Cairns, Australia

Cairns is considered the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia so it was only natural that I head there to find Nemo.

Hotel

I stayed at the Doubletree in Cairns. The main reasoning behind this is that I’m an HHonors member and I wanted the points. The room was ok, we had a major leak from the AC unit the first night and I almost face planted a few times… so not exactly the best experience. The main redeeming quality was the location. There were so many options for dining within walking distance. The peer was also nearby which made getting to our excursions much easier.

Food

Oasis Kebab– This place has the most amazing Kebab rolls I have ever had, I still dream about them to this day. We actually loved it so much that I broke my travel rule and ate here multiple times.

Barnacle Bills– They have amazing seafood and if you get a chance try the camembert with plum sauce. The Jambalaya and Curry were also delicious (sadly I have no food pictures, trust me I’m as shocked as you).

Excursions

Now for the best part of the trip!!!

After arriving to the hotel we went straight to the concierge to book a snorkeling trip and to go canyoning (repelling, cliff jumping etc). These two activities were the highlight of my Australian adventure.

Day 1: We booked a tour with Behana Canyoning and trust me when I say these guys know how to have fun. We jumped off of a 10m cliff straight out of the gate, then abseiled down a few more cliffs, snorkeled in a lake, and swam under waterfalls.

Day 2: Off to see Nemo! We booked a trip on the Tusa for an all day excursion. We went out to two different dive sites. I’m not scuba certified so I only snorkeled. There are no words to describe how beautiful the reefs are. The colors are so vibrant and bright that they don’t look real. The sad part is a lot of the reef is dying and you can see the damage.