Palm Cove is a beautiful little beach town, located an hour’s drive away from Cairns. It is quaint yet charming with a mile long white sand beach, main street full of cafes and restaurants and a multitude of hotels for every budget. Queenslanders are a very friendly bunch and their hospitality standards seem to be much higher than in the big cities – we had only friendly and very welcoming service from everyone we met in this part of the world.
Nice people, beautiful nature and warm tropical weather add up to a wonderful holiday for all.
Generally speaking we would recommend visiting Palm Cove from April to October, a nice getaway from the cold weather in Sydney and Melbourne. However we visited in November and it was very nice, but possibly a little too quiet for young people. Most guests in the hotel during our stay were retired couples and a couple of families with very young children.
Accommodation
Pullman Resort is our favourite property in Palm Cove. It is located in its own beach alcove, 5 min walk away from the main street; Pullman guests have the convenience of being close to all the cafes, yet are in a very quiet and private location. We also love apartment style accommodation. Two- and three-bedroom apartments feature full kitchens, some have outdoor BBQs, perfect for families who don’t want to dine out every night.
We stayed in a sensational 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom private pool apartment, spread over 200 sq meters – too big for just the two of us! Master bedroom looked out onto a private courtyard with a plunge pool and had a large onsuite with a bath and a shower and double vanities.
The apartment would’ve been fabulous for a large family on a longer stay. Mothers would especially appreciate an internal laundry and an outside BBQ for dads to take over the cooking.
Another signature of the resort is swim-out apartments that offer access to the pool straight from your private terrace. A favourite with the children.
Facilities
The resort pool is a centerpiece of the hotel. Rooms and suites are set up around it. The pool is where guests spend most of their days. There is a baby pool too to entertain the younger guests.
The beach at the front of the resort in a mile long, picture perfect white sand beach, a wonderful place for an afternoon stroll. Swimming could be dangerous (because of the stinger jelly fish) for most of the year; if you feel like having a dip in the sea you’ll need to find a netted area.
The Spa
The spa at Pullman is fabulous. The treatments are performed by very professional therapists; the massage I experienced had left me so relaxed my therapist was worried I’d stay on a massage bed for the night.
Pevonia is a signature product for the facials and we hear that they are just as wonderful as the massage treatments.
Dining
I have enjoyed both breakfast and dinner at the resort. Buffet breakfast has a large selection of yogurts, pastries and fresh seasonal fruit; we were pleasantly surprised to find strawberries and fresh fruit smoothies. No treats like espresso coffee or sparkling water but that was perfectly fine by us.
Dinner on the outside terrace is really lovely. It has a romantic feel to it with dimmed lighting and candles. Most diners were groups of friends or couples. Classic Australian menu has a selection of fish, meat or a vegetarian option for both entrees and mains. We tried a mouthwatering trout and a couple of tasty salads. Excellent al fresco dinner.
The Lux Traveller Loves
The location- away from the main street, private, yet very close to the action
Private pool residences, rarely found in Australia
Excellent service
Wonderful Spa treatments
Splitting Hairs
No wifi in the rooms
All In All
The Lux Traveller highly recommends this hotel for your next Tropical North QLD vacation!
