Palm Cove - North Queensland - Australia

Palm Cove is known as the Spa capital of Australia.  Located in Tropical North Queensland, it is a fantastic destination for those seeking complete bliss and relaxation.   It is well known as a favourite escape for weddings, honeymoons, girl’s weekends and indulgent spa weekends.  However it is also a fantastic place to holiday with a young family.

Mr 77 and I visited with a 1 year old, Little 77,  in August.    We had a 5 day break and decided on Palm Cove after trawling the internet for a last minute deal.  The criteria was to get away for under two thousand dollars (not easy in Australia).  It had to be a place where it was warm, to escape the Sydney winter.  It had to be ideally an apartment or hotel room with ground floor access and/or an outdoor area for Little 77 and it was a definate must to have a kitchen.  High on the wish list was to be near a pool or be across from the beach to take advantage of Little 77's daytime naps.  It definitely had to be child friendly and within a 3 hour flight of Sydney.   After much research,  Peppers Beach Club and Resort in Palm Cove ticked all of the boxes and came up the winner.

Palm Cove

Being a short flight from Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, Palm Cove makes for a great long weekend or week long escape from any Australian east coast major city.  We arrived at Cairns International Airport after a 3 hour flight from a very chilly Sydney and about an hour later, were checked in to our apartment, were in our cosies’  having lunch by the pool, not bad for a half day travel.

Palm Cove at Sunrise

There are plenty of accomodation options ranging from apartments, houses and resorts.  However we couldn't go past an amazing half price deal at  Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort.  We secured a 4 night stay in a wonderful ground floor apartment, with views of the pool.    I can honestly say it is one of the easiest and most enjoyable holidays I have had.  The  accomodation was of a very high standard, the resort was stunning and it was the pefect set up with a newly walking toddler.

The Lagoon Pool at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

View from our ground floor apartment

Our 1 bedroom apartment at Peppers had everything we could need.   There was a decent kitchen, laundry, comfy bed and plenty of storage in the mirrored cupboard.  There was also a couch, dining table and TV.  Our booking agent had arranged for a highchair and we took our own travel cot (although this could also be arranged for a hire cost).   There was a docking station to charge and listen to music from our iPod/iPhones and a great outdoor area with a BBQ included.   We could access the gardens and the pool directly from our patio.

Our bedroom at at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

Living space at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

The Bathroom of our room at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

Patio of our apartment at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

The Serenity Pool at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

The Pool at Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

The great thing about Palm Cove is that you can make your stay as affordable or luxurious as you want.  It can be as relaxing or as busy as you want and it is a great base for families if you want to explore the region.

Gorgeous morning strolls along the esplanade

Our aim was definately to relax and since we had decided not to hire a car, we stayed local and easily filled the five days.  We decided on no car hire to keep the costs to a minimum.   You can walk everywhere in Palm Cove and if you do decide to visit some tourist sites, there are plenty of tour companies to help out. We booked our aiport transfers through Sun Palm transfers, who service most of the area. 

Things to do in Palm Cove

Luckily our visit coincided with the Palm Cove Markets.   Held on the first Sunday of every month between April and December, it is a meandering affair amongst the palm trees along Williams Esplanade.   It is a diverse and family friendly market, with kids clothes, bespoke jewellery, food, body products  and entertainment that makes for a great morning out.

Palm Cove Markets

Palm Cove Markets

For us a holiday used to mean sleeping in, which is hard if you have a little one. So if they wake you up in the wee hours, like Little 77 get up and catch a sunrise.  The sun rising over the ocean is a beautiful and free experience and a wonderful thing to do as a family.  The best place to watch them is at the Palm Cove Jetty.  Double Island provides a spectacular backdrop and you can say good morning to the resident sea eagles drying their wings from the lamp posts.  Afterward, there are plenty of places along the esplanade to grab breakfast and a coffee to refuel.

Palm Cove Jetty

Sunrise over Palm Cove Jetty

We ate out most days and can highly recommend Beach Almond .   After the markets we went for Sunday lunch and not only enjoyed a delicious meal of Bali Black Pepper Prawns and Pina Coladas but were entertained by a live Jazz band on the deck.

Bali Black Pepper Prawns at Beach Almond

Vivo at  49 Williams Esplanade was aslo a great spot where we had our last dinner.   Whenever we walked past there was always a good crowd and the prawn gyozas, pork belly and steak were all delicious.  It is not cheap,  but they do also do a fixed price menu for two courses for $39.

