Article by Yorkeys Knob Matters. February 2012.

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Villa Marine Holiday Apartments

Home page: http://www.villamarine.com.au

Booking: http://www.villamarine.com.au/cairns-accommodation/booking

CRTA President Joel Tomkinson says of Peter “Peter eptiomises customer service…he is also very passionate about customer service which came through in his nomination”.

Peter Sprigg was awarded the prize at our annual awards in December and was up against some tough competition including: Eddie Loi of Sunlover Cruises (runner-up) and Jenny Edmonson, Lady Douglas River Cruises; Stephanie Arne, Reef Experience; Meaghan Day, All Seasons Cairns Colonial Club; Mick Maloney, Tropical Horizons Guide; Gary Smyth, Pro Dive Cairns; Ian Sims, Tropic Wings; Anne Wilmott, Mini Car Rentals; Neville Prentis, Tony’s Tropical Tours.

Cairns Post Newspaper article on Villa Marine Holiday Apartments being awarded the ‘2011 Annual Cairns Region Tourism Association prize for excellence in customer service’

Here the original article.

These terms are applicable by Villa Marine Holiday Apartments and its clients and apply to all reservations, bookings and agreements for accommodation.

 1. Check-in and Check-out time.

Check-in 2.00 pm. Check-out 10.00 am. (Earlier check-in is possible, but must be arranged & confirmed by prior arrangement. Late checkouts may be arranged by prior arrangement   and can incur additional fees. Call us; international   + (61) 7 4055 7158) or within Australia 07 40557158

2. Agreements.

The Client agrees to pay charges to Villa Marine Holiday Apartments in the event of cancellation of the Services or if the Client and/or their guests fail to take up the services at the time and on the day specified in the Agreements.

2.1 All   guests must register on arrival and provide identification. To confirm booking at any time, credit card details must be provided at the time of booking unless prior arrangement has been made for an alternative method of deposit payment.

2.2 On Vacating, the premises must be left clean and tidy, dishes washed. A cleaning fee will be charged if additional cleaning is required.

2.3 We do not cover your personal belongings under our insurance& thus do not take any responsibility for loss or damage of personal belongings in or on the property. Travel insurance is recommended.

2.4 Lost keys or remotes will be charged to the guest.

2.5 The Client is responsible for the behaviour of his, her or its guests at Villa Marine Holiday Apartments and in particular for the orderly conduct of guests attending any function or staying in Villa Marine Holiday Apartments or otherwise making use of the services.  The client must ensure that no noise or nuisance is caused either for Villa Marine Holiday Apartments or its other guests and Clients.  The Client must comply with any reasonable request of Villa Marine Holiday Apartments and with any policies of Villa Marine Holiday Apartments as may apply to the Services from time to time. Failure to do so can result in cancellation of the accommodation without any refunds.

2.6 Smoking is prohibited inside   the apartments of Villa Marine Holiday Apartments. (Minimum   charge of $250 applies if you smoke inside your apartment this cost will be deducted from card details supplied in the first instance or via alternative form of payment as selected by Villa Marine. Outside smoking areas are provided.

 2.7 The Number of guest is as stated on the booking form that the guest filled in or advised reservations at time of booking, any additional persons are an extra cost, the amount specified on the web site per person per night   . Management reserves the right to either allow the additional persons in the apartment you have booked or charge for another apartment/s or to recommend alternative accommodation for your guests.

3. Cancellation Policy  

For room reservations made using the advanced purchase (deposit) will be taken at the time of booking.

3.1 Administration Fee of $50 AUST is charged for all cancellations.

3.2 All cancellations must be notified in writing to address; (Villa Marine Holiday Apartments. 8 Rutherford Street, Yorkeys Knob Beach. Cairns, Queensland. Australia) or by received e-mail (info@villamarine.com.au) (email is by the date received by our server)

3.3 Cancellations 21days or less forfeit deposit. This deposit is non-refundable in the event of any cancellation. Travel insurance is recommended.

3.4 Cancellations 5 to 7 days are charged 25% of booking total plus deposit, (if not already charged) 2 to 5 days cancellations are charged 50% of booking plus deposit (if not already charged)

48 hours or less, or no show 100% of booking total.

On day of arrival in the event of a “no show”, 100% full payment to be taken.

3.5. More than 1 unit (apartment) booked and for school holiday periods we require minimum 28 days’ notice of cancellation.  For Special events there is no refund of accommodation deposit.

