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5 Stars - 230 Opinions
We stayed here for the first 4 nights of our honeymoon and wish we had stayed here for the rest of it! We stayed in a 2 bedroom beachfront apartment which was really lovely- huge, modern, very clean and fully equipped. Staff were very friendly and helpful. The beach is beauitful and port douglas is very cool -very friendly and relaxed. Hate being back home at work dreaming of mandalay. We will be back!
We are a family of four with teenage daughters and stayed with my brother for a week in early April. Our three-bed apartment was huge, spotless and very stylish. It was also superbly equipped and we thought good value for money. The apartments are right on the beach but the view is obscured by trees. However, the pool is beautiful and the whole block is well managed and beautifully kept. The only disappointment was the very variable weather and the fact that the stinger season was lingering and we could not so much as put a toe in the water - very frustrating. But Port Douglas has so much to offer in terms of restaurants and shopping — Wicked ice cream must get an honourable mention — and we loved Mossman and the road to Cape Tribulation. We took the Quicksilver trip to the barrier reef, quite a large group, but we benefitted from an uneventful crossing in pretty rough seas. Definitely want to see more of Queensland.
The Mandalay apartments were fantastic. We booked a 2 bed beachfront, but were given a 3 bed beachfront. The apartment was very spacious and well equipped. Every bedroom had very comfy beds and huge walk in wardrobes (lots of space but virtually no coathangers, always the same!!) The sofa's were also very comfy and there was a big dining table and everything you could need in the kitchen. The air con worked well, if a little noisy and the spa and showers were great. The pool was fantastic and we never struggled to get a sun lounge even though it was quite full at the time.
The only downside to Mandalay is that the staff are not too friendly (except one of the receptionists). If you want to feel welcomed and get lots of advice about trips etc then you will be disapointed. On our arrival we had maintenance in our room for 2.5 hours fixing the smoke alarms and installing a new dryer, because of the noise we couldn't put our baby to bed so our first night was non too relaxing!! The receptionist informed us of this on our arrival (after official check in time) but never once apologised, it was just a matter of fact. We also had problems with the fridge which was making a very loud noise all night, when I went to tell reception, I was treated with great indifference, however the problem was promptly sorted. (the maintenance guy is actually very considerate).
So would I stay here again? Absolutely! The apartments are fantastic and any problems will be sorted out efficiently, just don't expect service with a smile.
As for Port Douglas, we loved the place and can't wait to go back. The beach is fantastic and there are so many nice places to eat. We enjoyed meals at Zinc and The Lounge, amongst others, but our favourite place to eat by far was Salsa, oustanding! Our little one enjoyed the Rainforest Habitat so much we had to go back twice, and she also enjoyed the little steam train ride. All in all, a fantastic holiday.
Everything you could ask for. Great location, excellent management staff, spotless, 1st class appointments.
We had a ground floor apartment which had its own verandah and couryard garden.
highly recommend.
Our apartment here was excellent. Reservation and check-in were problem-free and our two bedroom, two bathroom apartment was much better than we expected. The kitchen was well equipped and we could easily have eaten in if there weren't so many restauarants to choose from in Port Douglas, or if we had been on a tight budget. The beautiful 4 mile beach was just across the road and through the trees. The small town with everything you could need was just a walk or a very short drive away. The staff were helpful at booking stuff for us and the secure basement parking was good.
We had a small problem with wildlife which could have been dealt with more carefully, which is the only reason I have down-rated our experience from "Excellent".
I would definitely recommend this as a very comfortable place in an excellent location, with easy access to the Queensland attractions.
Very comfortable apartments and great location. Far enough out of town to be quiet (I can only imagine how noisy some of those Mantra properties must be) but not to far to stumble home after yet another great dinner.
The only improvement I could suggest is don't be so stingy with the supplies such as toilet paper. For the price, I think restocking on the basics should be a given. Also, the kitchen pantry needs an overhaul - improve the quantity and quality of plates, glass ware, cutlery etc. Provide napkins, paper towels - even some decent local coffee. It's an up market property and the little things count.
Having read reviews,we expected near perfection and so were a little disappointed.
We stayed in Mandalay.