 

If you are after friendly helpful staff, delicious food and great coffee you can't go past the buzzy and welcoming Chill cafe we wandered down most days for a coffee and a treat of some sort.  

I must also give a shout out to the child friendly and accommodating folk at  the Pantry who served us a simple but wholesome breakfast and decent coffee after our sunrise adventure. You can stock up on supplies whilst there and enjoy the same wonderful views over the beach that all the restaurants have.  

To save on eating out costs, yes Palm Cove is very expensive to eat out all the time, we took advantage of a Coles delivery and were able to cook up at the apartment and use the wonderful council maintained BBQs along the esplanade.    For budget family friendly, nothing beats a cheap eat with beautiful waterfront views.

If you don't feel like going out and can't be bothere cooking, most of the cafes and restaurants also do take away at the same or slightly lower cost of eating in.  We spent a wonderful afternoon overlooking our pool and gardens at Peppers, whilst eating local seafood and having an ice cold beer while Little 77 slept. 

Enjoying a superb take away lunch on our patio at Peppers

For us, since relaxation was the order of the day, most of our days were spent either at the spectacular Peppers resort pool or down at the beach.   However, if exploring and adventure are your thing, there are many things you can do whilst staying at Palm Cove.  For a more detailed guide check out my Top Family things to do in Palm cove  article on Weekend Notes.  This should give you plenty of ideas to fill your holiday with wonderful memories.

Laze away on the hammocks and sunloungers

Having breakfast at the picnic tables along the esplanade.

So if you need to beat the chilly winter blues or you just want to go somewhere relaxed with the family, grab yourself a deal, head north to beautiful Palm Cove and I am sure  you won't be dissapointed.

Why Go:  Be wowed by natural beauty, bliss out in a Day Spa, try out kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding, visit the UNESCO Great Barrier Reef before it bleaches out, chill out on the beach.  Enjoy a relaxing holiday with the whole family.

Perfect for: Relaxing with the whole family, girly escapes and loved up couples.   Not the spot if you are looking for wild parties and an active night life.

When: Visit April - October to avoid the stingers, heat and cyclones. We went in August, it was warm, but a little windy. 

Budget Tip:  At the time of writing Coles and Woolworths or any grocery delivery service were delivering to Palm Cove. Get your groceries to your apartment to save on eating out costs.  Palm Cove Cafes and Restuarants aren't cheap.  

How to get there:  Fly via any major Airport into Cairns international, check out Skyskanner for the cheapest current prices

International airlines that fly to Cairns International Airport’s terminal one, are operated by: Air New Zealand, Air Niugini, Cathay Pacific, China Easter, China Southern, Jetstar, Qantas, Philippine Airlines, SilkAir and United.

Domestic airlines  operating out of Cairns are Airnorth, Alliance Airlines, Hinterland Aviation, Jetstar, Qantas, Regional Express, Skytrans, Tigerair and Virgin Australia.

Getting around: Hire Car or book a transfer with Sun Palm transfers

Where to Stay: You can't go wrong staying at  Peppers Beach Club and Spa Resort

First Sunday of the month (unless otherwise specified), August to December, 8am-2pm, Williams Esplanade
The Palm Cove markets showcase local, quality handmade products from contemporary jewellery, leather work, pottery, clothes, skincare and food.
The markets often include great family activities such as crazy golf, henna tattoos and free entertainment.
- See more at: http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on/markets#sthash.FmZZ077M.dpuf

First Sunday of the month (unless otherwise specified), August to December, 8am-2pm, Williams Esplanade
The Palm Cove markets showcase local, quality handmade products from contemporary jewellery, leather work, pottery, clothes, skincare and food.
The markets often include great family activities such as crazy golf, henna tattoos and free entertainment.
- See more at: http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on/markets#sthash.FmZZ077M.dpuf

First Sunday of the month (unless otherwise specified), August to December, 8am-2pm, Williams Esplanade
The Palm Cove markets showcase local, quality handmade products from contemporary jewellery, leather work, pottery, clothes, skincare and food.
The markets often include great family activities such as crazy golf, henna tattoos and free entertainment.
- See more at: http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on/markets#sthash.FmZZ077M.dpu