Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns

We originally booked through booking.com but found a great deal on their website. Booked a Horizon 1 bedroom suite and arrived to amazing room on the far North east end (level 3 room 3004). The room overlooked the marina and the bay. The deck was massive (3 times larger than the other decks), bed very comfy and ample room for our daughters rollaway. Ok, the room is a little dated and the deck had a few loose boards but overall it does the job very well. The staff at the resort are fantastic. From the boys with baggage handling, to reception and housekeeping. Alex was fantastic, she must be cloned or have a twin as she was everywhere and so accommodating. Kirin at reception was also great on reception. We did note a number of guests were frustrated at the times their rooms were available and some were past 5pm. Our room was a little delayed but were given some cocktail vouchers and a $50 voucher which was nice and was also great to receive a bottle of Moet in the room upon arrival. I did see some past reviews people complaining about the Horizon breakfasts and afternoon tea. Our family of 3 really enjoyed the breakfast each morning and afternoon tea. Between 5-7pm Horizon guests were entertained by canape's and drinks ie beers & wine. There were some members ordering spirits or basic cocktails. The snacks were plentiful and ranged from steamed dim sums, arancini balls, prawns, muscles, quiche, cheeses, cold meats etc. You really didnt need dinner afterwards. Yes there are some parts of the resort that need attention. There are some tiles missing in the pool area, stains on carpet but overall a nice resort in a fantastic location. Our room wasn't the quietest. There was 1 night the music from the nighclub downstairs was loud till 2am, gardeners (not resorts) mowing parks at 6.30 am, blowers, deliveries, helicopters so if you like a sleep in maybe head closer to reception end of the resort. We loved sitting on the deck watching the 100s of boats coming and going. People have complained about the walk form 1 end to the other. Its 200 steps or a couple of minutes. We averaged 14000 steps a day in Cairns so what's a couple of hundred.. We loved our stay at Shangri La. Yes, probably helped that we were allocated a fantastic room. The location cannot be beaten as you are steps from the marina where all the boats leave for the reef, a myriad of restaurants, bars within a 2 min walk and again, the staff are great. Matt & Bec

Staff were wonderful, service reasonable all round. Place is getting a little run down in places. Breakfast buffet was very average. Ordered room service twice and food lacked flavour. Bed was very comfortable and pillows were nice, there was a full pillow menu available as well. No mini bar in room, had to go and pick up any mini bar items from the shop near reception so we didn’t worry about it.

A pleasant stay with clean rooms, pool and gym. The staff were accomodating. While not the height of polished perfection, a little bit of wear and tear was visible, it was a lovely stay. The restaurant was excellent for dinner and a great buffet breakfast.

We’ve stayed at the Shangri-La Marina Cairns a few times now, and honestly, it never disappoints. The Horizon Club rooms are always our go-to — beautifully appointed, with that extra touch of luxury. On this trip, we accidentally booked one of the larger end rooms without realising they don’t face the marina. Totally our mistake — but when we asked if we could be moved, the staff couldn’t have been more accommodating. Within no time, we were happily settled back into a marina-view room. That sums up the service here: nothing is too much trouble, and everything is handled with such warmth and professionalism. Rooms are immaculate, serviced twice a day (a real treat), and the whole place just feels spotless and well cared for. The food is consistently excellent too, whether it’s breakfast in the club lounge or a meal downstairs. The real stand-out is the team — every single person we dealt with was helpful, friendly, and genuinely eager to make our stay wonderful. It’s rare to find service that feels this effortless yet thoughtful. In short: another fabulous stay. Clean, comfortable, well-located, and run by people who really care about their guests. We’ll definitely be back!

For a Shangri-La, I found this hotel a bit bleak. Reception is shared with the sho[[inhg centre. The room was very pleasant. Breakfast was pricey, but good and it was nice to sit in the open air warmth with a good buffet. Parking was efficient, valet, ut again pricey.