DoubleTree by Hilton Cairns

Hilton chain hotels are generally quite good. The environment and service at this particular hotel were both excellent, and the breakfast was decent too. It's a bit far from the port for Great Barrier Reef tours, but if you enjoy sea views, it's still a fine choice.

Our first night's room was on the third floor, a connecting room, and the sea view was blocked by trees. We asked to change rooms, but there were no available rooms that day. For the second night, we were moved to a room on the fourth floor, facing a street corner. We could see some of the sea, but the passing cars were very noisy, and the large platform on the second floor was very prominent, making the view looking down quite bad. After checking out, we realized our child's clothes were left behind. Trip.com customer service helped communicate with the hotel to find them, but when we sent someone to pick them up the next day, the front desk searched for a long time and couldn't find them. We had to make two trips to finally retrieve them. Although we were given delicious desserts upon check-in, the overall experience was not good, and we wouldn't stay here again.

The hotel is quite old, so the facilities are also dated. We were initially given a room on the third floor that smelled musty, but thankfully, they moved us to a better room the next day. The room itself was spacious, and the cleanliness was acceptable. Breakfast was just okay. I did like the hotel's tropical rainforest-style environment. I booked a sea-view balcony room, but all we got were rooms with a side view of the ocean. The Western restaurant on the first floor was good, and as a Hilton member, I received a 15% discount.

The breakfast buffet offers a wide variety of choices. It's a must-have for those who need to get up early for an island-hopping tour.

My friend and I stayed here to celebrate our birthdays! There were many Japanese hotel staff, which made us feel very comfortable and at ease! The welcome cookies were a delightful touch too!

The environment is comfortable, and my room overlooked the street, so there wasn't much to block the view. It's less than a 10-minute walk to the supermarket and the night market, which is super convenient.