The Round House is indeed round (well, octagonal) and has floor to ceiling windows around most of its circumference, so while you sit inside, you see and hear the rainforest everywhere around you. Birds and butterflies abound and one evening we saw a big lizard on a nearby rock - very cool. Apparently a cassowary visits now and then but we did not see him (or her). You have your own private waterfalls and rock pools just down the steps from the house, which sound beautiful and are lovely to dip in. You can see and hear the falls from inside the house, which is wondrous. As it rained prodigiously one of the days we were there, the waterfall became wild and even more spectacular.
The house was spotlessly clean and pristine in every way, with beautiful wood/stone/glass construction and details. It is even more gorgeous in person than in the photos online. Practical info:
• It has a full kitchen and bath (with tub), two bedrooms (one in the loft), a spacious dining area (seats 6) and lounge/living room with three sofas and a big flat-screen TV for watching DVDs (of which there is a large supply on hand).
• There is an outdoor BBQ and table/chairs for four.
• No mobile/cell phone service of course and the house is hydro-powered by the water running by!
• There is a smaller cottage on the property as well, but it is a good distance away and is accessed by a separate driveway. It even has its own waterfalls, so we never heard or saw anyone while we were there.
• The house is barely an hour north of Port Douglas and offers a great jumping-off point for activities in the Cape Tribulation area - horse rides on the beach, small, almost private tours of the Great Barrier Reef, salt-water crocodile spotting on then Daintree River, rainforest walks....
• Ali and James were perfect, gracious hosts - available if we needed them and otherwise invisible.
My husband and I rented the house for three nights, and I cannot imagine a more beautiful, romantic haven. I would even come here alone on a quiet retreat, yet it would also be great for a family. Truly spectacular, and not to be missed.