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Reviews of 181 The Esplanade

4 out of 5
181 The Esplanade
181 The Esplanade, Cairns North, QLD

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 145 out of 337 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 137 out of 337 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 42 out of 337 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 337 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 337 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Shellae

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Jacob

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Not a 4 star hotel - just a very decent apartment
Clean enough - there was dust on top of fridge and under bed (it moved). Overall it was clean and good location. Didn’t appreciate we had to take the garbage out and put in the chute - wish it was known. Furniture was dated could use an upgrade. Better coffee instead of just powdered. Maybe a bottled waters when people arrive. And WiFi range was not great in bedroom. I would still recommend this - we were staying in some 5 star properties before getting here - hence my expectation was higher. Appreciated having the laundry after all the cairns adventures.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Dennis

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
At the quiet end of the esplanade with great views over the ocean . Easy walking distance to muddys and playground, cafe and beach volleyball and and not much further to main activity hub We walked to RSL and cenotaph on the esplanade for 11/11 commemoration and then on to public pool for a dip. Really easy walk. Staff were really friendly and accommodating as we needed to stay a bit longer, no problem for them Everything we needed in the apartment, really comfortable lots of room , large lounge and balconies,full kitchen and good bathrooms. Really nice pool. Would highly recommend and will definitely stay again
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Sharron

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location and our apartment had a fabulous view of the sea and esplanade. Furnishings and the bathrooms would benefit from some updating, but this would not deter us from staying again. Car parking was very secure - great to have a dedicated, numbered bay.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Arnola

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Perfect location, view and wonderfully helpful and friendly proprietors, that being said the apartment is untouched circa 1990's, run down to the point of threadbare. The couches need to be thrown out, and all the kitchenware is in such a degraded state that an op shop wouldn't resell it. Please fix these things and you would be on a winner.
Stayed 8 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Sharon

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

6/10 Okay

Barry

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
There are lots of good points that should have scored this apartment higher - the location is good, and very quiet; the sea view was wonderful; the secure parking in the basement was outstanding; the apartment was spacious, clean and well kitted out; the shower was very powerful and it was great having two bathrooms. However, the flat was quite tired; the spa bath had been disconnected (so was only a bath, which was not as advertised); there was no DVD (so also not as advertised); TV channels were limited; there was no remote for the bedroom TV; and the internet connection was poor. Overall, it could have been so much better with some attention to detail. The owners might want to take note, as this apartment is no longer exactly as advertised on Expedia.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Joey

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stay as long as you can in this delightful spot. The building itself was clean and secure. The apartment, specifically, was roomy, well maintained, and easily felt like home as soon as you walk in. Fantastic views of the ocean and mountains (and bats at sunrise!). This is on the north end of the esplanade, so it was a bit quieter but within a few minutes walk you are in the heart of the hustle and bustle of it all. I would recommend this spot highly to my friends.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ryan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and big open rooms. View was excellent. Had issues with the water pressure, which was fixed by a plumber that day.
Stayed 8 nights in Jun 2023

6/10 Okay

Peter

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
A/C was broken. Furniture tired. Floor coverings tired
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gayle

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The apartment we stayed in had a beautiful view of the esplanade, it had all the amenities we needed for a long stay it was clean and the staff are very friendly and helpful
Stayed 6 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Yu

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location is perfect, we also liked the pool and spa there. Staff are kind and helpful. Will definitely come back again!
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Veronica

Liked: Room comfort
Ocean View?
Ocean view or Garden view? If you look closely you can see the ocean through the trees but I paid for an ocean view. This was not it! Lots of great space with two bathrooms, laundry and all the basics in a kitchen. A local phone in the apartment/lobby would have been very helpful. Bit of a hike to get to the Esplanade/Marina but definitely doable. Surfaces were all very clean but if you look up or down you will find plenty of dirt, ants and even mold. For a short term stay this place will do the trick but a bit of investment or even fresh paint would do this building some justice.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2023
Response from 181 The Esplanade Team on 12 Mar 2023
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We apologize for the confusion regarding the view from your room. We understand that you booked a two-bedroom apartment and not an ocean view two-bedroom apartment.We apologize if our website or booking process did not clearly indicate the difference between our room types. However, we appreciate your feedback and will take note of your suggestion to book an ocean view two-bedroom apartment for your next stay with us if you would like to have a view of the ocean.We are glad to hear that you found the apartment spacious and well-equipped with all the basic amenities. We will also take note of your suggestion regarding the local phone in the apartment/lobby.Regarding the cleanliness of the surfaces and the need for updates, our team takes cleanliness very seriously, and we will work with our housekeeping staff to ensure that we are providing a high level of cleanliness throughout the entire property. We will also take your suggestions regarding updating the building into consideration.We appreciate your business and hope that you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful city. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future.

4/10 Poor

Ningappa

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities
Old apartment , amenities are limited , A/C was too cold in one room vs nothing in the other bed room, blinds were not closing property . Need revamp . no nearby convince store as well .

6/10 Okay

Robin

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Nice sea view and very spacious accommodation. For the price however, it all felt a bit old and tired. Mmmmm beige. The kitchen was well equiped but the cups were all filthy with coffee rings. The laundry was great but the machine was excessively loud which meant we couldn’t have it on while kids were in bed. We were woken at 2am each night from a loud plumbing noise that we guess was the cistern filling when a person in another apartment used their toilet. Being directly under the 6am flight path capped off the lack sleep.

