Heritage Cairns

The manager was extremely kind and helpful, and twice offered to drive us to town in bad weather, which made our rained-out stay more memorable. The hotel is about 10-15 minutes' walk from town activities, which is not a problem if the weather is pleasant. One major plus is that this hotel offers 2 hours of free computer access.

Rosemary mans the front desk and is very enthusiastic and warm. She helped us make reservations for different activities we wanted to do. She was always ready with a smile and curious as to what we thought of the excursions. She is a true gem.

I was in Cairns to dive the Great Barrier Reef on a liveaboard, so I arrived a few days earlier. I spent those days at a hotel around the corner from the Tropical Heritage Cairns. Even though that hotel was nice, I wanted to try the Tropical Heritage Cairns because of the reviews I had read. I returned from my diving trip in the early morning and was dropped off at the Tropical Heritage. I was hoping that my room would be available so I could have a place to use rather than to put my stuff into storage. Rosemary told me that my room was ready and gave me a box of milk as I checked in. I also told her that I wanted to do something that day and asked if the Skyrail and Kuranda Train was available that day. She told me that she would check on it. I went to my room to shower and relax for a bit. Rosemary called to say that I would be picked up at 9:25 am. That gave me something to do for the day. The hotel is small but nicer than my other stay in town. Unlike my last hotel, it had an elevator/lift to use which is nice considering I was hauling a bag of scuba gear. I really did not look around to see what else they had but I don't think there was a pool. Supposedly there are renovations going on according to the notice at the elevator but there was no noise during my stay. No food service other than breakfast if you arrange it the night before. They give you 2 hours of free internet access, there is a computer with printer in the lobby. I did not know that as I had been using the internet cafes in town to check email. I could have saved $4 if I had known. I had an early morning flight and had already pre-paid the return trip. Still they made the call to confirm the pick up time for me. I would definitely stay here again. Service and facilities were more than adequate. If you have to go into the center of town for restaurants, then the location borders on being close and far. Quiet street but it is only half a block away from where I was staying before and that is about 2 streets away from where most restaurants begin. All you would be walking is just an extra block each way. No problem for day tour pickups.

It is just a short walk to the esplanade from here and is a nice quiet location. The manager Rosemary was over and above any hotel mgmt I've ever encountered. She even gave us a ride up to the Botanical Gardens (easy bus ride back). We had them do some bookings for us and that's a weight taken off your back that you don't need on holiday.

Lovely hotel, reception staff are so helpful, its the little touches that help make your stay so enjoyable. Has everything you need. Highly recommend

The value at the Heritage Cairns was excellent. The room was clean, fresh, and well maintained. The management was with out a doubt better than many more expensive hotels. To give you an idea, we sent a bouquet of flowers to the manager when we left because we felt as if we had been treated like family!

[...]will take excellent care of you and make sure you get to do what you want to do in the Cairns area (weather permitting). Hotel itself is the solid 3 stars it portrays itself as. 2 blocks from the esplanade, 4 blocks from downtown, easy walks. Would definitely stay again.

[...] gets an A+ for being very helpful and informative.

It's only 20 minutes from the Airport ($15 taxi) and about 10 minutes walking distance from the Cairns Esplanade; the main shopping/entertainment area. Just far enough away from the crowds. First trip to Cairns, Australia and will definately stay at this hotel again if I return. Only draw back is there are no on-site eating establishments, however, you're only 5-minutes away from dozens.

This was one of the worst motels that I had stayed in a long-long time. I expect the bed to be made, the room to be cleaned, the trash removed, and towels replaced on a daily basis. Imagine my disappointment, when I came back in the evening and found that the room was not tended. When I complained to the guy at the front desk, I was told that the chamber maid did not clean the room as I had hung the 'do not disturb' sign outside. When I countered that I did not do any such thing, he bawled, "Are you telling me that the maid is lying." I was really upset and I shot back, "Are you telling me that I'm a liar." That calmed him down a bit. Later one of the staff came to our room and asked us to move to the next room. I refused as I was too tired to move our stuff elsewhere. She was muttering to herself that the chamber maid would be fired the next morning as if to give us a guilty conscience. I felt that the management should be fired for not looking after the guests properly. The next evening when I came back, I found that although the maid had cleaned our room, s/he had left a Cadbury chocolate wrapper on the floor…so much for room cleaning! The motel does not have central air conditioning. The rooms are cooled by air-coolers that are quite noisy. The hallways are really stuffy as there is no airflow; the outside of the motel being more comfortable than the inside. The moral of the story is that from now on I'd stay at a reputed chain such as the Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn, rather than a cheap 'mom and pop' motel.