We were told about a fabulous French bistro with an amazing chef hidden away from the crowds above Club Tropical Resort - it was great. We got there at dusk and watched the sunset over the inlet and mountains, magificent. The chef created delicious food, the ambiance was quiet and intimate, and the cheese platter had REAL french cheeses! Wines were also local or french. They are apparently now also open for breakfast, so we will be back!

I stayed in Port Douglas for 4 nights during December 2008. Basically, it is a resort town (filled with holiday apartments) and ‘gateway to the Daintree’.

The township consists of a main road with shops (mostly tourist-oriented), a marina, a beach with stinger net (important at this time of year due to Marine Stingers) and an endless array of holiday accommodation.

Given the large number of ‘vacancy’ signs I saw throughout town, and the current worldwide financial crisis, I’d highly recommend bargain-hunting for accommodation. You should be able to get a good deal (such as off-peak rates during peak season) if you ask around, or try some of the Last Minute / Wotif type sites to find some good deals.

Apart from the beach and apartment swimming pools, there’s not much within Port Douglas itself to keep occupied. I’d recommend a car so you can travel up to Mossman (great tropical rainforest walks and a refreshing swim in the Mossman Gorge) and even further North to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree National Park. (Don’t bother doing any Crocodile cruises in Summer – the crocs prefer staying in the water when It’s warm.)

There’s more to do around Cairns (to the South), so you might want to split your vacation between locations.

Port Douglas is best known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, but if you can't or don't want to scuba or snorkel every day, there are several other interesting things to do. My husband and I took our own road trip to Cape Tribulation, which included some spectacular scenery along the way and a couple of very interesting roadside nature walks. In Port Douglas, the high point for us was the 1.5 hour nature cruise on the Lady Douglas that provided us with a chance to see salt water crocodiles and a variety of birds and trees up close. The crew on the Lady Douglas was gracious and informative. It was a terrific value and a recommended activity for the whole family. Reservations for the Lady Douglas or any of the diving or other activities can be made at any of the hotels in Port Douglas or with the activity vendor directly. Best time of year to visit Port Douglas is between May and November to avoid restrictions due to weather or marine stingers in the water, although we found it enjoyable in April and pretty empty of tourists.

most things are in walking distance. 4 mile beach & lookout are very cool. The whole town depends on tourists & the shop oweners, bar staff & all the merchants are well aware of this. Nice people at all the places I went.