Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef - Australia 2004 - page 280

Free valet and self-parking. Airport shuttle. Amenities: 3 restaurants; bar; small rooftop pool; health club;
Jacuzzi; sauna; concierge; tour desk; business center; 24-hr. room service; babysitting; laundry service; dry
cleaning. In room: A/C, TV/VCR, dataport, minibar, hair dryer, iron, safe.
Radisson Plaza Hotel at The Pier There's a definite “wow!” factor to this
hotel on Trinity Bay. When you walk into the lobby, you're surrounded by rain-
forest. Tall trees (real ones) and cockatoos (papier-mâché) give the place a great
atmosphere. Sporting the best views of any city-center hotel, the rooms were
renovated in 1999 with smart maple entryways and a gold, burgundy, and navy
decor. Each has a VCR, a balcony, and a view of the harbor, the city, tropical
gardens, or the big free-form pool. The bathrooms all have marble and maple
fittings, and big corner tubs. The hotel is connected to The Pier shopping mall
and is not far from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Pierpoint Rd., Cairns, QLD 4870. & 1800/333 333 in Australia and New Zealand, 800/333-3333 in the U.S.
and Canada, 0800/37 4411 in the U.K., 1800/55 7474 in Ireland, or 07/4031 1411. Fax [phone]. www.
radisson.com. 216 units. A$396-A$437 (US$257-US$284) double; A$413-A$1,100 (US$268-US$715) suite.
Children under 17 stay free in parent's room with existing bedding. AE, DC, MC, V. Free outdoor and covered
self-parking. Airport shuttle. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; large outdoor swimming pool and children's pool;
nearby golf course; health club; Jacuzzi; sauna; video arcade; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business
center; shopping arcade; salon; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; coin-op laundry; dry clean-
ing; executive level rooms. In room: A/C, TV/VCR w/pay movies, fax, dataport, minibar, coffeemaker, hair dryer,
iron, safe.
Expensive
Matson Resort Cairns Despite its lack of obvious glitz, the 14-story Matson
has been the choice of a number of movie stars—most famously Marlon
Brando—while on location in Cairns. A 20-minute waterfront walk from down-
town, the hotel offers a range of accommodations, from hotel rooms to four-
bedroom penthouses (with private rooftop pool), which have been refurbished
over the past 5 years. The one- and two-bedroom apartments look out to the sea;
hotel rooms have sea or mountain views. The rooms are spacious, but the bath-
rooms are not, perhaps reflecting the hotel's Japanese market. Out back are
cheaper studios and apartments, with newly upgraded furnishings, and out front
is a pretty pool and sun deck.
The Esplanade (at Kerwin St.), Cairns, QLD 4870. & 1800/079 105 in Australia, or 07/4031 2211. Fax 07/
4031 2704. www.matsonresort.com.au. 342 units. A$220-A$260 (US$143-US$169) double; A$160 (US$104)
studio; A$165-A$360 (US$107-US$234) tower apt (sleeps 5); A$205 (US$133) 1-bedroom apt (sleeps 4);
A$250 (US$163) 2-bedroom apt (sleeps 6); A$950 (US$618) 3-bedroom penthouse; A$1,200 (US$780) 4-bed-
room penthouse. Extra person A$28 (US$18). Ask about packages. AE, DC, MC, V. Free covered parking. Cour-
tesy transfers to and from airport, hotel-shuttle service around the city. Bus stop about 100m (328 ft.) from
the hotel. Amenities: 2 restaurants; 3 bars; 3 outdoor swimming pools; golf course about 20 min. away; 2 lit
tennis courts; health club with facilities including aerobics classes; Jacuzzi; sauna; bike rental; concierge; tour
desk; car-rental desk; salon; 24-hr. room service; massage (in-room or at the health club); babysitting; coin-
op laundry and laundry service; same-day dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms. In room: A/C, TV w/pay movies,
dataport in some rooms, kitchenette in studios and apts only, minibar in hotel rooms and apts, fridge in stu-
dios, hair dryer, iron, safe.
Oasis Resort Cairns The large swimming pool, complete with swim-
up bar and a little sandy beach, is the focus of this attractive six-story resort built
in 1997. All the colorful, contemporary rooms have balconies with views over
the tropical gardens, mountains, or the pool. The suites, with a TV in the bed-
room and a large Jacuzzi bathtub, could well be the best-value suites in town.
122 Lake St., Cairns, QLD 4870. & 07/4080 1888. Fax [phone]. www.oasis-cairns.com.au. 314 units.
A$215 (US$140) double; A$385 (US$250) suite. Extra person A$44 (US$29). Children under 16 stay free in
parent's room with existing bedding. Free crib. Ask about packages. AE, DC, MC, V. Free valet and self-parking.

Value