All guests are deemed to have agreed with these terms and conditions at the moment of booking at Villa Marine.

Our mission is to provide you with more than just a bed or accommodation, it’s about providing a unique experience in an amazing environment where you can relax, enjoy and learn.

We invite you to experience the wonderful feeling here at villa marine of nature, rainforest, wetlands and beach all in this one unique location and to share and assist you to experience our amazing Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef here in Cairns Tropical Australia.

Our philosophy

We are not just a hotel or accommodation provider, we are a partner of people who wish to stay and experience real contact with nature! Enjoy, learn and relax in an environment where you can experience flora, fauna and diverse ecosystems, first hand from your doorstep.

We don’t have customers, we have guests whom we value and share our knowledge of local flora and fauna of the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.

We believe that all our flora and fauna is vital, all creatures large and small are highly important, these form part of our unique eco system and are integral to its health and wellbeing.

We are protective of our natural environment and replant with native species to assist our wetlands and rainforest eco system.

We have been working with butterfly expert Mr Paul Wright in order to increase the number of food source plants for the Cairns Birdwing, Ulysses Butterfly and Hercules Moth as well as working with a botanist on identifying our tropical rainforest flora.

We are not a 5 star hotel, we believe a real hotel is not about the number of stars your brand has   rather. It’s about the quality of the natural experiences the guest can have, like the number of stars you see in our clear sky.

Villa Marine has 9 beautiful apartments. The air is clean and fresh unaffected by city lights and commercialism, it’s about hearing the ocean, living next door to Rainforest, awaking to the sounds of rainforest birds or seeing a kangaroo skip past your door.  A stay with us, gives you the real essence of what Tropical North Queensland is all about.

We are not the biggest resort or the fanciest hotel. We don’t wish to be, we believe good guest service means giving a friendly and helpful personal attention backed with great local knowledge. We love what we do, we love where we live. The Rainforest and Reef are our passion. It is why we live here.

We are not just a profit business. We pay attention to nature and our environment in all senses.

We believe we have an obligation back to the planet to reduce impact and greenhouse emissions   and a duty of care to our rainforest environment.  It is why we were one of the first in Cairns to install solar power hot water and rainwater tank, it is why we replant native species, and donate to local charities such as the Cairns Turtle Rescue Centre.

Our aboriginal culture is highly important some our decorations are unique indigenous artefacts and furnishings, as well as original 1920s bedheads and furniture which have been restored to their former glory rather than ending up in land fill. Artefacts and art work including those by local aboriginal artists such as Bernie Singleton.

Finally we invite you to view all of our photos of Villa Marine in our website

We are proud we have not employed professional photographers; rather these pictures of our apartments and our nature are real photos that our guests have provided.

A great holiday is about great experiences and memories; the great environment of Rainforest, here, at Villa Marine gives you a splendid opportunity to capture wonderful memories!

Welcome to Villa Marine!

Peter Sprigg

Our Cairns car hire is available 7 days a week!

we have car rentals available for all car sizes from budget car rentals  such as our economy priced  small cars, mid-size, cars up to large family cars, as well as luxury car rentals and sports car hire.

Campervan, Motor Home, 4WD, four wheels Drive Hire

We have all options available from budget campervans with basic facilities to luxury campervans with toilet and shower, wheel drive hire, as well as a large range of four wheel drive tours.

Motorcycle, Motorbike Hire

We have a comprehensive range of motorcycles for hire as well as as Harley Davidson Tours  and Classic Trike Tours .

We have many repeat customers who book campervans and 4 wheel drives with us year after year because our rates are usually lower than the the internet!

Our car rental office has cars to suit all budgets and requirements.

We provide car hire to Cairns Yorkeys Knob, Smithfield Holloways beach, Mahan’s Beach, Trinity Beach and most Cairns Beach Suburbs.

Car hire rentals from one day to a week to a month or more!

Our vehicles are unlimited kilometres, air conditioned one –two year old vehicles in most instances. We also have Ute hire and four wheel drive hire and people movers and small buses available. Campervans, Motor Homes and motor bikes are also available for rental. Service is available to guests, visitors and general public. Need a car from the airport easy, just contact us and we can easily arrange it for you.

Cars are available as manual or automatic!

If you have special needs such as large amount of luggage, baby seats, or need a vehicle that can hold a bike or kite surfing gear just ask.

