Location - Perfect!. Right in the middle of the main street and the beach.
Room - Clean and tidy but nothing flash. If you are wanting anything above a 3 star this isn't for you but if you want a simple room with TV and easy access to everything you need then it's fine. The beds and bathroom are dated but perfectly adequate. Don't look too closely at the grouting etc cos that's not a priority. Our room was near reception and it was noisy at all hrs.
Pool - Fantastic. Slightly heated and well maintained. There needs to be a few more deck chairs tho. Had to go early to get one.

If you want a place to relax in tropical comfort and feel like you are alone in the world, this is the place! We read reviews and viewed the photos but were unprepared for just how beautiful this place really is. We had room 4 overlooking the barbeque roof and the pool with the lush vegetation surrounding us. It felt so absolutely private and serene. Our room was so spacious and the bed looked out into the trees. With the blinds tilted properly, we could have the glorious glow of light without losing privacy yet the balcony roof shaded us from too much intense sun. We swam in the soothing saltwater pool, a real treat to have no chlorine treatment, and the lush vegetation made it feel like we were in a lagoon up in the rainforest. We Americans were enthralled with the exotic tropical birds and could not get enough of the unique Australian plantlife. The location of The Retreat was perfect: only five minutes (literally) to the most spectacular beach you could ever imagine; five minutes in the other direction to the interesting and active shopping/restaurant district; ten minutes to the wharf area with some fantastic restaurants with open-deck dining overlooking the ocean; and large, public recreation fields across the street that kept street noise to a minimum. David and Joyce were attentive to our needs and willingly helped us with bookings and planning of activities. We had door-to-door bus service back to the Cairns airport and never had to feel that we were totally on our own. (One "small," but meaningful, service was the easily accessible laundry facility. We actually did laundry and enjoyed it!!!) We stayed five days in Port Douglas and loved every minute, much of it because of our little "home" at Port Douglas Retreat. You would be hardpressed to find a better place in Port Douglas for the price. If we were to ever come back to Port Douglas, it would be back to the Port Douglas Retreat. It truly lives up to its name.

We have stayed in apart 24 several times which directly overlooks the pool but remains private, the pool is really beautiful and tranquil, there are mainly couples at the retreat hence the pool isn't noisy.
The rooms are furnished well with everything you need, sure there isn't a full kitchen but there are two sparkling BBQ's by the pool which are free to use.
The location is central to everything ie marina, shops and beach and you don't really need a car.

The port Douglas retreat gave us great first impressions. It looked great, secure indoor parking, lovely pool and landscaped surrounds, great BBQ area. The room we had was overlooking the pool upstairs. The decor was basic and dated but the furnishings were functional and nearly everything worked. There was a cute little balcony overlooking the pool but it was designed in such a way that if your neighbours were outside as we'll, there was no privacy. In fact you could see them whilst sitting inside on the lounge. Outside on the balcony there was an old window mount style air conditioner. It worked but was that noisy and vibrated so much the sliding glass door did nothing but rattle all night and loosen your fillings. Consequently we used the fan for the rest of our stay. Lucky for us it was winter. The kitchenette was really small and not functional unless you were buttering bread or doing cups of teas. The extractor fan was nothing more than ornamental and just filled up the room with smoke etc. The bathroom was ok, medium size but smelt like something was growing in the drains if closed for a while. The shower cubicle was pathetically small. When you bend over to pick up something on the floor you keep accidentally opening the door, it's that small. The hot water temperature also was dangerously hot on full blast. A recipe for 3rd degree burns when first getting in the shower. Its a shame a second set of towels isnt thrown in as its a bit hard to get a week out of a pair of towels. the charge for the 2nd set seemed like a bit of a money grab to us and a bit off. The unit itself wasnt filthy, but could have done with a really good clean, but I suppose we all have different standards there. Maybe the extra towel revenue could be used to upgrade the cleaners. On a good note the bed was comfortable. This may seem like I am bashing this place, but when travelling you have basic expectations of a 3 1/2 star property, especially in this country. On our second last day after my wife making a comment to the manager about a pool toilet the day before that was foul, the manager was rather rude about the whole thing. A little unprofessional was the vibe there. Anyway, for the week we stayed here, it was ok, with only minor glitches. The location was perfect with lots of great things to do and see.