Hotels near Michaelmas Cay, Cairns

Pros: Great location – less than a 5-minute walk to the night market, which was super convenient. The reception area is gorgeous and makes a great first impression. Toiletries were excellent – good quality and not locked away like in some other hotels, and they smelled really nice. The rainforest shower was a standout – absolutely loved it. The rooftop bar is a vibe, with $9 margaritas and tacos, which was a great bonus. Cons: The room had a musty smell, and there was no window to let in fresh air, which made it feel quite closed in. The sink trap also had a strong unpleasant smell, and the cushions in the room didn’t smell fresh either. We booked for 4 people, but housekeeping only provided 2 towels daily, so we had to request more every day. The pool is quite small, and the chlorine levels seemed very high – it irritated and burned our eyes, and we ended up having to visit a pharmacy.

This hotel boasts a fantastic location, right downstairs from the night market. Their beef noodles are a real highlight, providing comfort for Chinese palates. The hotel's convenient location also means it's just a 10-minute walk to the cruise terminal and very close to the waterfront promenade, which is great for a stroll. The hotel's own bar is super chill, with live music in the evenings – perfect for a drink and a chat.

Although the hotel has been open for a while, the rooms are well-maintained and don't look old or dated. It's only about a 5-minute walk to the Reef Fleet Terminal, which is really convenient for taking a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef – you can even sleep in a bit longer in the morning! Since breakfast wasn't included with the room, we added it for two days when we checked in. It was around $40-something per person. I have to say, the breakfast was pretty mediocre, both in terms of variety and taste. Even the tables and chairs weren't as well-kept as the rooms; the chair I sat on was wobbly. Overall, the hotel is pretty good. The location is convenient, and the rooms are comfortable. There's a decent Italian restaurant on the way to the terminal too.

Great location, just across the road from the beachfront promenade. I really loved the modern, minimalist style of the hotel. However, room cleaning needs improvement. The Asian woman at the front desk was very cold and gave me a low-floor room, claiming all rooms were full. Later, I realized that Asian guests were generally assigned to lower floors. 😤

We stayed here for a couple of nights. The staff were very welcoming and always willing to help with anything, which was a real positive — truly 5-star service from the team. Unfortunately, the housekeeping was disappointing. Some cups in the room had lipstick marks on them, and the shower gel bottles appeared to be mostly filled with water rather than gel, although this was rectified immediately after mentioning this to the reception. The hotel is about a 20-minute walk into town. There is also a bus stop near the hospital with a bus running roughly every hour. The hotel provides a shuttle service to the center, but it only operates at 8:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM, and 4:30 PM, so the schedule is somewhat limited. There aren’t many dining options nearby other than the hotel restaurant, and the food there was not particularly good. Your best option is to head into town, where there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. The hotel itself feels quite dated and could benefit from renovations. For example, the hairdryer was broken, the sink was cracked, and the shower looked old and worn. On the positive side, the sheets and towels were clean, and pool/beach towels are provided. The pool/Jacuzzi is clean. Overall, I would recommend staying here and an very happy with my stay.

Overall, this hostel deserves 4 out of 5 stars. The rooms were clean and tidy, and the staff were friendly and helpful. I especially liked the central location and the pleasant atmosphere. The common areas were also modern and comfortably designed. My only minor criticisms would be the noise at night and the somewhat small bathrooms in some rooms. Nevertheless, the stay was very enjoyable overall, and it offered good value for money.

The unit is adequate for my family of six for a 3-night stay. Basic necessities are generally met, and the overall stay was acceptable. However, there were several maintenance and usability issues that affected comfort. Some air-conditioning remotes were faulty or missing batteries, requiring us to swap between rooms to find working ones. The telephone/RJ45 connection head was also broken and left dangling, with wiring not properly connected, which gave a poor impression of upkeep. In terms of sleeping comfort, the beds are quite soft and the pillows offer very little support. The positioning of the electrical wall outlets behind the bed also made it inconvenient, as we had to shift the bed forward to access the sockets. For kitchen use, it would be helpful to provide basic dishwashing supplies such as a small bottle of dishwashing liquid and a sponge, especially when only a few items are used in the dishwasher. On a positive note, the bathroom facilities are in good condition. Water pressure is strong and hot water is consistently available, which made showers comfortable. Overall, the stay was acceptable, but there is clear room for improvement in maintenance and basic guest amenities.

Great hotel at a great price. Big, clean room with a lovely balcony overlooking the pool and garden. The pool was also great and refreshing. Walking distance to all restaurants and major shops. They make good coffee in the hotel bar too! They don’t clean your room for stays of less than 7 nights, but we were able to get clean towels daily if we wanted them. Friendly staff and overall a great home for us while we visited Cairns!

The Mantra Hotel has outstanding location. It is directly in front of the Woolworths supermarket - the best option in central Cairns. It's also virtually opposite (the esplanade side)the lagoon public beachfront swimming pool. Finally it's just a 5 minute walk from Cairns Cruise Terminal, with outstanding day trips to Green Island, Fitzroy Island and the Reef. I booked a sea view room. When you enter the room, you don't see the ocean, but a building across the road. However, the view from the balcony was amazing. The balcony overlooks the main features of lagoon on the sea front. During the day it is great view - the lagoon pools and sea in the background. At night you cannot see the sea (as to be expected) but you have the amazing lagoon lights, which makes it very desirable and even romantic. Our room was at the end of block, which overlooks a shopping mall (no car noise) - looking right from the balcony is the lagoon view and looking left is a mountain view. However, from 2:00pm to 6:00pm the sun comes directly into the balcony area, which means it unusable until sun sets. Of course if you don't mind baking in the sun on the balcony, this is not really a concern. The room itself is pretty basic. The mini fridge of OK and TV has domestic channels only - no cable TV for BBC/CNN. The bathroom is of a good size. There is combined shower & bath. However, when using the shower, it can slightly flood this bathroom. A shower curtain may be desirable because the glass panel is not sufficient enough. At $225 per night this hotel was not cheap and you can better deals by coming in the off-season OR going bit further down the esplanade, and choosing another hotel. The Mantra does have its own pool and it is wonderfully heated, with normal deck chairs you would expect at 4 star hotel. However, the pool gets very little natural sunlight, because it of its location between 2 buildings. Overall, the hotel has amazing location, and it is still recommended, despite the shortcomings mentioned. My final note: When we checked in, I was impressed with the level of service provided by the receptionist. She had a very welcome attitude and a wonderful personality.

Location is not too bad. Situated a 15 minute walk away from the waters and main restaurant area. Situated on a main road but quiet at night. They let us put down our luggage when we couldn’t check in yet and leave it there after we’d checked out and waited for our flight. The young female receptionist was very helpful and nice.