In Cairns I’m staying at the Shangri-La on the esplanade, which is in the privileged position of being the only hotel in Cairns that sits directly on the water next to the Cairns Marina.

Location

From my room overlooking the water I can see the flotilla of tourist boats venturing out every morning. The ferries terminal, where excursions to the Great Barrier Reef can be booked, is right next door to the hotel. The Shangri-La is close to the airport, only fifteen minutes away. Although to be fair, Cairns is not such a big place, and with most of the big hotels close to each other in the centre of town, the journey from the airport is similar, which ever hotel you’re staying at.

Check-In & Staff

I arrive at the hotel just after 18h00, coming off the Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore. The nice thing about flying to a secondary airport like Cairns is that the queues to enter the country are substantially shorter than those you might find at major gateways like Melbourne or Sydney. The reception staff at the hotel are lovely and so helpful. As he checks me in, the young man at reception tells me that I’ve likely booked the nicest room in the entire hotel. Initially, I suspect he probably says that to all guests – until I see the room.

The Horizon Club Suite Harbour View with King Bed

I’m staying in a Horizon Club suite, which gives me complimentary access to the Horizon Club Lounge on the mezzanine level. According to the Shangri-La app, the room is 74 square metres large and it’s generously laid out. The suite has floor to ceiling windows that run along the whole length of its facade. Straight up ahead as I enter the suite is the bedroom. The bathroom is on my left. I turn the corner to the right and find myself in the living room, which features a large sofa as well as a good size working desk. The room also has a large outdoor balcony.

The bed is large and very comfortable, perfectly combining softness with supporting firmness. The bathroom features a separate bath and walk-in shower. The shower scores in the mid-range on the Knight of Malta shower test. Pressure is good. Temperature regulation is responsive, but it takes quite a while for the warm water to come. And, most importantly, there is spillage. The cosmetics are by a brand named John Masters Organics, which I’ve never heard of. The smell is nice. My only grippe is that the soap is near impossible to rinse off my hands, although I’m not sure if that’s because of the soap or the water here in Cairns.

The balcony is just gorgeous, and probably where I spend most of my time during my stay here – when I’m not out behaving like a total tourist and out on a whale watching excursion, snorkelling, going up to Kuranda by train, or having afternoon tea. The views are just lovely. However, there are a few issues. First, being on the mezzanine level means that people can easily see into the suite from the pier, so there’s little privacy unless you draw the curtains, thereby blocking the lovely view of the bay. The other issue is that the suite sits right above a restaurant called Nude Amigos. On weekdays they close at 21h00, on Saturdays at 22h00. And it can get loud. Like, very loud. It doesn’t bother me much as I’m on vacation, and I think closing at 22h00 is a civilised time to close.

Amenities

In terms of amenities, the Horizon Suite offers a Nespresso machine with real Nespresso capsules and milk in the fridge. There are tea bags and a kettle as well. The hotel also provides bottles of still water. Admittedly, the tap water doesn’t taste particularly good and is heavily chlorinated. Other than that, they also provide slippers and bathrobes in the Horizon suites.

Horizon Club Lounge

The Horizon Club Lounge is conveniently located on the same floor as my suite, on the mezzanine level. Breakfast is included in the rate I’ve booked, which means that I can either have breakfast downstairs in the main restaurant, starting at 06h00, or in the Horizon Club Lounge from 07h00. Somehow, I never manage to try the main restaurant during my stay.

The breakfast service in the lounge is excellent and features a broad selection of hot and cold dishes. As Cairns gets a good amount of Japanese tourists, there’s also a small but nice selection of Japanese breakfast items, which is very nice. The lounge is open throughout the day for drinks and tea or coffee. In addition, there’s a happy hour from 17h00 to 19h00, during which they serve a daily changing buffet of hot and cold finger foods.

Conclusion – The Shangri-La Cairns

The Shangri-La Cairns is a great place to stay if you’ve visiting the city. Its location right on the water is brilliant and quite unique among the Cairns hotels. No other hotel in the city has such a privileged location. The Shangri-La Cairns very much has the look and feel of a resort hotel. If you’re expecting the typically oppulent luxury that you usually get with the brand at hotels in Asia, you may be surprised. This establishment is not at all like that. It’s a very well run and pleasant hotel, but it’s oriented primarily to the leisure market. I very much enjoy my stay at the hotel and wouldn’t mind staying here again when I, hopefully, visit Australia again.