10/10 Excellent

Maureen

Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2022

8/10 Good

Lisa

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Really spacious and great layout. Full kitchen and allowed easy cooking. While supplies were good, the packaged dish detergent etc is just not as good as dishwasher tablets or a bottle of dishwashing liquid but we realise that is hotel style. Very secure and lock up parking but hard to get a park. Having numbered car parks for guests units would be good, instead of having to find one.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Yeng

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Great place with view. It's a little out dated but still functional. Great time and place to stay
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Auke

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Great stay!
This was a great accommodation for a family of four adults. Two bedrooms and two full bathrooms and spacious living space. Location is excellent with (partial) ocean view (depending on which floor you are on) and walking distance to city centre.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Mayank

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very good for family or group stay. Excellent location. One magic key opens all doors :-) The toilets should have exhaust fans installed.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Catherine

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Good value and great views.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Krishti

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean and spacious serviced apartment. A bit far from main town centre (on the outskirts of cbd) but that’s the only negative.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Maria

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness
The position of the property and the amazing views from our 7th floor apartments.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

6/10 Okay

Dylan

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Very loud aircon unit at property, couches were okay looking (Bali theme) but very uncomfortable. Beds were comfy, outdoor area with fish pond nice.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Melissa

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Family Getaway to Cairns
Great location and amenities. Apartment perfect for a family of 4. Stocked with all items needed. Lagoon pool was awesome and surrounded by beautiful plants - to make the setting great.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Amenities
Close to all amenities. Walking distance to Cairns city. . Nice view from the front balcony
Stayed 8 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
5 star Well done
Stayed 4 nights in May 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in May 2021

8/10 Good

Katherine

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021
Response from Glen on 12 Apr 2021
Hi Katherine Thank for your review and we take all comments seriously and try our best to address all issues as they come to hand We hope that enjoyed your stay with us. Kind Regards Glen

6/10 Okay

Kirsty

Business traveller
Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Great location
181 The Esplanade is a beautiful building in a great location. Unfortunately the cleanliness left a lot to be desired, however Glen was very quick to rectify any complaints that were made. I will book again next time I am in Cairns
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2020

8/10 Good

Ruby, Townsville

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Amenities
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great views and large apartments. Very secure. Could do with a good clean.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2020
Response from Glen on 28 Sept 2020
many thanks for your review very sorry for the cleanliness will address the issue Kind Regards Glen

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was nice and spacious. The units are a bit dated but are functional and great for a family holiday.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 9 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Glen on 10 Sept 2019
Thank you very much for your review it is greatly appreciated and it is nice to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay with us Many thanks Glen

8/10 Good

Melissa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Glen on 6 Aug 2019
thank you so much for your kind review it is very much appreciated

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Glen on 23 July 2019
Thank you so much for your review it is much appreciated

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from glen on 23 July 2019
Thank you for your review and we would love to welcome you back

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We were very happy with our stay a 181 The Esplanade. Location great right on the Esplanade and out unit # 25 had an amazing view of the waterfront. Unit was 90's styling ,very spacious and well supplied. Location great right next to the hospital and quiet area. Only a 10 -15 min walk along the boardwalk to lagoon and marina area if you want some action. Would definitely stay again if in Cairns.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019
Response from glen on 16 July 2019
than you so much for your kind words we would love to see you back

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Lots of room and nice view from balcony. Helpful staff with lots of info for booking tours etc
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2019
Response from glen on 16 July 2019
thank you for your kind review. It is very much appreciated.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Spacious and within walking distance to the main st
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Glen on 9 July 2019
thank you so much for your review so very much appreciated

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 10 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Glen on 9 July 2019
thank you so much for your review so very much appreciated

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very clean and well decorated room makes you feel home. We were lucky with the excellent view and tiled floor (Some property in the building are carpeted) .
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Glen on 9 July 2019
thank you so much for your review so very much appreciated. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location and view (from ocean view room); very spacious; fully equipped kitchen and laundry with dryer. Nice swimming pool and spa. Also parking is easy and available inside. Love to revisit.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019
Response from glen on 25 June 2019
Thank you so much for your kind words it is so very much appreciated we would love to have you visit us again Glen

8/10 Good

Cheerie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great holiday
The apartments were across the road from the esplanade which was great to go for walks, also an easy walk to town. Wifi good
Stayed 7 nights in May 2019
Response from glen on 11 June 2019
Thank you Cheerie for your kind review we are very pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. Kind Regards Glen

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice swimming pool and Jacuji with ocean facing apartments
Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Glen on 30 Apr 2019
thank you so much for your kind words and would we love to see you back to our lovely part of the word again

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The friendly and helpfull checkin as well as being up graded was a great start to our stay
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Glen on 30 Apr 2019
Thank you so much we so happy that we made your stay pleasurable and that we would to see you back one day

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children, Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
it is unclear that this is a service apartment offering, I thought it was a hotel, with food for late arrivals ad breakfast. the self contained large apartment was grand, but I was keen on a hotel with food prepared by others for sale for our brief overnight stay.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Glen on 14 Feb 2019
We are very sorry about the misunderstanding as we are a fully self contained accommodation complex Regards Glen

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent sized condo with two bedrooms - nice pool. Had difficulty getting our wash completed with the small load snd hard to work machines. It is a few extra blocks to downtown but a nice walk along the boardwslk
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Glen on 11 Jan 2019
Thank you so very much for the kind review we are very sorry that you had trouble with the washing machine and we are looking into the problem which we will definitely resolve and thank you for letting us know We look forward to seeing you again Kind Regards