Holiday Inn Cairns

Very disappointing

Hotel is in a good location, but in general was of a poor standard. The room was a good size, been was not very clean, the bathroom needed replacing and bedding was far from clean. Would not use again.

Recommend the Rattle and Hum along the esplande really great steaks at good prices.

Not so bad

This is standard HI fare, usual bland rooms that are functional and clean, if soulless. My 3 nights here were fine because I spent nearly all of my time out of the hotel exploring Cairns great northern beaches and not so great shopping malls. If you spend most of your time in your hotel room then this place will quicklly get depressing, otherwise it serves its purpose well. Fair location near Esplanade, but be aware that tere is no beach in Cairns itself.

Bad! Do not book!

DONT STAY THERE IF YOU ARE NOT JAPANESE! Everyone else gets poor treatment. We stayed there for three nights.

First, they over charged us and we had to fight to get the rate we had booked at (Waste of 1 hour) that also we had to pay the over priced rate for the first day because they said they have already charged us for the first day. We were so feed up with the process that we said ok.

Second, we had paid more for an Ocean view room but we got a room that was not exactly ocean view. Yes you can see the ocean from the room but hardly. When I spoke to the reception (room 225) they said it is designated as an ocean view and cannot do anything about it.

Third, the reception was rude and sarcastic to us but they would change to extremely pleasant to the Japanese customers.

Well located but public areas in need of a makeover

We spent 4 nights at the Holiday Inn in Cairns in April 2005 and found it had a number of plus points but was also in need of a bit of makeover and tidy up to some of the public areas. We had a very nice, airy and well equipped room and the hotel has most of the essentials you need for a short stay including a guest laundry on each floor. The Holiday Inn is well located on the Esplanade and handy for all the shops, restaurants, bars etc without being in too busy an area and is nice and quiet in the evenings. It is also just a short walk to the main pier area for all the boats out to the reef. What we did not like was that the hotel rooms open onto a central atrium area of plants and water features that is open air. This means that when it rains (and it does quite heavily at times) the floors are wet and slippery and the rain has made this area a bit worn and shabby looking.

Did not bother with the restaurant as there are countless more interesting and better value ones within 5 minutes walk that also offer more variety.

Our main complaint though was that we had booked and paid for an 'Ocean front' room, and although we did have a view of the ocean and marina area from one half of our balcony, as our room was at the side we also looked straight out onto other buildings and the town. You might describe this as either a partial or at a push as an ocean view but certainly not an ocean front room so this is a bit of a rip off really. We did complain but were told that the only other room available was a smoking room on a low floor so we decided to stay where we were. We were disappointed in how they dealt with our complaint and the management did not offer any other compensation, it was more like 'take it or leave it'!'

Great Location

The name "Holiday Inn" often conjures images of blandness and tropical bedspreads. Well the bedspreads were tropical, but otherwise this hotel was a great choice. The hotel is right on the Esplanade, but just far enough (2 blocks) away from all the restaurants to be quiet. The hotel is built around a tropical atrium with ponds, trees and loads of tropical plants. We arrived just at the start of the 'wet' and experience a fabulous rainstorm our final night. We threw the sliding doors wide open and enjoyed the show. The hotel food was vastly overpriced. Much better food and value can be found on the many restaurants on the Esplanade. The room value was good and turned out to be perfect choice for us.

Relieved

We'd tried to get into the Radisson but it was filled, so this was a fall-back position. And a very pleasant surprise. Great location. The staff was very helpful. And you could still walk to all the touristy stuff. And a great price sealed it for us.

Good position

An excellent positon by the new attractive boardwalk and the harbour view rooms (extra) overlook the bay. The tide does go out and there are mudflats but they are full of birds, pelicans, spoonbills etc. Room excellent and very clean although bathroom could be bigger. The hotel foyer and atrium could do with a facelift and the food was very average, eat out in the town or night markets a short walk away. Has pool and small hot tub.S taff impersonal, doorman great. The Tradewinds next door looked good.

Fantastic!!

Fantastic hotel...well kept, clean, great staff and great views. I'd highly recommend this property to everyone as it is outstanding!

Well done to the staff and the hotel for a great service.

Staff, rooms, location GREAT!

We thought the location and rooms were great. Close by everything. The staff was helpful and friendly. Couldn't ask for more for the price...coming again to stay again soon!

Centrally located, Nice.

The Holiday Inn in Cairns, Australia is centrally located to the main shopping areas on the Esplanade. Within walking distance to major shopping area. It is across the street from the Ocean. The rooms are spacious, average amenities.