| Everyday Luxury Travel Australasia Australia

Adventures in Australia – Reef and Rainforest, A Treehouse for Two!

One thing that struck Mr Silver and I during our travels in Australia was the marvellous spectrum of colour. The blue of the mountains, the red of the desert and now the green of the sumptuous rainforest. As our plane flew over the Daintree Rainforest we marvelled at the huge expanse of emerald hues that glittered beneath us.

 

 

The Daintree is the largest area of rainforest in the Australian continent and it is situated on the North East coast of Queensland just north of Cairns (an hour and twenty minutes car journey for us from Cairns airport).
Mr Silver and I were again staying a one-of-kind hotel. Silky Oaks Lodges is an eco lodge located directly in the centre of the rainforest and overlooking the Daintree River. Here, we would be staying in one of their luxury treehouses in order to experience all the area had to offer.
I was highly apprehensive about staying in this hotel, there are over 12,000 species of insects living in the rainforest and I’m probably scared of all of them! Especially the spiders… That said I wouldn’t let Mr Silver leave my side the whole time we stayed in the hotel in case I needed him to save me from a spider attack! I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here had been showing in the UK as we left so I also had cockroaches, rats and scorpions on my mind…
Here’s some pics of the hotel and it’s surroundings so you can get idea just how deep the the forest we were.

 

 

 

The main ethos at the Lodge is to embrace the natural surroundings and the environment. Nothing at the hotel feels artificial or out of place. Even the pool mimicks the Daintree river.
Silky Oaks employs several different initiatives in order to sustain the environment; all water used in the lodge is drawn from the Mossman River and treated on site. They also make every effort to use all recycled products, be as energy efficient as possible and source all produce locally. From our stay here and at Wolgan Valley, Mr Silver and I discovered the eco-tourism could also be ultra-luxe, not all composting toilets and freezing showers!
Here’s some snaps of our treehouse for two!
Complete with a hammock for lazy jungle days!
Three out of the four nights of our stay we chose to eat at the hotel. The Treehouse Restaurant is the main restaurant at Silky Oaks, and atmospheric open-sided dining room serves a menu of modern Australian cuisine made with fresh local produce. And our new favourite sparkling wine, Chandon!

 

We received excellent service, as the waiter very deftly removed a stick insect from the table for me and told us about the species of bat that hung in the corner!
The hotel is quite remote so other dining choices were limited but the hotel arranged for car to take us into Port Douglas for one night where ate at On The Inlet, a gorgeous little over-water restaurant serving delicious seafood. Unfortunately, atmosphere in Port Douglas was rather lacking and after one drink at a local bar we headed back to Silky Oaks.
While at Silky Oaks, Mr Silver and I were also able to enjoy the spa which offers treatments inspired by nature in order to relax body and mind. We both enjoyed a divine aromatherapy massage which encompassed use of natural plant oils in order to nourish our skin. Needless to say our stay at Silky Oaks left us feeling at one with nature!
Watch this space for my next blog as Mr Silver and I journey into the jungle and beyond.