The location of this house is unbeatable - the ocean is literally at the bottom of the garden at high tide, and during the day, the low tide reveals a magnificent beach with few other people on it. The setting of the house is such that, though there are a handful of neighbouring properties, there is truly a sense of 'getting away from it all'.

Palms on Newell is on a quiet street, an easy 20 minute drive north of Port Douglas, and five minutes from Mossman, where there is a supermarket for supplies to stock the fridge and make your own meals.

The beds were wonderful - comfortable, crisp white sheets and lots of pillows. Three of the four bedrooms have floor to ceiling windows facing the sea-side of the house, so you can lie in bed and listen to - even look at - the ocean through the screened louvres. There is plenty of storage space (cupboards/drawers) in the bedrooms. There was a bottle of champagne and chilled glasses in the fridge on arrival.

The house had ample bath towels, with beach towels also provided, and a stack of books, DVDs and games in the lounge area. The free wi-fi worked well, the aircon and fans (the ones that we used) and the stove, coffee machine and dishwasher in the full kitchen worked well. There are spare light bulbs, insect repellent and other bits and pieces on hand. The pool is securely fenced - it was still a bit too cold at this time of the year to be in the pool, so instead we enjoyed paddling in the ocean.

The setting is beautiful, with the ocean framed by the palm trees and the lush green garden.

We loved sitting on the deck eating breakfast or having a drink, just watching the trees and ocean. It was hard to tear ourselves away to go and visit Mossman Gorge (a five minute drive, and worth doing for an accessible peek into the rainforest and the gorge), a day trip to Cape Tribulation (definitely stop at the stunning Thornton Beach on the way) and a croc-watching cruise near the ferry crossing, which is a 20 minute drive north of Newell Beach. Silky Oaks (which we didn't get to this trip) is a five minute drive, Daintree EcoLodge is a 20 minute drive in the direction of the ferry crossing, and the meal we had there was lovely.

The *only* [minor] thing I would suggest doing - when the time comes to replace the lounge suite, to choose something that sits a bit higher off the ground - older people or those with physical limitations might find it a little bit difficult.

Also, a note for those who want to sleep in - you might want to take an eye mask, as the bright tropical sun will wake you early and the curtains are lightweight (as befits the house), so there is no way of blocking it out! Yet even those who usually crave sleep-ins won't want to miss waking up to this view.

This house was a welcome break from an unusually cold southern winter, and a good dose of sun, sea and fresh air left us super-relaxed at the end of our week, which was just the tonic after a stressful time for us. Here, the biggest thing you have to worry about is coconuts falling from the palm trees! I was pleased we chose this place.