In the know

House style

Oceanside mansion

Grounds

A verdant, tropical garden envelopes the house and there’s private access to a central grass tennis court, shared with two other properties.

Sleeps

6–14

Ideal for

Tennis club comrades, large families or dynamic groups of friends.

Rates

$1,200 a night for six guests. Each extra guest up to a maximum of 14 will be charged $50 a night.

Minimum hire

Five nights.

Also

Pets are not allowed and smoking is only permitted outside.

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Interior

Bedrooms 

Bedroom 1: Master bedroom with large walk-in wardrobe, wooden cabinet housing a television, soft linen sofa, pair of armchairs, en suite bathroom with double basin and small office with built-in desk, printer and Internet connectivity.

Bedroom 2: Spacious en suite room with kingsize bed, upholstered red and gold headboard with matching throw, bedside tables and cabinet concealing a television.

Bedroom 3: Large bedroom with en suite bathroom, queensize bed, en suite bathroom and lofty patterned headboard.

Bedroom 4: Spacious twin room with en suite bathroom. The beds also have pull-out mattresses. There’s an en suite bathroom, hot-pink cushions and throw and zingy prints on the walls.

Bedroom 5: Large twin room with blue and lime green fabrics and vibrant prints on the walls. Use of shared bathroom. The beds also have extra pull-out mattresses.

Kitchen The open-plan living space has an airy, up-to-the-minute kitchen with dishwasher, espresso maker and a marble breakfast bar which seats three. A roomy couch sits just to the side of the kitchen – perfect for sous-chef breaks. There’s also a large laundry room.

Living room The marble-floored ground floor has a living area furnished with wicker arm chairs and sofas and vivid contemporary art is showcased on the walls. Bi-fold doors open onto the tropical garden.

Dining room The Plantation house has a large open-plan living and dining room with a long wooden dining table, which seats 12.

Other There's also a media room with large off-white sofas and a vast plasma TV.

Outdoor

Poolside There’s a heated pool with covered cabana housing a day bed.

Gardens 

Parking There’s secure undercover parking and plenty of room to park in the driveway.

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Planes There are regular flights to Cairns from all major cities in Australia with Qantas (www.qantas.com.au), Virgin Blue (www.virginblue.com.au) and Jetstar (www.jetstar.com). Cairns also has an international terminal. Sunlover Helicopters offers airport transfers from Cairns airport to most resorts and islands along the coast (+61 (0) 7 4035 9669, www.sunloverheli.com.au).

Trains You’d have to be an avid railway fan to attempt this journey by train. The business-class-only service from Cairns to Brisbane will take an eye-popping 24 hours and there is no sleeper service (+61 (0) 1 300 131 722; www.tilttrain.com.au).

Local taxi service There's a taxi rank on Macrossan Street or you can phone Port Douglas Taxi (+61 (0) 7 4099 5345). Rainforest Limousine Service offers airport transfers to and from Cairns (+61 (0) 7 408 186 687; www.rainforestlimo.com.au). There are plenty of car hire companies at Cairns airport and city, including Hertz (www.hertz.com.au), Avis (www.avis.com.au) and Europcar (www.europcar.com.au).

Directions by road It’s a one-and-a-half hour drive from Cairns to Port Douglas, along one of the most spectacular stretches of Australian coastline. Take Highway 1, (Captain Cook Highway, northbound) and follow signs to Port Douglas. After the ninth roundabout, turn off the highway onto Port Douglas Road and the Mirage Estate is on your right, just after the Sheraton Mirage.

Review

What do you get if you throw high style, tropical flair and a seriously snazzy North Queensland estate into the mix? A high-living self-catering home that really means business.
The Plantation House is one of three homes built around a central tennis court and golf practice range in smart gated grounds in the buzzing resort town of Port Douglas. Built by a Sydney-based family whose aim was to create a complete resort experience, the houses can be rented individually or en masse, making this the perfect holiday setting for extended families or groups of friends. The house has been flawlessly finished, providing supreme luxury to its guests whilst maintaining a relaxed, tropical vibe. 
The gigantic living area has a mirror-smooth marble floor, lime-washed walls and cream couches; the perfect neutral palette to complement the lively fabrics and art works in the house. And as befits The Plantation House’s fabulous setting, there is a distinct nautical theme; a pair of oars jazzes up an upstairs corner, black and white maritime photographs adorn the walls, and the house is dotted with wooden model sailing boats.
Excess-baggage merchants should nab the master bedroom with its capacious walk-in wardrobe, and commandeer the small office for luggage overspill – well, what else are you going to use it for?
Paper-barked melaleuca trees surround the property and the ravishing gardens are so pristine you’ll swear they’ve been photoshopped. The private pool has a decadent day-bed where you can while away the sunny hours with a good book.
The media room, with its giant plasma TV screen and surround sound system, is the perfect late-afternoon retreat and will garner some serious brownie points from any tech-heads in your group, while yet another spacious lounge area extends onto the rear garden terrace. 
A private tennis court and driving range is shared with a handful of similarly snazzy neighbours and guests can use the facilities of the nearby Mirage Resort – including its world-class golf course. The picture-postcard-perfect Four Mile Beach is but a short stroll down a sandy path.
It’s all too easy to stay anchored to the immediate surroundings, but a little further afield is the must-see Great Barrier reef where you can scuba dive, kite-surf, snorkel, or go on a deep sea fishing trip.  You will not be disappointed. This doesn’t sound fun enough
For a retail fix head to Port Douglas’ main shopping area on Macrossan Street, a 15-minute walk from the house, which has boutiques and galleries galore. The village is also well endowed with restaurants which demand a visit. Alternatively, make like the locals and get involved with the state of the art barbie – grilling your reef-caught fish, perhaps? For a more refined, intimate dining experience call on the services of an in-house chef, lay the table outside on the terrace, and chow down on some very superior home cooking. Then maybe head back poolside for a post-dinner digestif.  Does life get any better?

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