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The Reef Motel

Property class: 2
Motel near Cairns Esplanade in Cairns

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Reef Motel

A hotel room with two beds, a desk, a chair, a ceiling fan, a window with curtains, and a painting on the wall.
A kitchen with a sink, a dining area with chairs, a window with a view, and a sliding glass door leading to an outdoor area.
A bathroom with a toilet, shower, sink, and a mirror.
A hotel room with two beds, a TV, a dining table with chairs, a small kitchen area, and a bathroom.
A swimming pool with a hot tub, surrounded by white lounge chairs and a tiled deck.

Reviews

4.8 out of 10

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning

Explore the area

View in a map
228 Lake Street, Cairns, QLD, 4870
  • Place, Cairns Esplanade
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Cairns Esplanade Charles Street Parkland
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Cairns Central Shopping Centre
    ‪4 min drive‬
  • Airport, Cairns, QLD (CNS-Cairns Intl.)
    ‪6 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Queen Room

A hotel room with a bed, a desk, a chair, a ceiling fan, a window with curtains, and a painting on the wall.

Queen Room

  • 28 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Twin Room

A hotel room with two beds, a desk, a chair, a ceiling fan, a window with curtains, and a painting on the wall.

Twin Room

  • 28 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for Family Room

A hotel room with two beds, a dining table, chairs, a TV, and a sliding glass door leading to a balcony with a view of the outdoors.

Family Room

  • 28 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 2 Twin Beds

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About the area

Cairns

Cairns North stay.At this Cairns North motel, you'll be within a 5-minute walk of Cairns Esplanade and Cairns Mudflats. Icon Cancer Centre Cairns (Liz Plummer) and Cairns Esplanade Charles Street Parkland are also within half a mile (1 km).
View more Motels in CairnsOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Cairns Esplanade - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
  • Cairns Esplanade Charles Street Parkland - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Muddy's Playground - 14 min walk - 1.2 km
  • Cairns Central Shopping Centre - 4 min drive - 2.1 km
  • Cairns Esplanade Lagoon - 5 min drive - 2.8 km

Getting around

  • Cairns Station - 8 min drive
  • Cairns Intl. Airport (CNS) - 6 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Muddy's Cafe - ‬13 min walk
  • ‪Guyala Cafe - ‬9 min walk
  • ‪Paper Crane - ‬16 min walk
  • ‪Yum Sing - ‬14 min walk
  • ‪Atrium - ‬19 min walk

About this property

The Reef Motel

Motel near Cairns Esplanade in Cairns
The Reef Motel offers its guests an outdoor pool. The front desk is open around the clock. Self parking is free.

This Cairns motel is smoke free.

  • 21 guestrooms or units
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Storage area for luggage
  • No smoking on site
The Reef Motel offers 21 air-conditioned accommodations with hair dryers and irons/ironing boards. This Cairns motel provides complimentary wireless Internet access, with a speed of 25+ Mbps. Bathrooms include showers.

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  • Parking included
  • Air conditioning
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The price is CA $70
CA $70 total
includes taxes & fees
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Property amenities

Family friendly

  • Outdoor pool

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • In-room WiFi speed: 25+ Mbps

Parking and transportation

  • Free uncovered self parking on site

Things to do

  • Outdoor pool

Room amenities

Bathroom

  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shampoo
  • Shower
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Iron/ironing board

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 4:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.

Property payment types

  • Mastercard
  • Visa

Important information

Fees

Guests will be asked to pay the following charges at the property:

  • Breakage deposit: AUD 100 per stay

We've listed all charges provided to us by the property.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, and cash.

Frequently asked questions

How close is The Reef Motel to the airport?

The Reef Motel is 2.8 mi (6-min drive) away from the Cairns Intl. Airport (CNS) airport, the closest popular airport to the property.

How much does it cost to stay at The Reef Motel?

As of Oct 10, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The Reef Motel on Nov 10, 2026 start from CA $94, excluding taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

Does The Reef Motel have an airport shuttle?

Airport shuttle services are not available at The Reef Motel.

How close is The Reef Motel to the beach?

