By the Sea Port Douglas is on the main street of Port Douglas (Macrossan Street) where most of the restaurants, café’s and shops are located and we are only a one minute stroll away from all the action, with the nearest bottle shop and Food store  only  2 minutes walk away.  Yet we are in a quiet and idyllic location even though we are so close to the main centre.   The reason for this is that as you enter Macrossan Street , if you turn left that is where all the shops and restaurants start.  However if you turn right there is only 50 metres of road left, but not much traffic goes down there and there are no shops. And this is where we are located, right by the sea.

Yes.  The only thing they are missing is a traditional oven*, and that is simply because they are too arduous to clean..  However we do have convector microwave ovens that do the same job as an oven in all apartments.  All apartments have a full fridge and freezer (except for the Beachside Gardens that have a bar fridge), stove top, toaster, pots and pans, crockery ,cutlery, platters, ice bucket, Also in reception we have slow cookers and rice makers free of charge.  So you can cook to your heart’s content inside your apartment if necessary.  There is also a free ice maker located on the first floor of the resort
*(Please note that the Rainforest 2 Level Superior and the King size Superior does have a traditional oven)

If you stay more than seven days, we provide a full and free room service every five days and we  change your towels (including beach towels) free of charge as often as you require them changed. We also offer a daily change of bed sheets as an optional extra ($10 per bed per day) and the option of a daily apartment clean as well ($30 per day)  If you would like to utilize either of these optional extras please let us know when booking.

We have fast broadband internet access which you can use in the privacy of your own apartment:
Whilst we do have a wireless internet facility at our resort, we find that in the tropics wireless is not as reliable or as fast as hard wired broadband (Ethernet) access.  So to ensure the fastest internet service for our customers we have hard wired broadband (adsl 2) internet access in to all apartments.  When you arrive we provide you with a network cable to connect your laptop to the  modem in your apartment.  We also provide a lap top for you to use free of charge, if you do not have your own. 

Except for the small cost of internet time and $15 per day bike hire, everything is included in the price including:  DVD Players, Sky sports and movie channels, use of resort’s lap tops, CD Players, ice, barbecue packs, beach towels, beach chairs, floaters, eskis, beach games, tennis rackets and tennis balls.

Yes they do.  The ones on the second floor look back out over Four Mile Beach and therefore have the best views and that is why they are called Sea View Superiors.  The ones on the first floor called Sea and Pool Views, have side views of the beach but you can still clearly see the beach. 

All the shops, restaurants and cafés of Port Douglas are literally just a few  minutes stroll  and the Marina is only a five minutes walk.  So you do not need a car to get around Port Douglas, nor do you need to catch a cab or bus in to town.

The only time that guests seem to use a car when in Port Douglas is for the 20 minute drive to Mossman Gorge or for a one day drive to the Daintree World Heritage Rainforest area or to Kuranda and Sky rail.  There are however a good range of tours that go to these areas, that are small and personalized, and get great reviews from our guests.  However, if you would prefer to do these tours by hiring your own car, we provide maps and complete information for you. If you would like to hire a car for a few days it is most cost effective if you book it directly with Avis or Budget online.

We are happy to organize a transfer for you from Cairns Airport to our door. The journey is just spectacular and takes about an hour.  The cost per person is $33 one way.  In order to organize this for you (at no extra cost), we simply would need your flight details.  Alternatively Avis or Budget will often let you hire a car one way

If you are driving yourself from Cairns airport, then turn right from the airport road exit and go straight on where the road becomes the Captain Cook Highway (or just follow the signs to Mossman).   After about an hour, you will see a turn off on the right hand side to Port Douglas.  Follow this road right down until it joins the main street (Macrossan Street), turn right and we are the last resort on the left by the beach  (Be careful when driving from Cairns.  The view is spectacular once you have left Cairns but it is a very windy road

We have free under ground car parking on two levels.  Also those staying in our Rainforest Studios, have their own car parking spot outside their apartment.

If you want some basic food items to be in your apartment for when you arrive, simply E mail us what you require (maximum 20 items) and we will get them for you.  You pay us when you arrive.  We do charge $20 for this service

The weather here can vary considerably in terms of wind strength on a day to day basis and it is important to book your tours to suit the weather at the time, so that you end up going out on the reef on the best day and leaving your land based activities for other days. So we do suggest that you leave booking your tours until you get here. If you are coming for only a couple of days and are concerned, then please contact us by phone or E mail with your requirements and we will recommend trips to you and book them for you.  Please note that the team at By the Sea Port Douglas are expert on tours and impartial in their advice as it is their job to ensure that you leave happy and will therefore advice tours that will suit your needs the best.  We book tours at no charge.

Yes you can safely swim in the sea on our lovely Four Mile Beach. From November to the beginning of June, you have to swim in a Cordoned off area of the beach. 
The good news is that if you are coming at this time, the safe area to swim is right by our end of Four Mile Beach

To confirm a booking, we do need details of your credit card, though we do not take payment until you arrive.  Please note we do not take American Express or Diners.  

When you arrive we open an account for you and all extra charges such as tour bookings and internet gets added to your account as you go, meaning that you only have to pay for such once, when you depart.

30 days before date of booking........... just a fee to have covered our admin costs up to that time ($70), though we will refund this to you if you come and stay with us in the future
8 - 29 days before date of booking ......... a fee equivalent to one day accommodation charge
1-7 days, Full payment is taken, so please ensure you have travel insurance

We are new business owners and we are therefore working quite late most nights.  If you arrive after we have closed reception, we will leave a letter by the reception door telling you how to find your apartment.  We will leave the light on in your apartment and the key inside and look forward to seeing you in the morning.

We used to be known as Archipelago Apartments but we have changed the name to By the Sea Port Douglas for obvious marketing reasons