An absolutely awful experience...the resort is run down, several areas were cordoned off with 'danger' tape...the stairways had collapsed, bridges fallen down, the pool deck rotting...the pool was cracked, and tables had been placed over the broken edging to disguise it. Electrical light fittings on pathways broken, with wires hanging out. the spa pool was half fullof water & rotting palm fronds...alive with mozzies, Light fittings in the room were missing shades, the bedside table looked like it had lost all its varnish about ten years ago, there was a hole in the wall where an unsuccessful airconditioner repair had been left...wiring & pipes exposed. No help with luggage, and some of the paths & steps are so steep that anyone less than Tarzan would find it unclimable. The 'restaurant ' is over the road, some hundreds of metres from the cabins, and is so dirty as to be unbelievable...being stuck there on a wet day, with the Coopers Creek ford impassable, was so depressing...five chess pieces & an empty scrabble box were all the guest facilities provided....I could just go on and on...we escaped after one night, and headed back to the comfort and facilities of Port Douglas...we came to see the rainforest, and no doubt it is superb, but we just wanted to get out of this crummy decrepit resort...maybe they should film some post-apocalypse movie here....

I booked and paid on wotif.com - 1 night in a rainforest retreat for $AU242.95 including the $AU4.95 wotif booking fee. I requested 'no steps' and an 'easy walk to retreat' which in comparison to many of the other retreats was granted. Rainforest Retreat room 31 was one of the closer retreats to the reception and the restaurant. After a cheery greeting on arrival the British reception staff asked if we needed help with our luggage but we declined and just took the clothes from our car that we needed. He was a very helpful and pleasant chap and gave us directions to our room and a map of the resort and advice regarding walking on the beach and where the crocs might be.

The rainforest retreat rooms are uphill and you are not supposed to drive your car up the hilly winding narrow road as there is no turn around. The car park near reception is quite small and also the turn around room is small and hilly. If you are less than confident at parking under such circumstances you may prefer to park across the road in front of the restaurant, which has a flat surface carpark - it will still be an uphill walk to your room whether it be a rainforest retreat room or daintree retreat room.

Our Rainforest Retreat room was stunning. Fan-cooled, well-sized & well-appointed with an open plan screened lounge area, stunning comfortable sofa and two chairs and a third single bed. Huge California King bed with fresh white linen and 2 additional blankets in the robe. A clock radio was provided and we could pick up radio stations. There is no television but we didn't miss it as the view of the rainforest is beautiful. There is wood panelling and louvre wood windows and doors - it exhudes character and warmth.

Noise travels easily from one Rainforest Retreat to the next - noisy neighbours can spoil your stay. We had some noisy neighbours but didn't let it spoil our stay.

We were supposed to receive a full breakfast and also receive "a $20 Cape Spa Voucher and Complimentary Beverage Voucher for Two. (One per Stay)". The full breakfast was the standard buffet breakfast with cooked bacon and eggs and sausages and tomatoes and some fruit, cereal, toast, tea/coffee/juice. It was acceptable but I can't say delicious. We never received our beverage voucher on arrival nor the spa voucher which wouldn't have helped as the spa was closed all day the day we stayed - Friday 13th August.

We had lunch at the restaurant which is located across the main road. The buffet lunch was mediocre and made us sick - we think it was the dried up chicken wings which tasted and looked old. The buffet consisted of overcooked local fish (not Barramundi), sausages, overcooked steak and salads. The desserts were mostly cakes and tasted as if they were cooked from a packet mixture with the exception of a very good caramel slice and cherry choc topped slice - they were really home made!

We had dinner in the same restaurant. Dinner on the other hand was very good. I ordered 2 martini cocktails which were made with a smile and were delicious. I had the Barramundi which was wild and fresh. He had the steak and was happy. All good reports for dinner!

I didn't swim in the pools but did dip my legs. It is a long walk from retreat 31 to both pools and there is an uphill component. The pool near the restaurant in front of the beach has a fairly steep pebble incline to get in and out of it and other guests were also not confident using the access. However the pool looked inviting and had it not been so chilly I would have gone in regardless. The pools are not heated.

Coconut Beach is pristine and beautiful - it is a 5 to 10 minute walk from most rooms and 30 seconds in front of the restaurant.

Departure was easy and we had a smooth checkout. No help with luggage and no way of getting help as there are no phones in the room. Didn't bother us but it would be a nuisance for some people.

The best parts about the stay were the Rainforest Retreat, Coconut Beach which is in front of the restaurant and the rainforest of course.

The worst parts about the stay were the hilly climb to the room, the lunch buffet and the spa being closed.

Before I arrived at the resort I was a little nervous about some of the reviews. After spending 3 nights at Cape Tribulation Resort and Spa I can not understand what other travellers could be complaining about. The resort is nestled right into the rainforest. It is a little spread out, but an easy walk will get you from A to B - I’m certainly no athlete but walking around the resort was not taxing for me.

We stayed in the Daintree Retreat, room number 24, as we wanted the a/c and bath tub. The views into the rainforest were awesome and I just loved sipping a glass of wine from my bubble bath looking straight into the forest. It is an eco-resort so it is natural - yes there is the odd cobweb - but that's what you would expect in a 'rainforest'. The Rainforest retreats looked really good from the outside too. However if you don't like humidity then you would be better taking one of the rooms with a/c. We had a lot of unseasonal rain on our trip, given it wasn't humid, but we were very comfortable in our room. The rooms were serviced daily so clean towels are provided each day if you need them.

The staff was really helpful and friendly, nothing was a bother. Yes there are backpackers working on staff but I only know this because I asked them where they were from, and they were just as professional as the non-backpacker staff. We really enjoyed our meals in the restaurant (we also ate at Ferntree one night - a more casual menu, big portions, good food). Whet was also recommended to us by the resort but we didn't manage to get there in the end. We had a fab massage in the spa and strolling along Coconut Beach was just beautiful too!

This part of Australia has an easy pace to it, there are things to do in this area but it is nice to take your time to do it all. Having a car made it easy for us to get around to different things like the Daintree Discovery Centre (about 30mins south of the resort). It is also seriously dark in the forest at night - I wouldn't have liked to be walking around outside of the resort then.

I just can't rave about this place enough and have already recommended it to others, with three couples thinking seriously about a trip to the resort themselves. I definitely hope to come back here again one day.

Beautiful place to stay! Unfortunately we had a family of four stay in the next room and we could hear all their conversations and then cleaning their coffee cups. The rooms are great for a basic rain forest stay but sound travels and if you are sharing the resort with loud people it sort of dampens the stay. Restaurant was nice for dinner and brekky. The spa was fantastic, perfect massage and facial. I loved getting up in the morning and feeling like i was the first person on the beach.