This motel is 13.2 mi (27-min drive) from Palm Cove Beach and 6.5 mi (15-min drive) from Holloways Beach. Don't forget your sunscreen!

Does The Reef Motel offer free breakfast?

The Reef Motel does not offer free breakfast.

Is there a casino at The Reef Motel?

No, there is no casino at this motel, but Reef Hotel Casino (4-min drive) and Cazalys Cairns (6-min drive) are nearby.

What time is check-in at The Reef Motel?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM.

Is there free parking at The Reef Motel?

This motel offers free self parking.

Does The Reef Motel have a pool?

The Reef Motel features an outdoor pool.

Does The Reef Motel have a spa?

There are no spa services available at this motel.

How close is The Reef Motel to downtown Cairns?

The Reef Motel is 1.1 mi away from Cairns.

The Reef Motel Reviews

Reviews

4.8
Rating 10 - Excellent. 2 out of 31 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 31 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 31 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 31 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 12 out of 31 reviews

5.8/10

Cleanliness

7.0/10

Staff & service

5.0/10

Amenities

4.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Close to the esplanade
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2026
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
THE PROPERTY IS BEING COMPLETLY RENOVATED AND WILL BE A LOT BETTER IN THE FUTURE. THE STAFF WERE VERY FRIEDLY AND OBLIGING FOR A FEW ITEMS I REQUIRED.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2026
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I would not describe this as a hotel. I would describe it as a construction site. None of the services were available. No internet to the rooms intermittent hot water. The rooms anre old tired peeling paint and dirty grout. My room wasn’t ready even by 7:30 pm. I would definitely not recommend this place and the advertising for it is very deceptive.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2026
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
DO NOT BOOK! This accomodation does not EXIST! Arrived at the building and it's an abandoned building, there were workers there that said it hads been closed down for a long time. We tried calling them several times throughout the day - no answer. We have contacted lastminute and are in the process of getting this listing deleted.
Stayed 1 night in May 2026
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
AVOID staying here at least until the hotel is finished being renovated, they are currently offering the shabby outside rooms which LOOSLY dictate the rooms advertised. The window next to the door had 3 of the required 10 vertical blinds to cover thewondow, they had to find a board to cover the window, the a/C is the old in wall type sealed up with masking tape, tv didn’t work, bed was 2 singles pushed together with only a mattress topper holding them together and the linen, bedding was clean tho. Typically i “had the last room” so they couldn’t move me yet there was only 2 cars in the car park (one was mine) and one other unit with lights on and a blanket covering the entry window…. The manager was very nice, apologetic and sorted the winfow issue with a board, i guess fir $128 in Cairns this is what you get, i would be avoiding for a long time yet AVOID
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2026
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Golly, where do I start.... I booked this placed as the listing said it had recently been remodeled - as in past tense. However, upon arrival, it is still very much in the throws of a very large renovation. And thank goodness. The room I stayed in was probably the original décor, circa late 70's or early 80's. Very dated bathroom, the TV was hit and miss whether it worked or not and I had to go and ask if the air con / ceiling fan were working because I couldn't find the switches to get them to work. Turns out it was on a console in the middle of the beds with faded writing. The staff at "Reception" were very helpful: they hung onto my bag until it was time to check in as I'd arrived quite early in the AM, the maintenance chap was very quick to assist and the lady I tracked down to get some soap for bathroom was also very friendly. I didn't mind that it's a solid 20 minute walk from the popular end of the waterfront. It's a really pretty stroll along the promenade to all the cafes/restaurants - it's well lit and plenty of people around. I felt completely safe wandering back to motel at night by myself. The pros: comfy bed, black out curtains and phenomenal hot water & pressure. Only a 10 minute drive from airport by uber. The cons: in the middle of a very large reno, and very much organised chaos. If you can get past the decor (you're only in there to sleep and shower) it's cheap and I'm sure once the reno is completed, this will be a lovely place to stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2026
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It is a very old resort undergoing renovation but the room I had was offensive. Trouble getting ac started, tv control was not fully functional, no hot water in the shower, trade materials lying around everywhere, no community facilities were operational. Danger do not go there
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2026
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Stayed 1 night in May 2026