A Hayman Island Alternative: The Thala Beach Lodge
While checking out our recent coverage of hotels Down Under, a tipster passed along this suggestion, The Thala Beach Lodge located on a private beach between Cairns and Port Douglas.
The lodge won the 2006 TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice for Best Luxury in the South Pacific and it's not hard to understand why. From our tipster:
Each room is a private bungalow on stilts, with meandering paths to the main building housing a restaurant and a lounge. There no doors, no windows (on the main house) Great pool area.
The reviews on TripAdvisor are also stellar with several saying the pool are is one of the best they have ever seen. And there's actually two pools here. The main pool has waterfalls, spas and grottos which overlook the ocean. A smaller more intimate pool is located among the hotel's gardens for a quieter experience.
Everything about Thala looks good to us--the private beach experience, the friendly staff, the anti-mega-resort feel, the proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the nature that envelopes it--yet some of the decor throws us off. We are seeing some seat cushions on their website that have fluorescent colors from 1988. It reminds us too much of our Jams heyday.
[Photo: Jonahleon]
Related Stories:
· Thala Beach Lodge reviews [TripAdvisor]
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