Pick up is available from Cairns Airport, Cairns City or most Cairns or northern beaches locations. Catching the train we can arrange car hire from the station or from here at Villa Marine!

YES YOUR CAR HIRE CAN BE DELIVERED RIGHT TO OUR DOOR!

Return the car to the airport or in most cases leave the car in our car park.

We regularly book cars interstate and from all Australian City locations, just contact us!

Karin from Germany “Every two years we come to Australia for holidays every year we check the prices and get quotes from German Travel Agents but each time we book  the campervan and car hire sections of our trip  with Peter  because he is cheaper and offers very good service”

BOOKING HERE!

Our beach and rainforest environment allows you to select the best cheap Cairns accommodation or luxury accommodation options in a totally natural environment… Imagine tropical rainforest next to your accommodation with nature and wildlife at your door! Yes kangaroos! Cairns rainforest birds, rainforest butterflies, imagine a unique tropical  beach accommodation where the beach is just so near, only  50 metres away, lie in bed and listen to the sounds of the rainforest, a favourite location for Cairns Birdwatching. Imagine an amazing tropical Cairns beach, where you can swim, fish, walk and unwind. You have the best of both worlds.

Our Nature

Our tropical resort is located by rainforest and the Coral Sea, home to The Great Barrier Reef in Cairns Australia.
What is rainforest? What is the Great Barrier Reef?
These two tropical rainforest environments are home to a diverse range of different species, flora and fauna.

Our Flora and Fauna

Birds we have identified over 50 species please see list the rainforest adjoining us is a rich habitat for many different cairns birds please see our bird watching page for more details Here. At Villa Marine you have the oportunity to see kangaroos, wallabies bandicoots, monitors, many different lizards, native frogs, bats and rainforest butterflies visit us at different times of the year.

Our Rain Forest

The rainforest adjoining us is a living museum of fauna flora. Here at villa marine we have a special pride and respect for the rainforest ecology and are pleased to share this with you and show you the rainforest, plants we have planted to assist our local wild life, currently we are working with renowned butterfly expert who is assisting us replanting native species as food source plants for the Cairns birding, Ulysses butterfly and Hercules moth the largest moth in Australia.

Our Great Barrier Reef

Is world heritage listed and contains the largest range of fauna and flora species found in any one place in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is not just one huge reef but a collection of thousands of individual reefs of different sizes .The reef is amazing and is formed by tiny coral polyps the coral structures provide sanctuary and homes to a huge diversity of marine life , beautiful colorful tropical fish such as the clown anemone fish, parrot fish , coral trout , butterfly fish , angelfish , goby fish, Maori Wrasse ,red emperor, damsel fish just to name a few , sea sponges ,sea anemones, nudibranch , molluscs, discover beautiful shells marvel at the giant clams , crustaceans like crabs, shrimps and echinoderms like sea stars, cucumbers and sea urchins. Huge variety of different worms and then the larger marine life like skates and rays, white tipped reef sharks and different species of turtles, the Great Barrier Reef is a living museum; we love the reef and would love to share our experiences with you!

Our Unique Location

The unique location of our tropical resort gives you opportunities to enjoy and learn about our amazing nature. Villa Marine faces the rainforest which is home to diverse eco systems of rainforest flora and fauna, including mammals like kangaroos, wallabies, rainforest birds, butterflies, frogs, bats and more exotic wildlife.
We are situated close to other tropical environments here in the wet tropics such as the Daintree rainforest, Cape Tribulation, and The Tablelands.
Within 100m of our holiday apartments there are over 60 species of tropical plants and dozen different species of butterflies and moths ,40 species of rainforest birds been sighted as well as many different reptiles, mammals frogs and rainforest insects .
The wetlands adjoining us are home to various species of fish, eels, tortoises and other wetlands nature. The natural beach here at Yorkeys knob, does not have the large volumes of tourists as compared to the other Cairns beaches and is a place where you can beach comb and discover seashells , marine sea birds ,on occasions spot dolphins and turtles , talk to local fisherman and see the array of different fish species they have caught or just enjoy the tranquility of a tropical beach without the crowds . The pictures of tropical plants, rainforest, wildlife, nature shown here on this page have been taken by us and our guests here at Villa Marine, we hope you get the opportunity to photograph and enjoy the nature as we do. If you love wildlife this is the place to be!

