It was time for a weekend break, away from Sydney.. Port Douglas was still on the bucket list so the aim was to book a nice 4 night extended weekend.

Tripadvisor guided me towards Thala Beach lodge with all reviews and awards for this property.


The booking for Thala Beach lodge was quite last minute. I booked Wednesday for a Friday arrival after having tracked a few booking sites (expedia, Wotif, Bookings.com, etc) to find the best possible rate.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon, we were welcomed at reception, went through the check in procedures following which we were invited to go upstairs to join a welcome drink! What a beautiful view, tree tops, beaches, birds, it felt as a great way to start the weekend.
The remainder of this first day we spend on the beach, lying in a hammock close to the beach shack which was open for drinks.

The room we were in was room #9 an Eucalypt Bungalow as booked. It looked into the trees with some glimpses over the ocean and beach. As other writers here suggest, the bungalows are build close to each other, but I didn't feel any significant loss of privacy.

The room was spacious and consisted of a private balcony (with fan, table and 2 chairs), a real king size bed, TV (not used), mini bar and bathroom. The room itself was good, but the bathroom was a bit outdated. Everything worked well.

One day we ordered a picnic basked, which is offered instead of room service, and we had a very nice balcony meal. Definitely a recommendation!

The meals, coffees and drinks in the restaurant are well served, of good quality and good portions. Service is with a smile.

Overall service was good for Australian standards. Unlike other premium properties in Australia I sensed that most staff were local, genuinely liked their jobs and always had a smile on their faces.

I really appreciated the wireless (lobby area) and the valet car parking included in the rate!

Definitely will return when in the area!

First, people need to know that you cannot travel very far at this resort without going up or down. The area is mountainous, and it shows in the hotel property. The staff are very helpful, efficient, and exceedingly friendly. The rooms are all individual cabins, some more secluded than others. The cabins are well appointed. Ours included some excellent prints of bird paintings. This hotel is a good place for bird watchers, especially for seeing wild rainbow lorikeets. We saw them, and about about eight other types during our three night stay. We loved having our breakfast and dinner in the restaurant, because the food was so good at dinner and because there was always birds in view at breakfast. Our only negative observation is that the bathroom facilities in our room could have used an upgrade or refurbishment.

We recently stayed at Thala - and I can't say enough great things about it. The staff is SO phenomenal. I have never met more friendly, enthusiastic staff. There are small cabins, that were among the trees, just a short walk from the private beach. We were the only couple on the beah one full day.

I stayed for an all too brief time at the lodge last week, it was part of a tour of Sydney and tropical north Queensland . The lodge is a beautiful property of wooden cabins on stilts dotted around a central reception and restaurant complex. The area is stunning but quite hilly and the lodge that I was located in had amazing views through the rainforest to the beach. I think that although the resort does cater for guests with a golf buggy type shuttle to the various areas of the property, the hills and the steps down to the beaches and cabins may prove difficult for anyone with physical disabilities or mobility problems. For the able bodied however, this place is perfect.. The beach has a bar serving cooling beers,sparkling wine and soft drinks and little touches like the cooler sleeves for the beer show how the resort thinks about the small things that make it's guests more comfortable. Their are two pools, a rock pool and a waterfall pool made up of three small pools, one of which is a jacuzzi. The pools are all made to look like natural lagoons and the effect is stunning. The staff here are very efficient but very friendly and helpful, the reception even has Australian adapters to lend out which is a nice touch, although as I had been staying in various hotels on this trip I had already purchased mine. Breakfast was excellent and the location of the restaurant, in a circular building similar to a treehouse set high among the forest canopy with colourful birds feeding from strategically positioned feeders was breathtaking.. I am actually afraid of birds and usually will not eat out in open spaces where the birds fly through the restaurant etc, but the feeders mean the birds do not have to forage among th tables, so I was able to admire the colours and the large cockatoos etc without worrying about them getting too close. The cabins are spacious, well appointed and comfortable, with large verandas to enjoy the natural beauty and everything is designed sympathetically to give a holistic feeling of well being and calm. I will definitely come here again if I return to Australia, next time with my husband and for a longer stay.
The resort has evening star gazing trips into the rainforest, unfortunately our busy schedule did not allow me to join this, but I think it would be well worth doing if you have time.