My wife and I have just returned from a fantastic 8 day holiday in Cairns. We did some research and looked at many hotels and resorts in the area. We finally choose the Half Moon Bay Resort after reading a few of the reviews on TripAdvisor and it was a central point for the trips we had planned to do. We arrived at the resort early evening and found the unit key plus introduction letter stuck to reception door. Our unit was clean and tidy and had all the basics such as soap, milk etc to get us started. The resort was just two minutues from the golf course and a short drive to the nearest shopping centre.
Some of the reviews we read and certainly Half Moon Bay Resorts own promotional material claim to be only 10 minutes or so from Cairns Domestic Airport, which it is, what it fails to tell you is that you are on the flight path for all incoming aircraft.
On our first night we eventually went to sleep around 11.30pm after the last flight came in, only to be woken up around 04.30am the next morning as the first flight of the day flew above the resort!!!! Not a good introduction to our first day.
The noise from the aircraft’s engines were that bad we had only one option. We packed our bags and approached the resort manager with our feedback, only to be told "No body else has complained about the noise".!! We left the resort disappointed with their response , minus some accommodation costs we were bound to pay for due to their cancellation policy.
We will not be returning to the Half Moon Bay Resort and would not recommend it.

My husband and I stayed at the Half Moon Bay Resort (Yorkey's Knob Beach, about 10-15 min drive from Cairns) in September this year (2006). This particular beach is probably the least commercialised (yet) and it's the most quiet and natural-looking of all the Northern Beaches. The resort itself is within 3-4 min drive from the beach, or within the walking distance. We booked the garden view room and were really happy with the choice (great value for money!).
Carole (the hotel manager) was fantastically helpful before (when booking and confirming the booking), during and after our stay. She recommended the great tours and advised on the best times to go, distances, booking recommendation, the price ranges and different arrangements without being biased or preferencial towards any particular tour provider. It was really really helpful. Carole also helped when we had some technical small problems (recharger for our camera). As a whole, the service was non-intrusive but warm, professional and greatly helpful. Carole really made our stay at the resort special, memorable and welcoming. Thank you Carole!

My family and I stayed at Half Moon Bay for 9 nights and enjoyed every minute.
The rooms were very comfortable and clean and very well equipped, including all kitchen requirements. Even though it was full, we never did hear other guests.
The facilities were excellent with a great pool and spa, nice gardens, a locker room for golf clubs and an excellent BBQ area.
The hosts were fantastic and helped us to decide which tours were the best value for money for a family. The ones we chose were fantastic (Quicksilver reef trip to Low Isles, Kuranda train and skyrail, Hartley's crocodile and White Water Rafting on Barron River- in case you're wondering). They even added straight to my account!
I strongly recommend HAlf Moon Bay Resort and look forward to going there again next year.

John and Caolyn were the most gracious of hosts! Their insights and suggestions to travel excursions were spot on! The accommodations they manage were very clean, spacious and priced very nice!