Excellent Hotel - Fabulous Location”

We booked a Horizon Club package, and it was overall well worth it!! The room was fabulous ( although the surfaces around room were showing some signs of wear and tear - but no big deal) with a really comfortable bed, nice living area and large well equipped bathroom. The balcony was huge with comfortably cushioned furniture and views directly over the marina and the mountains behind). Despite its location over the marina with it's plethora of bars/restaurants our room was really quiet. The cleaning staff were great, unobtrusive and yet getting room cleaned as soon as possible. There are a multitude of shops within the hotel complex and it really was a superb location to see the centre of Cairns, and a base to look around the Cairns region. The food in the club lounge was fine - breakfast was really good with a reasonable selection available, evening canapés were great, as long as you like Asian food. The wines provided were of good quality. Wifi was free, but car parking (valet) was charged at 15AUD per day. The only downsides we encountered were with some of the staff/service. Some (not all) of the staff in Horizon Club made no attempt to pass pleasantries with customers and even made no response to our 'thankyou' when collecting plates. On the last day my wife rang housekeeping to request a sewing kit, 2 hours later it hadn't arrived! We made a follow up call and waited a further 30 minutes to no avail. Yet when I rang again and asked to speak to the duty manager, the sewing kit arrived within 2 minutes. Overall an excellent hotel, although maybe not quite of the overall standard of some other Shangri La hotels in Asia( but there again the reasonable price maintains the value for money equation). Hopefully the hotel will take on board the above issues, which were relatively minor, but the fact is that we remember them and they have a negative impact on what was otherwise a really good stay. Despite this we would not hesitate to stay at this hotel again.

Lovely hotel and service was fab”

without a doubt the shangri-la marina hotel in cairns would rate as one of the best that we have stayed at.great location no matter what you wanted do in cairns. from the moment i rang about early arrival they were most helpful. when we arrived the staff were friendly and very accommodating. every facility was well staffed. the entire hotel was immaculately clean.we would definitely recommend the shangri-la in cairns to our friends.we are planning to travel overseas later in 2011 and will be looking forward to staying at other shangri-la hotels after this stay.

The place to stay in Cairns....”

Cairns has not had any new hotel built recently and most of the hotels have an older 'feel' to it - wasnt too keen on staying in something that looked run in. Considering the price aspect of similar hotels in the area, the Shangri-La was a no-brainer since the price included Wifi (but do check if your room does have a strong signal - I changed rooms since the initial room given to me didnt have the best reception for Wifi). Do not think this is the regular, plush, upmarket Shangri-La seen around the world. It's a great hotel and gives you a good feel to be in the premises. The staff were great and very helpful (especially the tourist desk).

Loved this property - would go back in a heartbeat”

The Shangri-La hotel at The Marina in Cairns is completely true to its name. It is a beautiful property with stunning rooms (pay the extra $10 per night for the marina view), one of the best showers I have ever experienced, and a prime location- minutes away from the piers where many of the Great Barrier Reef tours depart from. There is also a beautiful pool, and a wonderful restaurant in the hotel called North. We ate there three nights in a row because the food was just that good.

Shangri-la Marina Hotel”

shanggri-la marina is situated in a great position away from the hustle and bustle of the many tourists and backpackers of cairns. it's the nicest position in cairns but easy walking distance to access the cairns esplanade, marina and shops. underneath the hotel are a variety of restaurants and bars to suit any budget. the shangri-la bar was a fabulous place to stop for a drink and watch the boats return from the outer reef. happy hour drinks were excellent value for money. areas of the hotel are outdated but the the service was excellent and staff were very attentive. unfortunately our room was not made up until late in the afternoon, close to 5pm on several days but this just made a good excuse to sit by the pool. overall staying of at the hotel is highly recommended if staying in cairns.

Great location! Awesome Staff!”

I had booked a live aboard on the reef and wanted someplace that was near town and walkable to the docks. Shangri-la fit the bill. The walk to dock is truly like a 2 minute walk. I actually arrived the day before to drop off my bags for storage and they were more than happy to help. When I returned the next day, the staff we welcoming and immediately checked me in as they knew I was super tired from diving. The rooms were well appointed and you have views either over the ocean or over the city of Cairns, which I find quite pretty. Now, it is a big hotel and I did get lost finding my room once. But, overall excellent hotel, excellent value and excellent location.

It is one of the good options in Cairns”

Shangri-La Hotel is one of the best hotel in Cairns, overall service and facilities are good. Location is convenient (within walking distance to different attractions in town) and awesome (next to the pier with wonderful view, downstairs has many nice bars and restaurants). Just one comment about the early check-in. Due to my early flight to Cairns on arrival day, I arrived the hotel before the standard check-in time at around 9-10am, and I tried to approach if there is any available room for early check-in, since I left a early check-in request when I make my reservation. However the Front Desk agent told me that there is a room available but there is a early check-in fee if i check in before the normal check-in time. This is really the first time I got asked for a early check-in fee in a 5-stars hotel, especially there is a room ready at the time of my arrival. (I understand that a guaranteed early check-in is usually a one-night fee if i would like to guarantee my early arrival).

