If I was an A-list celebrity filming a movie in Far North Queensland, I would definitely choose to stay at Niramaya Luxury Villas & Spa near Port Douglas. And, lucky for me, I recently spent a totally indulgent weekend enjoying this very private and luxurious hideaway.
FNQ often plays host to movie crews and stars so it’s fitting that I should check out some of the best accommodation in the region on their behalf.
And Niramaya is definitely where I would recommend they stay. Why I hear you ask? Well, to take a line from the Australian movie ‘The Castle’, it is all about the ‘vibe’.
The relaxed, laid back vibe of these luxurious open-plan villas totally captures the charm of the tropics.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]arriving at our villa[/headline]
I knew that Niramaya Villas was pretty special before we even went there but even so, I have to admit, our first impression when we turned the key of our front door was ‘wow’.
Built for the tropical lifestyle of Far North Queensland, each individual Balinese-style villa is hidden away behind huge double doors.
Stepping into a pebbled courtyard with tropical plants and undercover walkways leading to various rooms in the villa, my husband asked “Is this all for us?!”
North Queensland has a lot of luxury resorts and as a travel writer I’ve had the privilege of being able to stay at many of them but Niramaya Villas definitely takes the standards up a notch.
It doesn’t rely on a tropical island backdrop or beachfront views, it is simply amazing all on its own.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]the villas[/headline]
The villas can cater for up to eight people with one, two, three and four bedroom villas available.
Our villa had three bedrooms and with only the two of us there was plenty of room to stretch out, especially once we opened up all the glass bi-fold sliding doors to capture the breezes.
We had a spacious lounge, a stylish dining room (Johnny Depp you might like to cook a few dinner parties while here), state-of-the-art kitchen and our own private pool and outdoor shower.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]first things first[/headline]
Spotting a coffee pod machine, I made that my first priority, as I settled in for a romantic weekend in what has to be one of the best places to stay in Port Douglas.
We spent the afternoon enjoying the pool area and soaking in our fabulous surroundings, with absolutely no intention of going anywhere or doing anything else.
As the evening approached we started to think about dinner, but even though the award-winning restaurants of Port Douglas were only a hop, skip and a jump way, we opted instead to open a bottle of wine and cook at ‘home’.
We ate under the stars and in view of our pool, which was lit up in a romantic blue glow over the water and provided a twinkling backdrop to our meal.
After dinner it was time to give the huge spa bath a run for its money in our wonderfully relaxing master bedroom.
So while hubby did the dishes I soaked in the tub looking out across private tropical gardens set off against a magical backdrop of fairy lights.
It was the perfect end to the perfect day.[headline size=”small” align=”left”]travel nq fast facts:[/headline]
- Niramaya Villas & Spa (click on this link to book) are located in Port Douglas about 50 minutes north of Cairns International Airport.
- There is a privately owned restaurant within the resort, which is Asian-inspired and open for lunch and dinner.
- The resort has a Day Spa and also offers bike hire, tennis courts, golf as well as a communal swimming pool
- Make sure you close all the bi-fold doors at dusk/night to prevent mosquitoes (standard North Queensland practice!)
- And, if you’re a famous movie star reading this, we’d love to come up for a pool party!
