I had a great stay at Gilligan’s! The room was spacious and clean, and I was even lucky enough to have the whole dorm to myself one night. I still managed to meet plenty of people, despite being a solo traveller, thanks to the social atmosphere and nightlife. It’s worth noting that the bar/club area didn’t really get busy until late in the evening (11:30pm onwards), and the hostel is pretty deserted during the day thanks to everyone being out on tours/experiences. My room was overlooking the pool/bar area, so did get noisy at night, but the hostel offers free earplugs at reception which did the trick. It was great to have an en-suite in the room, and the bathroom was in good condition. The location is ideal, right within the hub of Cairns City, however I didn’t feel particularly safe as a solo female traveller in the area at night, so it’s definitely important to be aware of that/travel in a group where possible. The on-site travel agency is helpful and approachable, and staying at the hostel means that you can get discounted drinks at the bar and free club entry before 11pm. I didn’t end up going to any of the weekday themed nights, but at the weekend the vibes downstairs were good. I would definitely recommend Gilligan’s to any young solo/group travellers who want to meet new people and experience Cairns’ party scene at a budget-friendly price!
The location of the hotel is very convenient - 10 min walk away from the convention centre. The train station and bus station is nearby and the walk to the nearby turbocat makes the hotel in a prime location for transport. The front desk was efficient and pleasant. Although I check in early and the rooms were not ready, they were nice to allow us to use the facilites on the 21st floor to relax and shower. Also on the 21st floor is the rooftop bar which has the best views of South bank and the skyline.
The Vista King Suite was a huge room with large bathroom sitting area and the bed was super comfortable. It took me awhile to find the door, which was hidden behind a glass door enclosure to block out noise. Housekeeping was efficient and meticulous. Breakfast was either in the cafe on G/F or the 21st floor. Servings were hearty and filling from the a la carte menu.
The whole stay was pleasant, felt so relaxed like what I experienced in Melbourne Holiday Inn Express.
The location is a bit of a minus though as it is not close to central station and it's uphill. Despite the location, the facilities, breakfast and the room is good and pleasant.
Also, I would like to raise a compliment to Jack (I think that is his name) upon check out, he is friendly and nice, very efficient as well. He helped me in tagging my bags which I was not expected, as last time in Melbourne I would need to tag the bags myself.
However, during check-in, the middle-easy guy with black glasses with not polite and welcoming at all, which I was frustrated and a huge disappointment during my stay. He did not wear a name tag so I did not know his name. He did check my ID and last name, however, he did not possess basic hospitality during the whole check-in process. Even though I know they need to hold one dollar in my credit card as a pre-authorization, but he never said a word on what he is doing with my card. Until he passed me the key without any words, I looked at him, he said, ”Yeah, it's all done”. I was not even guided through all the details, such as check-out time and internet settings, which is so basic as a reception. Until I asked him where to visit around as it was my first time visiting Brisbane. He showed me a map of the city and he introduced me the Botanic Garden first, which was appreciated, but he then tell me to go to a ******, which was a bit shock to me. I think he might need to start introducing other tourists destinations instead of a ******.
We just stayed the night with hotel Diana as I had eye surgery and needed to go back the next day to see the Dr as we were from Toowoomba. Only 3 mins drive from the eye institute. Our room was very nice. Clean everything very good.
The hotel is old but well maintained. The bed was comfortable, bathroom was clean and breakfast was nice. Please note that toothbrushes and mineral water are not provided; however, I was aware of this from previous reviews and prepared my own in advance.
JJpwang360Nice and clean hotel. The location is a bit awkward as it’s located on a busy corner and if you’re driving it’s hard to turn into the parking lot and there are not a lot of spaces. Room is nice and service was great. They are very friendly.
ผผู้เข้าพักThe hotel is old but well maintained. The bed was comfortable, bathroom was clean and breakfast was nice. Please note that toothbrushes and mineral water are not provided; however, I was aware of this from previous reviews and prepared my own in advance.
ผผู้เข้าพักThe Mantra Hotel has outstanding location. It is directly in front of the Woolworths supermarket - the best option in central Cairns. It's also virtually opposite (the esplanade side)the lagoon public beachfront swimming pool. Finally it's just a 5 minute walk from Cairns Cruise Terminal, with outstanding day trips to Green Island, Fitzroy Island and the Reef. I booked a sea view room. When you enter the room, you don't see the ocean, but a building across the road. However, the view from the balcony was amazing. The balcony overlooks the main features of lagoon on the sea front. During the day it is great view - the lagoon pools and sea in the background. At night you cannot see the sea (as to be expected) but you have the amazing lagoon lights, which makes it very desirable and even romantic. Our room was at the end of block, which overlooks a shopping mall (no car noise) - looking right from the balcony is the lagoon view and looking left is a mountain view. However, from 2:00pm to 6:00pm the sun comes directly into the balcony area, which means it unusable until sun sets. Of course if you don't mind baking in the sun on the balcony, this is not really a concern. The room itself is pretty basic. The mini fridge of OK and TV has domestic channels only - no cable TV for BBC/CNN. The bathroom is of a good size. There is combined shower & bath. However, when using the shower, it can slightly flood this bathroom. A shower curtain may be desirable because the glass panel is not sufficient enough. At $225 per night this hotel was not cheap and you can better deals by coming in the off-season OR going bit further down the esplanade, and choosing another hotel. The Mantra does have its own pool and it is wonderfully heated, with normal deck chairs you would expect at 4 star hotel. However, the pool gets very little natural sunlight, because it of its location between 2 buildings. Overall, the hotel has amazing location, and it is still recommended, despite the shortcomings mentioned. My final note: When we checked in, I was impressed with the level of service provided by the receptionist. She had a very welcome attitude and a wonderful personality.
JJustinThe concierge was extremely poor, drove in with my 7 seaters rented car, and staff simply ignored my existence - didn't even bother to come out to greet us nor offer any help with the luggage, even after telling him that I'll need help - zero awareness and zero service. The luggage trolley is simply an ornament. Excuse me, it's Marriott! Never in my life have i had to experience such an unwelcoming experience.
However, the receptionist (wearing spec) was the only person who gave my family a warm welcome, likewise the staff at the buffet. 👍
ผผู้ใช้ไม่ระบุชื่อI was mostly happy with the resort. There were some things missing like more food options (only two restaurants) and small luxuries like a sauna for example. It’s also hard to rate the staff as you had some incredibly helpful staff and then some real depressing ones that were just rude. The only other thing that was a bit of a shock was that the beaches were just full of dead coral and no sand. I hadn’t been to one of the islands in the Whitsundays so I was surprised to see that. The photos of the resort did not show this so it would have been nice to know so it didn’t lead to disappointment. Some positives though is that the resort was beautifully designed and they offered a lot of free water activities like kayaking for example. The buffet breakfast was also really nice.