1.After something that screams the tropics? Visit Prawn Star, the floating fresh seafood trawler in the Cairns Marina, which has recently been transformed into a restaurant with a difference.
2.Head to The Esplanade for a taste of the Cairns nightlife. If it's date night, head to Vine Room underneath the Double Tree by Hilton Cairns for relaxed vibes and lovely cool breezes off the water.
3.For a true Tropical North Queensland experience, we recommend you go island-side. Our picks would be Green Island or Fitzroy Island for their convenience with resorts and accessibility to the mainland.
4.There are so many natural escapes from Cairns – you've got rainforest, beaches, freshwater creeks and the rolling hills of the Tablelands within 20 minutes' drive of each other. With landscapes so diverse, you have to get amongst it.
5.Rusty's Markets, which are open Friday to Sunday, serve up the freshest fruit and veggies from the local area. If you're looking for something more substantial than a piece of fruit to eat – their hawker style Asian food stalls serve up the best lunch.
6.Digby's banana pancakes with black sapote sauce are legendary at Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm B&B, and in Daintree Village at Red Mill House, Trish and Andrew lay on a famous feast with their full cooked breakfast plus homemade jams, yoghurt and breads
7.Daintree Estates Chocolate is the only chocolate produced in Australia from Australian cocoa. It's grown locally in the Daintree and blended with sugar from the Mossman Sugar Cane Mill. It's so good, even the Belgians can't get enough of it!
8.Jungle Surfing is a fantastic and fun way to see the Daintree from a whole new perspective, as you fly between tree platforms high up in the canopy. Combine that with a half-day reef trip on Ocean Safari out to pristine Mackay Cay or join Paddle Trek Kayak Adventures around Cape Tribulation and we guarantee you'll feel the magic seeping into your skin.
9.We're not just talking soft white sand, beach blankets and gourmet hampers. In Port Douglas, beach picnics come with a helicopter ride to a remote sand cay in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef.
10.To wet your whistle, head to Barbados. We're not talking the Caribbean but Port Douglas's hip waterfront bae. Sprawl out on one of the day beds, sip on a refreshing cocktail infused with Barbados' hand-made rum creations and order mouth-watering bites from the menu (the sashimi platter and tuna carpaccio are absolute faves!).