Our tours and activities

We stock the largest range of nature tours and wildlife tours from spotlighting tours, birding tours , bird sanctuaries , crocodile tours in the wild , as well as visits to crocodile farms , butterfly sanctuaries, bird sanctuaries such as Michaelmas Cay, tropical zoos, koala sanctuary or Cairns wildlife Safari reserve , if you like to go exploring without a guide , just ask us for suggestions for specific locations , if your interest is a specific species such as tree kangaroos, rock wallabies, platypus , cassowaries or reptiles and where the latest sightings have been , just ask Peter who has extensive local contacts and knowledge about local nature.
Go to Tours page here

Have a great holiday at Villa Marine! The unique location of our tropical resort gives you opportunities to enjoy and learn about our amazing nature.

Our Cairns accommodation offers onsite tourist information office and a free cairns tour booking services. We book all Cairns tours, activities rainforest and beach activities, great barrier reef tours, snorkelling tours, diving trips, Cairns car hire and all cairns day activities such as Kuranda tours, train and Skyrail tours, Tjapukai and rainforest tours to Daintree and cape tribulation .These Cairns tours pick up from your apartment. Our Cairns accommodation tours is for all ages! Families, couples and singles. We have the best accommodation and tours deals on Cairns! And best tours from snorkelling the reef to rainforest adventures at Kuranda and Daintree cape tribulation. Best cheap tours in Cairns!

Our tour office has been operating for over 25 years, below is just a small selection from our huge range of over 250 different tours. We book every tour in the Cairns area, it is a free service, there are no extra charges or costs to you to book through us and because of our in-depth knowledge of specials and discounts etc., and in most instances we can save your budget.

In addition we book dive courses, live aboard boats, Cape York tours, all Island accommodation, Heron Island to Lizard Island, Green and Fitzroy Island. If selecting any of these options always contact us as you will really save.

Our tourist information office is open 7 days a week to the public, cruise boat passengers and in particular our guests! Tours can be booked in advance on arrival or during your stay. We provide weather reports, reef reports, an extensive range of free maps, discount vouchers to save your budget and lots of ideas on free activities and we also book airport shuttle bus.

Please see following a list of some of our available tours and activities:

Great Barrier Reef Day – Tours & Diving Trips

Including pick-up at Yorkeys Knob. Day trips Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef (30 different trips). Dive Courses & Dive trips. Overnight & Live Aboard Boats (Boats 3 & 5 Day Trips). Wide range of options as well  as  sea-walker,  dive courses (certified and introductory diving)  night diving and coral spawning.

Booking inquiry Here

Rainforest

Kuranda Scenic Railway & Skyrail & Rainforest Station. We can book Kuranda Scenic Railway & Skyrail various combinations for you with or without pick-up. Daintree, Cape Tribulation Tours & Accommodation.
Booking inquiry Here

Cairns Fishing Trips and Tours

Cairns Estuary Fishing & Crabbing. Cairns Reef Fishing. Mulgrave River & Daintree River. Game Fishing & Light Tackle and Marlin Fishing.
Booking inquiry Here

Cairns & Other Islands, Day Trips & Accommodation

Fitzroy Island & Fitzroy Island Resort Bookings. Green Island & Green Island Resort Bookings. Frankland Island. Low Isles. Lizard Island day trips & resort bookings.
Booking inquiry Here

Wildlife Tours

Bird watching in cairns region and Daintree. Nocturnal spotlighting of native wildlife in the Cairns tablelands, Crocodile viewing on Daintree river / Cairns Hartleys crocodile farm and Cairns Tropical Zoo. Ask us for discount vouchers.
Booking inquiry Here

Scenic Flights

Cape York. Great Barrier Reef. Lizard Island. Helicopter Flights to Great Barrier Reef. Cape York & Outback Tours. Fly drive Cape York, camping tours to Cape York, barge / ship to Cape York, Bamaga, Torres Strait, Thursday Island barge. 4 Wheel Drive tours to Cape York. We are agents for all Cape York tours.
Booking inquiry Here

Adventure Sports

Yorkeys Knob beach is ideal for kitesurfing and has become a popular Kitesurfing location. Cairns kitesurfing lessons. White Water Rafting – Ask us about free transfers. Sea Kayaking – Fitzroy Island. Horse Riding – Ask us about free transfers. Mountain biking ATV’s. Parasailing. Bungy jumping and Free transfers.

