8 new and exciting Cairns experiences you can have right now

Cairns is open for business and still one of the most epic destinations to explore in the country.

The sun is shining, the cocktails are chilled and the reef is sparkling once again. Resilient and refreshed, Cairns is open for business. Cyclone Jasper has been and gone – topping up the waterfalls and replenishing the rainforest – enhancing some of the region’s best adventure experiences and transforming others. Not to mention Crystalbrook Cairns‘ accommodation offerings are better than ever.

Whether you’re a new or returning visitor, exploring the reef or rainforest, downing an icy cocktail or heading to a local distillery; these eight new and exciting experiences will enhance your stay in Tropical Far North Queensland.

Stop in for cocktails and bites at Carns’ newest bar, Calypso Club.

1. Visit the Great Barrier Reef

Cairns is known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and if you’ve never seen it up close before, it shouldn’t be missed. Head out for a day’s sailing and snorkelling with Passions of Paradise, a 25-metre catamaran that has won numerous awards for its efforts in tourism and sustainability. The daily trip leaves Cairns Marina daily, with two stops where you can dive and snorkel with turtles, gropers, reef fish and take in spectacular coral cays and atolls from below.

Head out for an award-winning day’s sailing and snorkelling. (Image: TEQ)

2. Take a helicopter ride

Of course, it’s also incredible to view from above. Nautilus Aviation helicopters offer tours that take in two spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Listed sites: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Taking off from Cairns, the airborne tours take in the sandy atolls, coral cays and reef formations of the Great Barrier Reef before turning inland, soaring over the rainforest and up to thundering Barron Falls. During the summer months, these falls harness incredible power and force.

Discover new parts of the GBR on a helicopter tour. (Image: TEQ)

3. Float through the Daintree

Once you’ve flown over the top, consider floating under the canopy of the world’s oldest tropical lowland rainforest. Explore the Daintree with Back Country Bliss’ new River Drift Tour, taking you through unexplored areas of the Mossman River opened up by Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Donning a wetsuit and floating on red mats under the shaded canopy, guests drift down the river through an untouched wilderness.

Spend time under the Daintree canopy. (Image: TEQ)

4. Learn about Country

In the late afternoon, make time to learn more about Country and Cairns’s unique Indigenous Protected Area, East Trinity Reserve. Head out on a sunset cruise through the mangrove forest and wetlands of East Trinity Reserve, with a Mandingalbay Yidinji guide. The two-hour Deadly After Dark cruise takes on a brand new covered river boat, before guests alight at the reserve’s purpose-built, open-air Stingray Hut, where they are given a Welcome to Country and a cultural presentation.

Learn from a Mandingalbay Yidinji guide. (Image: TEQ)

5. Indulge and relax

Of course, simple pleasures can also be found just footsteps from your hotel room. Crystalbrook Collection Cairns boasts not one, but two world-class Eléme Day Spas, each located at Crystalbrook Flynn and Crystalbrook Riley. Spacious and serene, Crystalbrook spas use all-natural, Australian products. At Crystalbrook Flynn, try their signature Let’s Spa*rkle: a 90-minute jet lag recovery treatment that also includes lunch, a glass of bubbles and access to the Crystalbrook Flynn pool. Over at Crystalbrook Riley, try their Botanical Revival treatment: a sixty-minute exfoliation followed by a thirty-minute facial.

Relax and unwind at Eléme Day Spas.

6. Sip locally crafted gin

Use one of Crystalbrook Bailey or Crystalbrook Riley’s complementary bikes to ride along the bike track to Narrow Tracks Distillery. Housed in an old timber mill, the Stratford distillery makes small batch craft gin and moonshine. Ingredients are sourced locally, with their spirits created using a cane syrup base and infused with local tropical fruit and botanicals – like the pink gin infused with local strawberries, or old-school lemonade moonshine or apple pie moonshine, sold in mason jars.

Try locally-made craft gin at Narrow Tracks Distillery.

7. Drop into Calypso Club

Not keen to stray so far from town? Part rum bar, part seafood shack and brand new on the scene, the Calypso Club sits opposite the water and is the perfect place to take in the balmy breeze. With a heavy emphasis on the best international rum, Calypso Club serves up a fresh take on tropical-inspired cocktails using a custom-designed shaved ice machine. Think plates of kingfish sashimi and Rainbow Trout tostadas accompanied by cocktails like the Clear Cure (fresh cracked coconut, vodka, falernum and lemon) and Honi (passionfruit, Quandong Jam, gin, honey and champagne).

Sit outside with a refreshing cocktail.

8. Have a rooftop tipple at Whiskey & Wine

Connoisseurs of the finer things should head to Whiskey & Wine, Crystalbrook Flynn’s rooftop bar overlooking the Cairns esplanade, with views to both the Trinity Mountains and the Coral Sea. With an extensive whiskey menu arranged by region, the bar is home to an enviable whiskey selection not found anywhere else in Cairns, accompanied by a modern and classic cocktail list (don’t miss the Barrel-aged Old Fashioned, aged in-house). Also find a menu of light bites including oysters with green vodka gazpacho, wagyu beef sliders with whiskey truffle aioli, and charcuterie all with suggested pairings for both spirits and vino.

Head to Whiskey & Wine for an enviable whiskey selection.

Where to stay

Crystalbrook Flynn is one of Crystalbrook Collections’ three properties in Cairns, practising sustainable luxury. Overlooking the Esplanade to the ocean, the 311-room Crystalbrook Flynn, often described as the social butterfly of the three hotels, offers easy eats at Boardwalk Social, an Italian feast at Flynn’s Italian, or guests can celebrate in style at Whisky & Wine.

Enjoy social settings and incredible views at Crystalbrook Flynn.

A few blocks away, resort-style Crystalbrook Riley has a 1000 sqm pool with European-style Cabanas and Rocco, the city’s highest panoramic rooftop bar with 270-degree views of the city and surroundings.

Take a dip in the iconic Crystalbrook Riley pool.

After something sleek and sophisticated?  The intimate and arty Crystalbrook Bailey offers a boutique hotel or holiday apartment experience, with access to all of Crystalbrook Collection’s incredible amenities (and it’s also dog-friendly). Along with the three hotels, Crystalbrook Collection has nine restaurants and bars in Cairns, and you can easily dine around and charge back to your room no matter where you stay.

Stay at the arty Crystalbrook Bailey.

The details

When you join the Crystalbrook crowd, save 10 per cent on stays, restaurants and bars. Enjoy exclusive access to sales, which currently includes a 20 per cent off stay at Crystalbrook Riley, Crystalbrook Flynn and Crystalbrook Bailey. Book before 12:00pm AEST 28 February for stays until 28 March 2024. T&Cs apply.

Book your next Cairns adventure via crystalbrookcollection.com.