Thala Beach Nature Reserve

Everything about our 2-night stay was first class. The accommodation, location, staff, cleanliness, facilities, restaurant and care of their guests were all outstanding and faultless. A fantastic way to start our 3-week tour of Australia. Would very highly recommend and, if possible, return ourselves.

We booked in at Thala Beach Nature Reserve for four nights as our home base to explore the Barrier Reef and surrounding area. I wanted something away from the hustle and bustle of Cairns or Port Douglas and this was a great choice. It was approximately 15-20 minutes away from Port Douglas by car between Cairns and Port Douglas. We flew into Cairns airport and decided due to the distance (Thala is approximately 45 minutes by car from Cairns) the best course of action would be to rent a car. This turned out to be the perfect decision! A taxi or uber is at least $125 each way (minimum) and the cost of the rental for 4 days (biggest car they had as there was another couple travelling with us) was just over $200 - a no brainer. Thala does not charge for parking which was a pleasant surprise. Check in was quick and easy and requests of bedding and location with our travelling companions were honoured. We noticed at the time, there is a 3.5% (on top of anything your bank charges you) surcharge to use an international credit card so we settled our bill with cash here. You may want to consider bringing enough cash for that purpose if you want to avoid this surcharge. As others have mentioned, there is excellent wi-fi in the main lobby, but no wi-fi in your room. If this is a deal breaker for you, ensure the hotel has completed their wi-fi upgrade before visiting. It was not a big deal for us. Each room is a gorgeous, individual "hut" with gleaming hardwood floors, a large bed, a couple of chairs and a coffee table, a separate area for suitcases, a coffee and tea centre with a kettle and a large bathroom complete with a bathtub! (the first I'd found in Australia). Linens were very comfortable and they would deliver ice to your room upon request. The grounds are stunning (although very hilly) with many walking areas surrounded by lush rainforest. Plant and animal life are abundant. The beach area is beautiful with hammocks and loungers for relaxing. The loungers are chained up (apparently to prevent local theft) but the issue with this is that they cannot be dragged into the shade as the sun shifts position during the day. Hopefully, the hotel can hit on a solution that provides shade while keeping their chairs secure. I soooooo wanted to get in the lovely warm water at the beach but had to settle for a walk along the edge as stinger season is starting. The grounds do offer 2 pools (one very small and private which we loved) for safe swimming and the best part is that these pools are open 24 hours if you fancy a night swim! The hotel offers many free programs throughout the week as well. Just let the front desk know you are interested so they have numbers and you are good to go. We took advantage of the coconut plantation talk (with samples) and the stargazing night. Both were expertly led and a lot of fun! The restaurant on site is beautiful (unmatched views) and the food is delicious, however, I was disappointed to note that the lunch and dinner menu are the same. They have a "snacks" menu but it doesn't start until 2:30 pm. All other hotels we stayed at in Australia had a small cafe that one could get a muffin or a toastie at for mid-day or late night. As Thala is so isolated, they could really benefit from this. Fortunately we had a car so after the first night we went into Port Douglas to the supermarket (Coles) and provisioned ourselves with sliced meats and buns, as well as a few snacks. If you are on a budget, I'd recommend you do the same as food prices at the hotel were quite high. We also ate dinner in Port Douglas on 2 of the 4 nights due to a very seafood heavy menu (my husband doesn't eat seafood) and price point of the hotel's restaurant. There are some excellent, well priced restaurants in town. My one niggle (and removal of a star) besides the food situation was the housekeeping situation. We were informed at check in that housekeeping is every other day, but if we wanted we could request every day (which we did). I feel that at a resort at this quality and price point, the onus should never be on the guest to request daily service, which may make some (including myself) feel slightly uncomfortable. Yes this is an eco resort, but daily housekeeping needn't mean daily sheet and towel washing. It should never be too much for a guest to wish to have their bed made and floors swept daily (especially with a sandy beach present) without having to ask. Many staff mentioned that the owners had modelled this hotel on the luxury hotels in Africa. Having been to luxury resorts in Africa, it did indeed give off that vibe. However....luxury resorts in Africa include TWICE daily housekeeping and laundry. Every other day default housekeeping is really a miss, feels like the resort is penny pinching, and puts the onus on the guest to request differently. I really hope they will rethink this policy. Overall, I would recommend Thala Beach Nature Reserve without hesitation with the caveats to have a car, bring in some of your own food, and request daily housekeeping. Make sure to leave a day where you have no touring to enjoy all that this gorgeous resort has to offer!

When I book a place like this I put in "free internet" and "Air con" without those things I am not even interested in your place. This place said they had internet, they did not! This is extremely disappointing for a place that projects as good. Also dishonest. They said "yeah it is spotty you can come up (95 steps uphill) to the lodge". I guess spotty means no internet in Australian. Kinda the equivalent of "Oh, no air-con? you can come up to the lodge"......unacceptable. Another place we stayed at in the tablelands had an internet dongle in every room.

Couldn’t give five starts because no internet in rooms and fairly poor even at the lodge- this is important to almost everyone now, get it fixed!

Stayed here 2 nights and it was hands down one of the best moments of our 2 week trip in Australia. The grounds are beautiful and teeming with interesting wildlife, there is even a pond where agile wallabies show up every morning. The timber bungalows are beautiful with great 'jungle-like' views of native eucalyptus woodlands and tropical rainforest. Have to mention how helpful and considerate the staff were, always eager to either drive you to your bungalow in the dark or make sure you had your activities booked and ready for the next day. Nothing was too much trouble and I've never been in a place where it's so obvious the staff really want you to have a good time and to share with you the natural beauty of the place. Sophie who was managing reception was amazingly kind and considerate. The on-site restaurant is also very good, with great local produce. There's an ecotour of the reserve given by a very knowledgeable guide focusing on birds but you get a chance to learn about a whole lot more. The hotel also has a small room dedicated to local natural history. Outside of Thala, we did a private tour with Tony's Tropical Tours which was a great way to explore the Daintree rainforest and see some forest dragons! A really beautiful and authentic part of Queensland, that respects its environment, we highly recommend!

Imagine staying in a treehouse. Boom, you're at Thala Beach. Coming from the city and a previous stay at a destination resort, this was precisely the calm we needed at the end of our trip. The rooms were spacious, clean, comfortable, and serene. After long days of touring Port Douglas and adventuring out in the ocean, it was wonderful to return to the resort to decompress to the sounds of nature. Dinner every night in a treehouse with a view of the ocean? This is a don't miss.

Fantastic customer service! Property is remote and it truly is a lovely get away. Transportation to the nearest town can be arranged by the hotel but times may not be the most convenient. Dining was great, service very good.

Thala Beach Nature Reserve is a wonderful escape! We wish we could have stayed longer!

Amazing property with friendly and helpful staff. We really enjoyed our stay here and was fantastic for a few days relaxing and exploring the area up to Daintree and Port Douglas. We spent two nights eating in the restaurant and the food was top class. If I had any improvement it would be to heat the pool as it was freezing at this time of the year so we only used it for a quick dip and where the ones I saw use it.

The property is amazing. Bungalow style rooms scattered through the rainforest, connected by very walkable paved paths. The staff was great. The food was good. But it is the property itself that makes this place special.