Click to view photo

uffins and fruit started our early morning, followed by the usual routines and a quick last minute check of our bags. A short cab ride to the airport and a speedy trip through security later we boarded our flight to the sunny city of Cairns. Upon arrival, we proceeded to the Coral Coaches desk for our bus to the small village of Port Douglas. The amazing hour-long trip took us mostly along the coastline where we saw beach after spectacular beach, and large mango trees lined the road on either side with not-yet-ripened fruit still hanging from the branches.

Our hotel was located on the main strip of town, with all the shops and restaurants surrounding us and the beaches and marina within easy walking distances. The room was equipped with a kitchenette with a fridge and microwave, as well as a king sized bed and a large balcony. Not wanting to waste time unpacking when the weather was so amazing, we quickly dropped everything and changed into more tropical attire, then proceeded to walk towards the beach.

The name Four Mile Beach certainly describes how long this beach is, but it does not do its beauty justice. The entrance at Port Douglas is at the very beginning of the beach, allowing you to take in its entire length in one look, as the sand stretches out for a mile in front of you then makes a left turn and continues off into the horizon. Tiny crabs pop in and out of little burrows in the sand beneath your feet, while the palm trees sway in the gentle breeze coming in off the water. We really wanted to stay and swim, but were not dressed for it yet. We retuned to our walk heading back in the direction of our hotel, and quickly popped into the local COLES market to pick up some food for breakfast, and then back to the hotel to change into our swim gear.

Back at the beach, the Coral Sea waters were pleasantly warm and calm. While Lyne enjoyed her usual routine of short swims and intermittent tanning sessions, I spent most of the time in the water. An hour or so later, we returned to the hotel to change and then proceeded to the Mango Jam restaurant across the street for dinner. Lyne quickly chose a spicy wood stove pizza as her meal, but I had difficulty making a selection from their many excellent choices. Finally, knowing that this was a fishing village, I decided on the fresh fish and chips. Fish and chips are the safety food in Australia, so if you cannot decide what you want, you cannot go wrong with it.

With dinner behind us, we decided to explore the town a bit more, so we walked down to the marina to check out the ship we would be on for our barrier reef cruise on Saturday. We proceeded back to the hotel afterwards to retire for the night.

Click to view photo

Click to view photo

Click to view photo

Click to view photo