Booking inquiry Here

Aboriginal and cultural tours

We have the largest rangeof aboriginal tours from aboriginal rock arrt tours  such as with Nujal_warra elder Willie Gordon, Laura rock-art sites, Kuku Yalanji cultural habitat tours, Bama Way aboriginal tours to Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Tjapukai live dance performance and spirit welcome ceremony.

Booking inquiry Here

Wildlife Apartment details
Our Wildlife Apartment is very different to most cairns accommodations. Vibrant with a vintage feel and furnished with some original Cairns furniture including a 1930s silky oak couch, 1930s timber bedhead, tribal and aboriginal artifacts and artworks including pieces by local aboriginal artist Bernie Singleton. The new kitchen and large stainless steel oven and hot plates, microwave and large flat screen television gives a mix of new and old. The bathroom has shower toilet and vanity basin. The open plan layout incorporates a queen bed and one single bed sleeping 3 persons in total. The large timber desk allows plenty of room for studying our various nature resource books on the rain forest, Birdwatching and the tropical environment. The outside shady patio with table and chairs and couch gives opportunities to enjoy nature, including rainforest butterflies and the sun birds which feed on the hibiscus flowers at the front of the wildlife apartment.

Wildlife Apartment Gallery

Other useful information
Our tour information office has one of the largest ranges of wildlife tours to experience nature, protected species, native animals; including kangaroos and wallabies. Spotlighting nature tours whale and dolphin spotting in season, Cairns Birdwatching experiences and tours and seabird sanctuaries -Michelmas Cay  on the great Barrrier Reef. We can provide you with location maps for opportunities to see tree kangaroos, platypus and cassowary all in natural locations. Also tours to see crocodiles in the wild and snorkelling opportunities with turtles. All experiences! Snorkelling, diving, soft corals, hard corals and coral spawning! It is a great opportunities to see many different fish and marine animal species. As well we can get you into wildlife attractions such as butterfly sanctuary Birworld, koala sanctuary, Cairns Tropical Zoo, Hartley’s Crocodile Farm and wildlife habitat at discounted prices saving you budget. Wildlife, our rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef is our passion!Just ask and we would only be too happy to share our knowledge and assist you!
We have strong belief in assisting the special habitat that we adjoin by replanting rainforest species and food source plants for Cairns birdwing and Ulysses butterflies and Hercules month, we are currently working with renown butterfly expert  Paul wright   planting species such as Melicope Ruba, Aristochia Tagula  this gives you the guest wonderful opportunities to view exotic nature in a unique environment from the doorstep of your accommodation.

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We also recommend…
looking for another great alternative to the Wildlife apartment
Our beach  apartment is ideal
looking for  family accommodation our family and holiday apartment  sleeping up to 7 persons may be ideal
Looking for rainforest affordable accommodation ?
Our rainforest apartment has great rainforest views

Tropical apartment details
Fully self-contained studio apartment, open plan in layout, sleeps up to 4 persons comfortably with queen bed and 2 single beds. Built in wardrobe, kitchen with full size oven stove and microwave kitchen table and chairs lounge and large flat screen television.
Our Tropical Apartment has large split air conditioner. The bathroom has shower with toilet in separate room and large timber desk. We also have a selection of tropical rainforest plant guides and magazines for you to pursue. The apartment has large sliding windows to catch the sea breezes and allow beautiful views of the tropical rainforest and gardens. The outdoor patio with table, chairs and couch to relax on faces onto tropical gardens with hibiscus and palms. The Tropical Apartment overlooks our lagoon pool which is shaded by rainforest and large coconut palms.

Tropical Apartment Gallery

Other useful information
Our tour office has over 250 tours to choose from covering the best the tropics has to offer. If you need car hire to self-drive to tropical rainforest locations like Kuranda or Daintree Cape Tribulation we can book car rental for you at very affordable rates. If your interest is tropical plants we have field guides and details on locations, such as Cairns Botanical Gardens, which is famous for its superb tropical gardens. Tropical rainforest animals like tree kangaroos can be seen near Cairns!
Just ask us and we can provide you with our own mud maps to improve your chances of viewing native species. Recently we provided the film crew for National Geographic with mud maps for successful viewings. (This is a free service for all our customers).
Tropical rainforest butterflies are found in our gardens (more information in our Nature page) or we can organise a visit to the Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, which we can book for you at discounted rates. Tropical islands such as Green Island, Fitzroy Island, Frankland Islands or luxury tropical accommodation on Green Island, Lizard Island and Heron Island, We can book for you at very special rates saving your budget.

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