Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns – Hotel Review

Mere metres from the marina and flanked by picturesque Tropical North Queensland mountains, Shangri-La The Marina certainly makes the most of its location. Its other major drawcard? The effortless comfort it affords guests. If you can bear to leave your room, you’ll find an abundance of restaurants and bars at the hotel’s doorstep. If you can’t, the attentive room service will keep you satiated as you gaze across the water. Read on for the full review.

Where is Shangri-La The Marina?

As its name suggests, the hotel is perched above Marlin Marina and sits between picture-perfect Trinity Inlet and the Coral Sea. An easy 15-minute drive for Cairns Airport, Shangri-La The Marina is a serene sanctuary in the heart of the action.

What’s near Shangri-La The Marina?

The start of The Esplanade, where the crystal-clear lagoon is an appetiser for a day on the Reef, is less than five minutes away on foot. The Cairns Art Gallery — one of the region’s best — offers some air-conditioned respite nearby. If you enjoy no-fuss seafood, it doesn’t get fresher than Prawn Star on the Marina, where the fish is served straight off the trawler. If you’re looking for something a touch more sophisticated and equally delicious, head to Salt House for cocktails and modern-luxe cuisine centred around a custom-built Argentinian woodfired grill.

Room types

Each of Shangri-La The Marina’s 255 guestrooms and suites stun with floor-to-ceiling windows framing water, mountain, garden or city views and have spacious, private outdoor areas for luxury lounging. The immaculate Horizon Club rooms and suites emit subdued elegance with polished floorboards, a full-sized lounge and a large bathroom with deep tub and L’Occitane toiletries. A stay in these rooms comes with access to the Horizon Club, which includes breakfast, all-day snacks and late-afternoon drinks and canapes on the hotel’s private mezzanine level, making them an ideal romantic respite.

Restaurants and bars

No stay in balmy Tropical North Queensland is complete without drinks by the pool. Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, enjoy wine, beer, cocktails, light snacks and meals 11am to 6pm at Pool Bar. The Backyard by Shangri-La is the hotel’s onsite restaurant set on a large terrace overlooking the marina. Serving modern-Australian cuisine with a focus on local produce, the menu runs the gamut of antipasto platters, lobster-smoked potato salad, mud crab and much, much more. And if all that sounds a little too arduous, you can order from the hotel kitchen straight to your room.

Sustainability

With a focus on community and social responsibility, Shangri-La The Marina aims to foster relationships with local food, adventure and cultural vendors to help ensure the self-sustainability of the Tropical North region. Where possible, the hotel’s bathroom amenities are made from biodegradable materials which decompose by almost 70 per cent in 80 days.

Travel for work

From small meetings to major conferences, Shangri-La The Marina can cater to both your individual and company needs. Each room and suite is primed with an executive writing desk, and guests staying in the Horizon Club are eligible for one suit or dress press during every stay as well as a shoe-shine service and use of the boardroom.

Gym and games room

Located next to the pool, the hotel’s well-equipped gym offers state-of-the-art cardio training and strength equipment. You can also take a guided tour of the gardens to learn all about the tropical flora of the Tropical North, and for the kids and young-at-heart, a huge games room provides a place for chess and air hockey.

What you need to know

Take your stay at Shangri-La The Marina to soaring heights with the Circle of Luxury program. From personalised in-room and off-site dining, helicopter flights over the reef, private yoga and meditation sessions, chauffeur-driven outings and unique First Nations Custodian-led on-Country experiences, your wish is the Circle of Luxury’s command.

SEE ALSO: The Best Resorts to Book in Cairns