What to see, where to stay and what to eat in Port Douglas

During the recent school holidays we went up north for a family holiday in Port Douglas. When possible we like to get away from Sydney for a change of scenery and healthy dose of warm weather seemed to be just the thing we all needed. We’ve always been a fan of beach holidays so it was nice to have the opportunity to visit beautiful Queensland, particular after months of being in iso. If you’re thinking of heading to Port Douglas one of these days, here are a few tried and tested places that got our tick of approval.

Where we stayed

Anywhere we stay when we’re on holiday definitely has to be kid-friendly and the Sheraton Mirage was just that. It was really great for the girls, as there were plenty of facilities for them to swim and splash around, particularly the sand lagoons which they enjoyed. There are hotel rooms as well as villas so there’s definitely accommodation options to suit any size group. It’s also positioned really well in that it’s close to Port Douglas’ major tourist attractions, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

Fave places to eat

We love exploring different restaurants and cafes whenever we’re away and there are a handful that we tried that we would highly recommend.

For breakfast we loved The Little Larder which was centrally located and did good coffee. We tried out a few spots for lunch, and really enjoyed On the Inlet, which is a seafood restaurant and bar. And Melaleuca which is a modern Australian restaurant, which is open for lunch from Thursday – Sunday (we also went here for dinner and it was great). They had a singer there when we went over the weekend for lunch and the atmosphere was relaxing and really enjoyable. We spent most nights out at dinner and could recommend Watergate, Zinc, Sassi La Cucina and Bar and Salsa Bar and Grill. We also treated ourselves to dinner at Nautilus one night which is a little more high end and perfect for a date night. No kids under eight are allowed so if you’ve got the option for a babysitter, then it’s definitely worth visiting.

What we did

We did the Quicksilver Barrier Reef day tour which is on the pricier end but such a fantastic, kid-friendly way to see the Great Barrier Reef. You can choose to dive or snorkel our you can view the marine life from the underwater viewing platform or the semi-submersible submarine. It’s such an unbelievable site and definitely worth seeing.

One of the things we loved doing was hiring bikes and riding on the sand (the sand is hard so it’s quite an easy ride). It’s beautiful in the morning and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of dolphins playing in the surf.

We took the girls to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures which is 25 minutes out of Port Douglas and loved seeing all the crocs. Definitely do the boat ride as you can see all the crocodiles being fed in the water.

If you want a relaxing way to spend a Sunday, then check out the Port Douglas markets. The produce is great and so fresh. Definitely worth wandering around to check out what’s on offer.