Palm Cove

See and do
Palm Cove is an idyllic beachside community close to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree. Its day spas are legend: the leading spas can be found at Angsana Resort & Spa Great Barrier Reef, the Sebel Reef House, Sea Temple Resort & Spa and Peppers Beach Club & Spa. Book before you arrive because they fill up fast. Time Out recommends booking the KHC adventure through Down Under Tours which takes in the historic rail journey from Freshwater Station up to Kuranda through cane fields and the rainforest. Up here, board the Skyrail for an amazing gondola ride above the rainforest canopy. Once at the bottom, you'll be collected and taken to Hartley's Crocodile Adventures and get close to saltwater crocodiles and exotic birds.

Eat and drink
Up there with the best in regional Queensland. The Reefhouse features mod-Oz, pan-Asian cuisine and an outstanding wine list. Nu Nu Restaurant offers the best breakfast anywhere in the Cairns region, featuring fresh-baked sourdough and tropical fruit. The best drinking is at Far Horizons at the Angsana Resort & Spa. Here, you can sit under the palm trees, listen to the waves crash and take in a seriously good martini.

Stay
With plunge pools, a beach inside the resort and a swim-up pool bar, it's hard to go past Peppers Beach Club & Spa Palm Cove. Nearby at the Reef House, it's all about the hotel's chic beach house design. Apartments at Grand Mercure are excellent value for money and Sea Temple Resort & Spa has the best pool.

Get there
Virgin Blue, Qantas and Jetstar offer direct flights to Cairns from Sydney. Take a taxi, rental car or transfer to Palm Cove.

Book activities around Sydney through Time Out