Follow the sun to Tropical North Queensland and save 20 per cent on a stay at Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns.
Picture this. It’s the middle of another wet Aussie winter. Yet there’s a perfect blue sky above, the mercury hovers in the high 20s Celsius, and there are long daylight hours between the golden early-morning sunrises and pastel late-afternoon sunsets.
It’s hard to imagine while sitting anywhere south of the Tropic of Capricorn right now. But this is the reality in Tropical North Queensland. Where the long and lazy days of the dry season are heated by the pleasant mid-year sunshine that washes across Australia’s highest lines of latitude.
And, with direct flights from most Australian state and territory capitals and a selection of regional centres like Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast, it’s a dreamy destination for Aussies looking for a holiday in the sun that doesn’t require packing a passport.
Mid-winter breaks in the warmth
Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns, is ideally placed for those mid-winter breaks in the warmth. The hotel is just steps from Reef Fleet Terminal and the boats departing daily to explore the Great Barrier Reef. And at the heart of the city’s famed waterside dining precinct.
The five-star address is also ready to welcome holidaymakers keen on a stop-and-flop vacation. With the swimming pool surrounded by the hotel’s private tropical gardens and each of the guest rooms and suites boasting a private balcony or veranda to enjoy the balmy dry-season days.
The hotel’s Winter in the Tropics offer – on sale until the end of August – lets guests secure a 20 per cent saving when planning a break of four or more nights to savour the sunshine in Cairns.
While the Great Barrier Reef is world-famous, and the Daintree takes the title of the planet’s oldest rainforest, Tropical North Queensland remains a hidden gem. With the region crowning Queensland offering something to satisfy every travel whim.
Swim in waterfalls around the Atherton Tablelands an hour’s drive “up the hill” from the hotel. See the casual cassowary clan that lives on the sand at Etty Bay. Embark on a cruise to the Frankland Islands to spend the day swimming from a perfect stretch of sand that most tourists never stroll along.
Read more: Shangri-La: Is this the most serene hotel in Singapore?
Cairns is a foodie destination
With restaurants and cafes along the waterfront and Esplanade offering everything from fine-dining experiences and fresh seafood. To gourmet ice cream and delicate desserts.
Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns Executive Chef Aaron Habgood is just one of the city’s cooks relying on the fresh and seasonal ingredients. All produced around the region to create menus that define the flavour of the Far North.
In The Backyard by Shangri-La, the hotel’s waterfront restaurant, which boasts views across the boats moored in Marlin Marina to the mountains on the far side of Trinity Inlet. Chef Aaron has created a menu of modern Australian cuisine that celebrates the diverse cultures of Cairns.
“Chefs in Cairns are some of the most versatile in the country, and we take inspiration from the region itself,” he says. “We have the freshest fish market in the world with the reef right on our doorstep. The healthiest volcanic red-soil farms in the Tablelands producing many types of fruits and veg, and some glorious pastured cattle. We produce our chocolate and some great coffee and tea. Who wouldn’t want to be a chef here.”
A holiday in Cairns is the only place on the planet where two UNESCO World Heritage sites meet– the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics rainforests – and the year-round temperature nudges 30C. Book your Winter in the Tropics now and save 20 per cent on a multi-night stay at Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns.
Offer available: book until 30 August 2023, for stays until 31 December 2023.
