Cairns, Queensland
Oaks Cairns Hotel
A former retail block on Cairns Esplanade rebuilt into a 76-room hotel with a rooftop restaurant.
Open · September 2020
Oaks Cairns Hotel opened on 15 September 2020 at 59 Cairns Esplanade, the result of an AUD$12 million conversion that added three storeys to a former commercial and retail building. The 76-room property, operated by Oaks under Minor Hotel Group, gives Cairns city centre a waterfront hotel with its own rooftop restaurant, Oak & Vine.
The essentials
- Group
- Oaks Hotels, Resorts and Suites (Minor Hotel Group)
- Opening
- September 2020
- Rooms & suites
- 76 rooms
- Segment
- Upscale
- Designer
- NC
- Entry rate
- NC
The place
The hotel sits at 59 Cairns Esplanade, on the waterfront promenade that runs along Cairns city centre, roughly ten minutes from Cairns Airport. The Esplanade address puts guests directly opposite the Coral Sea and the public Cairns Lagoon pool, within walking distance of the Pier and Marlin Marina departure points used for Great Barrier Reef trips, and of the CBD's restaurants and shops.
The concept
Oaks Cairns Hotel is not a rebrand of an existing property: it was built out of a former commercial and retail building at 59 Cairns Esplanade, with three additional storeys added to the existing structure to create a five-storey, 76-room hotel. The AUD$12 million redevelopment was carried out for developer Kelly Development Services and opened on 15 September 2020 as the 28th Queensland property for Oaks, part of Thailand-based Minor Hotel Group. Rooms are finished in a modern, industrial-influenced style with open-plan layouts.
Dining & wellness
Dining is concentrated on the rooftop, where Oak & Vine serves breakfast and light lunch by day and shifts to evening cocktails with Peruvian share plates and modern Australian dishes, taking in views over the Coral Sea. The hotel has no pool, spa or gym of its own; the public Cairns Lagoon pool and outdoor fitness equipment along the Esplanade are a short walk away.
