From the friendly staff to the swim out rooms, this venue is a must for a relaxing holiday away from the crowds closer to town. Distance is not a problem with a shuttle bus passing regularly. The rooms are spacious, beds are very comfy, and the facilities are great. If you want to socialize, the BBQ area is an ideal place to meet people and have a chat, and the pools are great for an early morning dip and a swim during the day.there were a lot of children there during our stay, but even though they were happily playing in the pools, they did not disturb us at all as the plantings around the pools block out a lot of noise. We will definitely be back soon!

Me and my boyfriend stayed here 22-26 Nov and we enjoyed every minute of it! The staff are very helpful and always had a smile on their face. It is a bit out of town which makes things a bit harder and expensive if you don't hire a car but the shuttle from the Ramada is convenient. Upon checking in we were informed we had been upgraded to a one bed apartment swim out. This was just the icing on the cake we could have not been more pleased. Its so relaxing having the pool just outside your back door. The room we received was spotless cept some marks on the shutters in the main bedroom and the cushions off the couch were a bit dirty however nothing we had a fright over. The kitchen is nice and functional and the massive flat screen tv was great. One gripe I had though was when we ran out of dishwashing detergent, washing powder and dishwasher powder we had pay to replenish the meager stock they gave us when we checked in. I know this is a self contained apartment but I'm staying at the best western plus cairns central apartments and they have supplied us with a whole bottle of dishwashing liquid. So I think it would much better for the guests for oaks lagoons to offer those powders and liquids free of charge. When on holiday the last thing you want to pay is for basic living goods. The BBQ is popular with the guests and would recommend to use them.

Got to give a shout out to Murray, the Receptionist at the Oaks Lagoons during our stay there. He was so friendly right from the get-go, and with a wicked sense of humour.

When we arrived, he asked if we had planned tomorrow's activities, and when we said no, he gave us a suggested itinerary for the day which was fantastic! I'll post it here so that all who stay at Oaks can take advantage of it!

First, he said, you are getting up VERY early and going down to the beach (5mins walk) to watch the sunrise at 5.30am. After this, you stroll along the beach 45mins into town, which works up an appetite for breakfast at a great little cafe. After that, because it was Sunday, we would walk down to the Esplanade to the sunday craft market and look around before catching the 11am steam train right back to the hotel, then a leisurely lunch and afternoon by the pool.

Well followed this plan exactly, and had a fabulous day!

So, other good things about the Oaks Lagoons - well, again, Murray was so helpful - I was fussy and asked to change my room becuase I wanted one with a swim-out patio. I was originally assigned a room with a private spa bath on the balcony, which seemed great at first but the problem is that, for privacy, the spa baths are surrounded by a high steel wall, which blocks the light from the room and takes up all the space so you don't get a big patio/sunlounger area. I felt a little claustrophobic in that first room with its high walls, so I asked to be moved and good ol' Murray sorted it out for me - what a legend!

If you can, book one of the swim-out studios (if you are not bothered about having a spa bath, ask for one without) - direct access to the pool from your room - heaven! Also, since the rest of my party were in nearby rooms, I could swim over to their place for a glass of wine, then swim home! :)

The central BBQ area is one of the best I've ever seen, spacious, clean and shaded.

The pools are excellent, shallow at either end and deep in the middle, and so refreshing in the November heat! Each ground floor room has its own steps into the pool too. Did I mention there are LOTS of pools?

The room was clean and confortable, with a little kitchenette perfect for having tea and making sandwiches etc but it is not for self-catering as no stove. For that, use the BBQ :)

Parking is excellent at this place - if fact you can park right outside your room!

The hotel does not have a restuarant of its own, but gives you a voucher for a meal for $15 at the Ramada hotel next door, and with that you even get a free bottle of wine per 2 people!! The meal you get is the special of the day, but there was a choice of two and both were excellent.

The only negative point of Oaks is that the internet here is bloody expensive. There is Wi-fi, but we didn't want to pay $20 a day for it! However, if you are going to go next-door to the Ramada to eat, use the free internet there! There is free wifi in the bar area, and they also do great frozen cocktails to enjoy while you surf the net.

I would also love to see Oaks adopt a no-smoking policy, because smoking is allowed pool-side, and that means you may end up next to someone smoking on their patio.

Overall, this was my favourite acommodation in my 18-day trip to Queensland. Port Douglas is a delightful little place, even if I did spend a great deal of it in the hotel enjoying the pool!

Once again, thanks to Murray for being an outstanding member of staff and really contributing to an amazing stay!

I stayed here for work and found it to have everything I needed. The hotel rooms were comfortable and included all your standard fittings. The bonus was the spa on the balcony, lovely touch to a busy day. About 4km walk into town, plenty of parking. Pool was lovely. Only downfall was no free wifi.