Amysdad1

My wife and I plan to visit the Port Douglas area. We are visiting in February, so I understand it will likely be hot. I'm having trouble deciding where to stay for 3-4 nights, north of Cairns - Port Douglas or Whitsunday Islands. We want to do some diving and visit the Daintree forest. When I query lodging, it seems to be either budget hotels or high end resorts. Is it better to stay in Port Douglas and travel out to the dive sites and the Daintree forest? Obviously it would be hard to get to the Daintree forest from the Whitsunday islands. But I do like the idea of being surrounded by the Barrier Reef.
We are looking for a relaxed beach vibe, not too noisy, decent views. Around 500 +/- per night (Australian Dollar).

KayF

I'm a bit confused. Did you realise the Whitsundays are a long way south of Cairns? You could fly to Prosperpine, then the jumping off point for the islands is Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour. Which island are you thinking of? Hamilton Island has an airport.

I really like Port Douglas and you can do lots of day trips from there. I like staying close to the main street so places to eat, shops, the beach and market are all walkable. There's a wide range of accommodation, we loved By the Sea.

February will be hot and humid with tropical showers. Often you can't swim at the beaches for safety reasons.

Amysdad1

Actually - I'm the one who is confused! A friend mentioned it was an option nearby, and I assumed it was close! I should have looked at a map first. Like a lot of folks who've not been to Australia, we assume the distances are closer. So, the Whitsunday Islands may be off for us.
Port Douglas...
I assume if I go out in a dive boat to the Barrier Reef, you can wear a body suit for protection? Any recommendations for dive companies? My wife doesn't Scuba, so it will be snorkeling.

Bokhara2

Hi Amysdad & welcome to the Australia Forum. As KayF say, Port Douglas is not in the Whitsundays - and the Whitsundays are more about sailing & resort islands than about the Great Barrier Reef. The airports for the Whitsundays are at Hamilton Island & Prosperpine; the latter is about 675kms from Port Douglas. The airport for Port Douglas is at Cairns, about 65kms south.

This map may be useful to you in orientating yourself and seeing where various places are.
Australia – size map: https://www.virtualoceania.net/austr...ustralia.shtml

February is not ideal for Far North Queensland. It's wet season, possibility of cyclones and deadly marine stingers in the ocean off the beaches - so you need to wear stinger suits - or swim in hotel pools. The stingers are not usually an issue out on the Great Barrier Reef, which is about 1.5-2 hours boat trip off shore.

If you have some flexibility in your travel times, I'd suggest you come May-October for optimal weather & experiences in the area. However, if you're stuck with February, it can work for you - just be aware you may need to be flexible, make sure you have good Travel Insurance and a workable Plan B. Or ... consider somewhere further south - Lady Elliott Island for example. That won't give you the Daintree, but you won't have marine stingers either.

Not sure where you're coming from - but if you're not New Zealanders, you will need Visas. Use this link & apply before you book any flights or accommodation.
VISA FINDER: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visa...sa/visa-finder

Amysdad1

Thanks for your help! The distances in Australia are deceiving to first time travelers. I didn't realize how close PORT DOUGLAS was to the Equator. I assumed similar to Hawaii - but I was off 1000 miles. I took your advice and looked at Lady Elliott Island. I liked it so much that I booked the last queen cabin available! LEI never showed up when I looked for islands in the BR. We are already planning on 3 nights in the Gold Coast, so this was an easy decision! I like the idea of a remote island with no internet or TV. Thank you!
This looks like an ideal spot. As a diver, the proximity of the reef is literally a walk off the island. The flight from the mainland looks great too.
We are now flying into Coolingata from Sydney the day before. We will stay a few nights and head back to the Gold Coast.
Thanks again! Great advice!!!

KayF

A friend stayed at Lady Elliott Island recently and loved it. Hope you do too. I'm not sure that it's on the reef, it's a long way south. How do you get from the Gold Coast to Bundaberg, or to the Island? Two flights?