2 out of the 3 bedrooms smelt very damp and the small single beds in the third bedroom were barely adequate for our 2 teenage sons.
We thought the communal stairways dingy and poorly lit.
Some of the appliances and the bathrooms needed updating,(we had just come from Meriton World Tower in Sydney which in comparison was far more luxurious and very competively priced).Tennis rackets for hire had broken strings.We stayed for 8 nights and during this time no cleaning was provided ;apparently it happens once a week and I guess because we were going on day 8 they did not think it was worth it.
In its favour ,however, the location was great and we were able to easily access all the things we had come to Queensland to do.
The pool was clean and it really is as close to the beach as it possible to be.
Our 3 br apartment was huge, spotless with modern furniture and more than enough drawers and wardrobe space in bedrooms. It was wonderful to unpack clothes and have so much space to put them.
Our balconies overlooked the pool and beachfront rainforest. We were delighted to discover that there was a gate behind the pool which had a keypad which we put in the pin to exit and enter the back gate. There were pool toys and body boards for the kids to borrow just inside this gate and a tap & shower head to rinse off when returning from the beach if we wished. Upon crossing the small very quiet road we were directly in front of a boardwalk which led through the rainforest dunes to the beach. A very short walk. We thought it would be further away so were so pleased. The beach is beautiful and the entrance from the boardwalk is ewnough distance from the busy sunlounge area but not too far away.
We would recommend doing your own homework first about what activities to do, as we found the reception staff did not really know about all the options available. We found this out too late as we wanted to go to the daintree river cruise directly from Port without going on a whole day 4wd tour up the coast and and they told us this was impossible unless we hired a car. They suggested the Lady Douglas Cruise out of Marina Miragewhich we found very average, and later we found a brochure showing bus trips just to Mossman Gorge or a Daintree River Cruise or a combination of both at very reasonable prices too. So just be careful and go to a couple of tour desks in town as they will probably be more informed to advise you.
We hired a pram from the Mandalay which was ideal for walking to town, bringing shopping home in and carting our 4 yr old. It is close to town but a bit far for little legs and when carrying bags of shopping. The prams were a little run down and we changed ours over once. Ended up hiring a bike from a bike hire in town as thought it would be better than from the Mandalay as asking for those little extras seemed a bit of trouble for them at Mandalay.
Staff at Mandalay on the whole not overly friendly /helpful but the rooms speak for themselves. If you want private transfers make sure you are specific and check just before your trip. We booked 6 months in advance for private transfers thinking it worth paying the extra but by the time we got there they had orgaise the cheaper transfer for us. I wished I had checked it before the holiday. Would definately stay here again but liked the look of Beaches and Peninsula Beach Hotel which both had beach views and directly on the beach too. Might try them next time for a change.
Wavedancer to the reef was wonderful - exceptional service and luxurious trip with beautiful generous lunch.
Lady Douglas River Cruise - a good look at mangroves but only saw 2 tiny crocodiles and very meagre afternoon tea provided.
Breafast With the Birds at Habitats was well worth it - beautiful food - our best meal the whole holiday!! Allow 3 or 4 hours to see all the habitats and presentations. You can get your ticket validated to get free entry for the next 2 days so well worth the high entry fees.
We stayed at the Mandalay Apartments after reading the reviews in Tripadvisor. We were not disappointed, infact we were totally delighted with both the apartment and location. We had a two bed apartment on the first floor looking out to the hills. It was tastefully furnished, spacious, and we did not want for anything as the kitchen, washing room and all other facilities were first class. The swimming pools were delightful and access to 4 mile beach was about one minute away. It takes about 10 minutes walking at a leisurely pace to the centre of Port Dougas and its abundance of shops and restaurants . Should we ever visit Port Douglas again, Mandalay is where we would stay without any hesitation.
Stayed in a 3 bedroom beach front apartment for 1 week. Very clean & spacious. Staff were fantastic, nothing was too much of a hassle for them (special thanks to Raelene).
Short walk to the town centre, beach across the road and down the boardwalk.
We loved our stay here and will return.
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Address: Cnr Garrick & Beryl Sts, Port Douglas, Queensland, 4871, Australia
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