Shangri-La The Marina

Set on the waterline between Marlin Marina and Trinity Inlet, Shangri-La The Marina occupies a tower position in the middle of Cairns' harbourfront dining strip. The Reef Fleet Terminal, where boats leave daily for the Great Barrier Reef, is a short walk from the door. The hotel holds 255 rooms and suites across its floors, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and a private outdoor area facing water, mountain, garden or city. Deluxe rooms on the lower floors look over tropical gardens or the hills behind the city; higher up, Executive and Horizon Club rooms track the marina and the inlet beyond it. The Royal Suite, at 140 m², takes in the widest sweep: skyline, mountains and the Coral Sea in one frame. Horizon Club guests get a private mezzanine lounge with breakfast, snacks and evening drinks included. Downstairs, North Bar and Kitchen serves modern Australian food along the marina promenade, with Trinity Inlet on view through the glass. An outdoor pool sits among planted gardens, and a fitness centre and meeting spaces round out the ground floor. World Heritage-listed rainforest lies within easy reach by car. It is a short drive, about 15 minutes, from Cairns Airport. The building itself stays low-key against the water and the hills — the view does the talking.