Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort

The room was clean and nicely equipped, and we had a lovely welcome from the staff, who congratulated us on our marriage. The person who handled our reservation had arranged a special romance package as a surprise, and we both really enjoyed it. We had a great honeymoon stay. The balcony was a bit small, but still perfectly pleasant, and we also loved spending time at the pool and pool bar. The bartenders were lovely, answered our questions, and kept the drinks coming.

The location in Cairns was great, and the service came with a smile. The front desk team were incredibly helpful and accommodating, and the cleaners were friendly and thorough. It was my wife's birthday, so I let them know beforehand, and there was free cake and wine for us when we arrived. The pool is a good size and has a swim-up bar, and the food was great too. We'll definitely be back. Best regards, Mr and Mrs Blanch.

We stayed for five nights in early January. The deluxe room was a big improvement: light and airy, a reasonable size, with good air conditioning and a lovely view over the lagoon pool. The bar food was good, and we ordered it several times. Most of the staff we met were wonderful. Melanie at breakfast was especially enthusiastic, friendly, and welcoming, and even helped us with our suitcases on our last day. She’s a real asset to the hotel. There was one bad service experience, though. On our first night, my 70-year-old father politely asked a bar staff member without a name badge for a pizza box to take his leftovers away. She cut him off with “We’ve run out.” When he asked for a smaller plate because the original wouldn’t fit in our room fridge, she gave him a disgusted look and put it on the table with a clear attitude. We gave her the benefit of the doubt at first, but later saw the same unfriendly manner from her at the pool bar. She never smiled at customers and stood out against the rest of the team. The hotel is in a handy spot, within easy walking distance of the esplanade and nearby shops. But our first room was practically in the basement, dark, musty, dated, and without a balcony. Reception only offered a deluxe pool-view room as an upgrade. We appreciated the discounted rate, but would rather not have had to upgrade at all. The poor first room and that one staff encounter did take away from our stay.

The pool area had a real vibe. It was big, busy with kids and adults, and had a swim-up bar that made it fun to relax with a couple of drinks. I also liked the sand area for kids and the pool toys left in the room to take down with you. The staff were cheerful and helpful, and our room looked like it had been renovated fairly recently. The outside of the building could use a freshen-up. We stayed three nights and really enjoyed it. The hotel is well placed for walking to the Esplanade and restaurants. We didn’t eat there, though the breakfasts looked good. The pool was excellent, and we’d recommend staying here and would come back.