Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns

The Executive Seaview Room was excellent value for money. The room had ceilings over 3 meters high, which made it feel incredibly spacious. The breakfast and dinner, along with all-day tea, snacks, and evening drinks, were all of a very high standard. We stayed for 3 nights, and there were no repeated dishes. The Executive Lounge is on an exclusive floor, so there were no other guests to disturb us, making it quiet and the restaurant uncrowded. The hotel also thoughtfully provided complimentary champagne and chocolates packaged from Cairns. Furthermore, the hotel's location is superb, within walking distance to the pier, city center, and night market, which is extremely convenient.

A traditional Shangri-La resort, very conveniently located just a 3-minute walk from the jetty for island hopping. You can also walk to the night market, and there are plenty of dining options nearby. Overall, it's a good hotel.

The hotel's location is super convenient, right by the sea, and there are tons of all sorts of restaurants along the coast. It's also really easy to get to the supermarket. Fantastic, fantastic, I'm so satisfied!

Like a garden hotel, I really enjoyed the greenery and the wide variety of plants. There were even birds chirping! Parking is charged, but the price is reasonable and getting around is convenient. Breakfast was decent too.

Major disappointment, completely overhyped as a five-star! The hygiene, facilities, and service were all abysmal. I do NOT recommend this for Chinese travelers. This stay was an absolute disaster. Here are the four unacceptable issues I encountered, so you can avoid the same: 1. **Filthy bedding.** Upon checking in, I pulled back the sheets to find a significant amount of hair and body hair scattered on them. I immediately contacted the front desk to get them changed. After a long wait, a server finally arrived, only to hand me two new sheets. When I asked him to help change the bed, he flat-out refused, stating he was only responsible for delivering linens and changing beds was not part of his job. He offered no assistance whatsoever. The combination of terrible hygiene and staff shirking responsibility made for a miserable start. 2. **Frequent key card and door lock malfunctions.** Almost every day, I couldn't open my door with the key card and had to go down to the front desk multiple times to get it sorted. The front desk typically had only one or two staff members, often just one on duty, which meant long queues and wasted time going back and forth. Convenience was nonexistent. 3. **Discriminatory service from front desk staff.** They treated Chinese guests with perfunctory and impatient attitudes. During interactions, they would force out fake, insincere smiles, and their tone throughout was openly resistant. This was particularly noticeable with one thin, middle-aged female front desk staff member who looked Filipino. Every interaction with her involved fake smiles, and her eyes clearly showed her impatience, making the entire experience extremely uncomfortable. 4. **Outdated and dilapidated hotel.** The hotel's decor was old, and all the facilities were worn out and damaged, completely unworthy of a five-star rating. Both the hardware and soft services fell short. Compared to domestic chain hotels, its standard is even lower than Hanting, and a far cry from All Seasons. The pricing is severely inflated, offering extremely poor value for money. Overall, the hygiene was poor, the service was cold, the hardware was old, facilities frequently malfunctioned, staff lacked basic service professionalism, and Chinese tourists were treated differently. Spending money here is pure suffering. I do not recommend anyone book this hotel.

This is hands down the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. I rarely leave bad reviews, but this one deserves it all. I booked this room months in advance, specifically an Executive Scenic Twin Room, because we were traveling with two adults and two small children. The journey to Cairns from within the country involved a layover and was very tiring; we didn't get a good night's sleep, and by the time we arrived in Cairns, it was already evening. After checking in, we got to the room and were shocked… it was tiny, old, and run-down. The beds were only 1 meter wide! When we spoke to the front desk, they were incredibly arrogant, offered no apology, and simply said there was nothing they could do as the hotel was fully booked. They offered an extra bed and complimentary breakfast for the next day, promising to move us to the correct room type for the remaining three nights… The next morning, we had an early start for the rainforest tour. We had to repack all our kids' belongings early in the morning and leave our luggage at the front desk, which was genuinely exhausting 😫. As for the hotel itself, the location is quite good, but the facilities are truly outdated, and the layout is very old-fashioned. I definitely do not recommend it!

The hotel has a lot of history, but it's been pretty well maintained, which is understandable. The main draw is its super convenient location, whether you're taking a boat, buying groceries, or grabbing a bite to eat. It's also very close to the public baths, making it ideal for getting around. The rooms are spacious, and they provide complimentary bottled water. Plus, there's a dispenser for drinking water right outside the door. The bathroom comes with toiletries, so overall, it's a good stay.

Taking a taxi from the airport to the hotel cost $35. We arrived before check-in, but the front desk allowed us to check in early after signing up for their membership, and even upgraded us to a room with a great view, which we were very happy with. The hotel is very close to the pier, making it super convenient to get back to our room after a boat trip. The hotel's own pool is also fantastic. We stayed for three days and didn't want to leave!