2 girlfriends and I were in Brisbane for a 2 month course and had a long weekend. We decided to travel up to Cairns, primarily to see the Great Barrier Reef. We were on quite a tight budget, knowing that the tour to the Great Barrier Reef would cost a fortune.

We were looking at a hotel that would allow the three of us to share a room, and three single beds was definitely a bonus! Being female, we wanted somewhere comfortable and clean. Whether or not the hotel had a spa/pool/amazing room service didn't bother us as we knew we'd only be there to sleep.

We booked our Great Barrier Reef tour when we got to Cairns and wouldn't have done it any other way. Booking there allowed us to talk to the locals to see which tour we should do.

Anyhow, back to the hotel. It was great how there was a free shuttle bus into town (about 6km away). Service was regular and efficient. The shuttle bus drivers all wore hawaiian shirts which brought out the atmosphere of Cairns. Our package also included free airport transfers. One downside to our experience was the initial airport pickup. There must have been a miscommunication with the hotel and airlines, as we waited quite a while for our shuttle bus to arrive. Also, we had to actively search for our shuttle bus. The instructions as to where to meet were unclear, and with the shuttle bus being late, we were even more confused. But the important thing is, we made it! Besides that, there were no real problems with our hotel.

Across from the hotel is a small shopping centre with a supermarket, some shops and and post office. The supermarket was great, because we could buy some hot cooked food and eat it in our room to save money.

Probably due to the time of year we were there, not many guests were around. So the hotel was quite quiet. On the whole, our experience was enjoyable. (Note, the pool side photos on their website make the hotel look much more majestic than it actually is.) I hope this review helps!

We visited for 5 nights through a package deal and were very pleased with the content and value of the tours as well as the resort's setting. No, it is not near the sea nor near the city, but all the shuttle pick ups were well organised and on time; we were well prepared for this as we looked up the location and weighed it to other locations being offerred. The resort package was well in advance of other offers.

We booked one night in what we thought was a 4star hotel. We arrived at the airport at 10pm and had to wait one hour for the shuttle inspite of providing arrival details when we booked.The room we were taken to was by the rubbish bins with only a hedge between it and a busy road. The carpet was stained, the bathroom paint was dowdy and scratched and the room smelled of smoke. The airconditioner wasn't working. The staff member who took us to the room was going to call management .By this time it was midnight nearly so we asked to be moved to another room This happened and the next room was much better.
The restaurant was tired looking and the food and service very average.
We wont stay here again

we stayed at the palm royale as part of a package tour , and was a bit dubious after reading some reviews.
but i must say we were very impressed ,our room was serviced every day, the meals at the snack bar were very nice and good value and the dinning room was just as good as any ala carte restaurant we have been to , the swimming pools were very clean, if there was one criticism it was the spa not heated, been from the southern states found it a bit cold in there.