Will be back!”

Great room (we had one of the renovated rooms), beautiful view of the marina, perfect location, staff were lovely and very helpful. My only let-down was the gym; average for the type of hotel although I got the impression they are in between renovations or moving the gym... All in all the Shangri-la will be my go to place to stay in Cairns.

A Room With A View”

Shangri-La is well known for its customer service and this was no exception. Customer service will make or break a property and from the moment you arrive until you leave, the staff is exceptional. The property is located on the marina so the view is spectacular in the evening. The room was spacious, with a balcony overlooking the marina. The amenities included bottled water, full range of toiletries and as the room had access to the Horizon Club, you could choose breakfast i noted horizon Club or in the main breakfast area depending if you had an early morning. Happy Hour in the Horizon Club was hit or miss. It was usually understaffed and well attended which meant food ran out quickly and was not replaced fast enough, drinks took a long time even though it was somewhat self service. A great feature but it needs improvement compared to the other Shari-La properties. There is never a question about staying at Shangri-La; always a great experience!

relaxation by the marina”

love the location of Shangri-La Cairns. right by the water, with plenty of very good restaurants ( Mediterranean, Aussie, French, Chinese, steak house, etc) - next to the reef fleet terminal wher you can book her excursions to GBR, Green Island - really like breakfasts included daily and the afternoon canapé's with tea/coffee -- highly recommended only , if you have knee/hip/back problems , the hallway leading to Horizon rooms can be lengthy.

Good location, generic”

The Shangri-la is conveniently located a short walk from the Esplanade and main shops, supermarket, and restaurants. It is also within walking distance of the Cairns CBD. The marina, from which all the boats to the Great Barrier Reef depart, is literally in its backyard. The room was relatively spacious, and the staff responsive to our requests to clear the mini bar and to deliver dishes and cutlery. The pool is also quite lovely. On the negative side, the hotel is large and rather impersonal; you could be in any city in any country. There was nothing in particular that identified this hotel as either Australian or the leading departure point for the Great Barrier Reef.

One of the best hotels I've ever stayed in....”

From the first moment of pulling up, people said Welcome! Foyer is large and impressive, representing water, land etc. Room was excellent, overlooking the marina. Horizon Club was a good investment, providing large breakfast and canapes and comp drinks in the late afternoon. Concierge and tour desk service was first class, as was front of house/reception. Food and beverage service by the pool was wonderful - a great hotel in a great location within walking distance to everything in Cairns.

Not up to the brand standard”

I stayed only one night so my sampling of the hotel's features was limited. The staff were very helpful and well informed, the room was spacious and well laid out and the interior pool and surrounding space were attractive. However the entire place felt old and tired, the hotel itself was lackluster feeling. The shopping arcade attached seem deserted, with a good fraction of the shopfronts empty. The hotel is old (built in the 80's) and only now is it being renovated, with around half the rooms done. I stayed in one of the unrenovated rooms and it was not in good repair. The two other Shangri-La's I have stayed at have had much better decor, bedding and all the fixtures and fittings were in very good repair, and so this hotel does not come anywhere near the standards of other properties of this brand. However this is not a criticism unique to the Shangri-La in Cairns; I also stayed at the Pullman International and that too was worn and in not the best repair.

Amazing location by the Marina”

After much research into all the options for hotel in Cairns, we decided on the Shnagri-La and we had not regrets with our choice. We would thoroughly recommend this hotel for it's quality, customer service and location, not mentioning the view from the Deluxe Marina View Room.

My stay at the Shangri-La, Cairns.”

We stayed for a week. service was good, the hotel is centrally located, walking distance to everything (waterfront, city center, restaurants). friendly staff, only one night room service took 2 hours. recommended, especially for the good weekend deal. I have stayed here for business as well as with family also on several occasions and always come back to the same hotel if it is Cairns.

Good value!”

Shangri-la has upgraded our room for free to a marine view room which is great. The hotel itself is beautifully decorated and located at the heart of Cairns. It was a pleasant stay and definately worth the money.

Excellent!”

We have a great stay at the shangri-la Cairns. Our room was a sea view room which really stunning. Very enjoy the big bathtub. Its location is convenience, only take 5 minutes walk to city centre.

Good location with a nice room”

the hotel is easy walking distance from the shops and restaurants. we ate in the hotel one evening and thought the menu had good variety and the fish was delicious. the staff went out of their way at check in to make our stay great. interesting how often the staff changes the color of their shirts at the front desk. one color in the morning, one in the afternoon. could be me, but i didn't notice this at shangri-la makati in manila. we did get a great deal of on agoda. then we told some of our liveaboard friends and they were able to get a room next day on agoda for - nice!

Excellent hotel with clean and spacious rooms.”

the shangri-la was a pleasure to stay at. lovely rooms with excellent views, helpful and pleasant staff were also available, room service was prompt and cheerful and a great location in cairns.

Perfect stay at the Shangri-La, Cairns”

I had a perfect stay at the Shangri-La in Cairns. It is very well located, my room was incredible and the staff were so helpful, efficient and friendly. Can't wait to stay there again.