aussiemate

Tinkybelle,

I can't find any information about paying to become Hilton Diamond on the Hilton site. Could you send me a link for this or post more information here about how to join and get those great coupons. Is the joining price in US dollars? Thanks for the help!

Aussiemate

mymiles2go

I've only been able to find a few comments on the boards about the Hilton there. Anybody who's stayed there have any thoughts on it? Possibly in comparison to the Marriott in the Palm Cove area. Thanks!

Steve B

The Cairns Hilton is a nice property. Its in a great location.....at one end of the Esplanade on the water between the Casino and the marina. Public areas are huge and it has a very nice pool/spa area. People are very friendly and helpful. It seemed like every time we walked up the steps and reached for the door someone appeared to open the door for us. No problems getting the free breakfasts...which were excellent.

Eugene

I haven't been at Palm Cove Marriott, so can't compare the two, but Cairns Hilton was great. Very nice property, great location, excellent service, and one of the best lounges. I would highly recommend this hotel.

Sylvest941

Very nice property indeed ... especially with a GLON reward !
The lounge staff ladies are so helpful, they will peel your mangoes for breakfast!
Great vacation memories at this hotel.
We were very disappointed by the Sydney Hilton afterwards.

Eugene

We've stayed at the Sydney Hilton right after Cairns too, and while we really liked the location and the view from our corner room at the Sydney Hilton, I agree with Sylvest941 - service was rather impersonal (they cater more to business travelers rather than vacationers). I guess Cairns Hilton spoiled us (thanks to Mr. John Ingram, their GM at the time, and his staff).

LAXGUY

The Cairns Hilton is a nice property, but if you're going to that part of the world to see the sights including the Great barrier Reef, Port Douglas (about one hour drive to the north) is a much nicer/more atmospheric town to use as a base (no Hilton there however). There's really no comparison.

TheCruiser

The Cairns property is nice for a few days. I wouldn't spend more than two days in Cairns however. Getting an upgrade to an executive room as a Gold VIP was no problem. There is no beach on the property. However, you can take a ferry from the dock directly behind the hilton to Green Island for about $10 dollars for a half to full day visit. You can snorkel directly off this island. Highly recommended. This is however no substitute for the Great Barrier Reef. This can be reached from Cairns as well on various tours, but it is more accessible from Port Douglas. The nicest property in Port Douglas is the Sheraton. The Raddison property is fair.

duxfan

Port Douglas gets my vote as well. We stayed at the Radisson Treetops, which was fair at best. Sorely in need of updating. But it was easier to get to the Quicksilver to the Reef, and the Kurunda railway.

Eugene

Quicksilver runs their Wavepiercer catamarans from Cairns (right from where Hilton is located) as well as from Port Douglas. For more information see http://www.quicksilver-cruises.com/OBRTransfer.html .

Steve B

I guess I'd have do disagree that two days is all the time you need in Cairns although I guess that depends on if you want to take full advantage of all that the area has to offer. Besides the drive up to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier daytrips the highlight of our stay was the combination morning hot air balloon followed by rafting in the afternoon. Also worth doing is the train to Kurunda and the Skyrail back over the rainforest. Thats four full days and doesn't allow for potential bad weather. It would be a shame to travel all that way, set aside two days in Cairns only to have a day or two of rain.

srk123

Stayed in the Cairns Hilton in February and I thought the hotel was great. Since my stay was free with HH points, I didn't get upgraded or get access to the lounge, but I got a nice room with a great view. The pool area is nice, but difficult to get to, since you have to walk down 2 flights of stairs after exiting the elevator to get there (they closed up the outside access to it). The tour desk can help you with any day-trips to the Reef or local sites. Location is across the street from the casino, and about a 5-minute walk from the main "downtown" area. Cabs available "on call" from the desk, with about a 2-minute wait and a $1.00 AUD surcharge, but cab rides are cheap in Australia compared to the US. Restaurant is OK, but high priced compared to the many local eateries in town. Night life is great, as there are lot of backpackers who wind up in Cairns. If you go to the casino, try playing "Pontoon" blackjack, which I found favorable to regular blackjack (also available) because of better payouts (e-mail me for more details on this). Have a good trip--it's beautiful up there, but it does rain.

JoeDoakes

You're supposed to get treated the same way on an award stay as you are on a paid stay. Hilton needs to enforce this consistently. I stayed at Sydney and Melbourne Hiltons on award stays and got upgraded in Melbourne and lounge access at both. Sydney I was only at for one night and checked in rather late so was told all the upgraded or deluxe rooms or whatever were gone, but they were apologetic about it.

cranford

its a matter of taste: personally i find Port Douglas a wank, fake and cutesy cutesy whereas i find Cairns to be a real town with an organic history and life

kawoh

Hi,

I'm a HHonors Gold and want to redeem a VIP reward - GLON 6 nights for 100k points. I was wondering whether the Hilton Cairns is a GLON or a GLONP hotel. If it's a GLONP hotel it will cost me 150k points instead of 100k point.

Do flyertalk members know whether the hilton cairns is a preimum or a standard hotel? Do people know whether hilton cairns participates in this promotion?

Thanks in advance.

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Star Gold, HHonors Gold.