Hotel: Pullman Cairns International

Location: Cairns, Tropical North Queensland

Room: Harbour View Queen Room

Perfect for: Couples

Category: 5 Star

Not to be confused with the Pullman Reef Hotel & Casino which is located directly opposite the Pullman Cairns Internation, the hotel is, however, a typical Pullman hotel, which in our opinion is fantastic.

There was one hiccup and I’ll mention that below.

Our welcome experience at the Pullman Cairns International…

Great service, absolutely felt welcome when we arrived. We arrived a few hours prior to check-in, however, the team mentioned our room was ready and kindly took our bags to our room.

Having rented a car, we also asked about parking and were offered two choices, the valet at the hotel, alternatively, self-parking across the road at the casino for a flat rate of $12 for the night. For up to date parking prices, click here.

The Room…

A beautiful and spacious room overlooking the harbour. Fully equipped with everything you would expect from a 5-star hotel, including a mini bar, safe, robe and slippers and more.

The bed was extremely comfortable and the bathroom was well stocked with complimentary toiletries.

Meals…

Breakfast is served in Coco’s Restaurant and is a full buffet. If you have an Accor Plus membership, you will be entitled to 50% off the breakfast rate!

We also decided to have dinner at Coco’s. This was where the ‘hiccup’ comes into our review, the quality of the food was good, but the service was atrocious, it took at least 20 minutes before someone came to take our order, nearly 50 minutes for the bread to arrive and another hour for our mains. Admittedly, we were surrounded by a tour group, which we didn’t know when we made the reservation, our tip would be to ask how busy they are and if they are expecting any tour groups!

Our dessert on our first night was designed to look like the Great Barrier Reef. What do you think? I think the dessert chef is very talented!

The following night we ventured out to town, however arriving back at the hotel we noticed the restaurant and bar were quiet so decided to give the service another chance; having eaten earlier we ordered sticky date pudding for dessert and am I glad we did, the service was good and the sticky date pudding was absolutely delicious. I mean, just look at it, it was heavenly and I would recommend this to everyone!

Again, at 50% off, we really should have gotten one each and not shared!

Hotel Grounds

The pool area of the hotel was inviting. Two pools separated by a bridge and filled with heaps of floating bags – kind of like bean bags, but for the pool.

Health and Fitness…

For those who like to stay active on holidays, there is a gym onsite. It has your basic cardio and weight equipment as well as a sauna to relax in after your workout.

You will find a small fridge here with waters and you can help yourself.

Good to know…

Parking is available at the Casino across the road for a much cheaper rate than valet parking at the hotel. Thank you to our concierge at the hotel who recommended this!

Checking out…

Nice and simple! The staff offered to hold our bags or call a taxi, but as we had our own hire car we didn’t need this service.

Above and beyond…

Nothing particular to note here.

The not so good…

The property is somewhat dated and due for renovations; however, the quality of the bedding and furniture is still good. The main thing for us would have to be the service at the restaurant on our first night. Otherwise, everything else including the food quality was perfect!

The verdict…

We would stay here again; it is conveniently located and within walking distance to everything you need in Cairns.

Take a look at our short video of the hotel. Remeber to put the movie quality up to 1080p for a better viewing experience!

Visiting North Queensland?

For tips and ideas for what to see and do when visiting Cairns, click here.

Packing for Tropical North Queensland

You definitely need to be prepared for your trip to FNQ (Far North Queensland). There are a few essentials in my mind, one of which is, of course, mosquito repellent!

Click here for a printable packing guide for your trip.

Do you have travel insurance?

Before travelling, make sure you get a travel insurance policy – you never know when you might need it!

Click here for information on travel insurance, what company we recommend and a link to get an instant quote.

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta