prior and remembered a fantastic restaurant called Salsa Bar and Grill that I went to. A google search told me it still existed so I made us a booking for dinner on our first night. It was as fantastic as I remembered and after a few cocktails and a delicious dinner we headed back to the hotel for an early night, as we had a big day planned tomorrow.